My best friend, Stuart, was one of my earliest influences in photography. In high school, we were both part of the yearbook team, capturing images that would become memories for us and for the entire population of J.S. Woodsworth Secondary School.
There's no doubt that Stu was, in turn, under the influence of his father, who had been an avid shutterbug since his youth; so much so that his friends and family gave him a nickname that would stick with him for the rest of his life: Buff.
Buff would critique Stuart's and my photos, pointing out the rule of thirds, aperture and depth of field, and offering us helpful tips. These were so helpful that when I think of these tips today, I can't help but hear Buff's voice in my head.
A couple of years later, in 1986, when I finally bought my very own SLR—my Minolta X-700—and headed out to photograph some autumn leaves, Buff's advice came to me: "If you overexpose by a stop, you can get the best colour out of the leaves." He had explained that the built-in light meter would try to find a balance and that more times than not, it would muddy the colours as it tried to even out dark from bright.
I made my way to the Ottawa River and found some turning leaves near the abandoned Prince of Wales train bridge. I composed a shot that would have the colourful red and yellow leaves in focus, with the bridge visible in the background.
Another tip was put to use: open the aperture so that background objects are obscured from the subject. And while I wanted to include the bridge, the leaves were what I wanted to emphasize. The bridge would not be in focus but it wouldn't be so obscured as to not be identifiable.
I remember showing the photo to Buff, after I had the image enlarged from the slide. "You have an eye for composition. And this is exposed perfectly."
I had a good mentor.
Happy Friday!
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