What Was There Versus What I "Saw"; Art's Auto Repair

Art's Auto Repair.  This is what appeared in the corner of my eye as I drove by.  Looks pretty 
mundane but, in my mind, I "saw" the potential for an interesting image. (click to enlarge)
Fujifilm X-T4; 16-55mm f/2.8 lens @ 23mm; 1/250th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 160

Often times, when I'm out driving or just wandering, around, something will catch my attention.  More likely than not I will turn around, stop and get out of my vehicle with my camera to make some images.  If my wife is with me, she just gives me a puzzled look because she can't figure out what I have seen or why I've stopped.  The reason is that what is before my eyes is not necessarily what I envision in my mind.  That has been a valuable photographic lesson for me over the years.  Don't take what you see at face value, envision how it could look in a final edited image.  Here is a case on point.

I was driving down a country road on my way to an area with a small boat inlet as my intention was to see what had changed with the old wooded deadrise workboats normally moored there.  Just before I reached my destination I glanced to my right and spotted this building with the old Chevrolet pickup truck parked in front.  What struck me was the yellow building in contrast to the old 'blueish' looking truck.  I turned around, parked, got out and took a good look at the scene.  I liked what I envisioned.  That is different from what was before my eyes.

Upon further examination, I found the truck actually wasn't blue but looked blue due to the clear blue sky directly overhead.  This is the same effect you can see when the shadows in snow look blue under a clear blue sky.  The yellow, for the most part, was almost washed out and faded and looked as though the building was painted years ago.

The image above is what was there but the image below is how I "saw" in my mind.

This is how my mind's eye "saw" it in its final form. I like the contrast between the colors of yellow,
blue and brown.  Additionally, I like the detail in the cement blocks as well as the color
variations which shows how the buildings other windows were long ago filled in.  (click to enlarge)
29mm; 1/55th sec. @ f/5.6; ISO 160

Often times I see what others don't.  I try to look beyond the obvious and envision how something could look.  It takes practice but many of the images you have seen on this blog do not reflect precisely what was actually in front of my eyes.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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