I’m going to share an image from three different days that give the viewer the setting for the story below and a little behind the scenes for each.

In this image from El Capitan Canyon Campground I was using a wide angle lens (the Canon 24-70 II at 24mm) to get as much scenery in the image as possible. I wanted to set the scene for the location of my story right from the start. You can see the long road, the fence, lots of sky, and even a little of the ocean. I got low to the ground to take this image to show as much as I could my point of view from being there, hoping someone might be able to imagine walking down the dirt path too. Based on this image the viewer can guess the setting is rural and outdoors.

For this image from Santa Monica Pier, I wanted one image that would show where we were right at the start of my story. This image sets the stage for detail shots of the rides and the concessions along the pier once we got closer. But, just from this one image the viewer can tell we are on the water (but close to some city life), on a pier, and there are lots of activities. I shot this standing at eye level because I wanted to tell the story without any distractions in the foreground of the image. I was using the Canon 50 mm lens for this image because I wanted to get enough in the image to show the location without having so much that it became a distraction (which I find sometimes happens for me when I am shooting with a wide angle lens).

When we went to the apple tree farm I knew I would come home with lots of images of apples on the trees, apple picking, and details from the day. But, I wanted to make sure to start my photo story with the location of our day. This particular farm has some wonderful white sided houses on the property and I tried to capture an image that showed some of one of the houses along with the fall leaves and some rows of apple trees. My goal was for someone to see this image and know the season and have an idea of the rural location.

When we were at El Capitan (the location of the first image above) there was so much to look at that it was almost overwhelming. It seemed like every direction I looked there was something new. The good part of this was that there were lots of details to capture. The hard part was choosing which details could help me tell the strongest story of the place. I decided that I wanted a mix of detail images that showed the place {like these flowers below} along with detail images that told the story of our stay there {like the key to the cabin and the sign}. Using a macro lens like the Canon 100 mm 2.8, is a great way to get those close up detail images. Although I also like to use the 50 mm lens for these shots as well because I find that I like the extra space in the image, like the one with the cabin key. The texture of the table adds to the story so I wanted to include enough of it in the image plus it helps you compose the image when you give yourself a little breathing room in the frame.

This next image from Santa Monica Pier shows details of two things I found pulled me in while we where there. I love the history behind things and this pier has a long history full of it’s own stories. There was something about the way the light was falling in this empty space in the room nearby by to the carousel. I felt like these images showed insight into the space & about my day there at the same time.

Last, details from the apple tree farm. These are probably the most obvious details yet it was also a challenge to make it about more than just the apples themselves. I wanted to find details that would be specific to this particular apple tree farm, something that was unique about it which meant I had to look beyond just the apple trees & apples.

Here are the apples.

And here is a detail image of something unique to this farm. I was looking in every direction while we where there, not just at the trees but also behind us, looking for the story I wanted to tell.

These are two moments from our trip to El Capitan. When I see the image on the left of the light it takes me right back to that evening. It is the perfect moment of time. Placing it alongside the open wine bottle also helps tell the viewer the time of day and something about what we did.

The next one is of my husband & son riding the roller coaster at Santa Monica Pier. I was standing below them with the shot already composed in my head waiting until the coaster got right where I wanted it then I clicked the shutter.

Last one of the moments I wanted from our trip to the apple tree farm was of my son actually picking the apples off the tree. I loved that the image shows the size of his hand this year and how he still has to reach up to get the apples. For an unknown viewer, the black marks on his wrist may be a distraction but for me they tell the story of the time of year & his love of running club (they get a mark for each lap). This would be something that might require some words for background if you wanted to explain it but I was taking them image for our family albums so including that detail in this moment added meaning to the image for me.