In my last post I talked about finding your own perspective on a frequently photographed location.
 

But what do you do with that shot that is the same as the other two dozen people standing next to you?

In today's world of digital post-processing and manipulation, the options are pretty endless. Some edits can be subtle variations in perspective. You may decide to crop a photo differently or give it a different type of lighting. You could create a composite where your subject is placed on a moon landscape. Or use a filter to create an abstract.

Every one of those 24 photos of Maroon Bells on that morning may turn out very different.

Here is an example of an osprey photo.

© Dan Walters Photography. Used with permission. Osprey_2015_10An osprey (Pandion haliaetus) brings in a long branch to the nest on a sunny spring morning in Longmont, Colorado Dan Walters and I were out photographing osprey early in the spring season. During that time of year, shortly after these birds of prey arrive back in Colorado for the summer, they work on the nest to repair it from the damage caused by winter weather and months no maintenance. Both adults will bring in sticks, divots of grass, and other materials to build up the structure of the nest prior to laying their eggs.

Unknowingly, Dan and I not only captured the same exact photo but decided to edit it and post it to our facebook pages. What is different is our treatment of the photos. The variations are subtle but they are there and you may prefer one over the other for any variety of reasons.

Dan's shot has a warmer tone than mine with a little more contrast. He also left the crop slightly askew to show movement in the flight of the osprey dragging the branch through the air.

I on the other hand kept the photo with a little less contrast and more of a cooler tone. I also straightened the photo to make it look like the osprey was dropping the branch straight down.

Is one more correct than the other? Not at all. We just took different perspectives of the same scene. That is what makes each of us unique in our skills as photographers.

Try it with your photographer friends. Go out at the same time with maybe 2 or 3 other photographers. After editing the photos, compare with each other and see just how different the results can be and then find out why each person took the perspective they did. They may open your eyes to something you had not thought of before, and could try the next time you are out shooting.
 

Osprey photo used with permission by Dan Walters Photography.