Look Down!

Sometimes the best photographs are lying at your feet.

We pass these scenes every day. Sometimes we walk over them. Pavement patterns, leaves lying on asphalt, puddles, even manhole covers are all fodder for fantastic photos.

If you’re walking over a bridge, be sure to look down and see what’s happening. For example...

Before: I was walking across a footbridge spanning the Delaware river from New Jersey to Pennsylvania when I spotted a kayaker paddling down the river. Halfway across the bridge, I took some distant shots. Booooring!   

After: I realized that if I hustled, I could get a shot of the guy just as he was about to go under the bridge. I sprinted to the spot right above where he was heading, getting there just a few seconds before he did. I shot straight down and captured this dramatic composition.

Outfit: Canon EOS 30D with 18-55mm f/3.5-4.6 kit lens. Exposure: 1/250 sec at f/8, ISO 200.