Image of the Week: Hosta Leaves, Middlebury, Vermont

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The best stuff is right under our noses...but we don't always notice it. You get used to your house, your yard, your driveway, your town and you no longer see those things graphically. Many of us ignore the scenes immediately surrounding us and seek inspiration elsewhere. I do it all the time, especially when I stumble upon cheap airfare to a national park and can rope a friend into a week-long backpacking trip.

This is a bad policy if you want to shoot everyday, or if you don't have tons of frequent flyer miles. I feel lazy, even stagnant if I'm not out shooting. So lately, I've been poking around the garden to see what I can find.

This week's garden-variety "Image of the Week" is of a garden-variety hosta plant. This plant grows about 10 feet from where I park my car, and I shot it one day while looking for a subject for a quick film test. The test produced good results, and the picture ain't bad either.

Don't rely on travel for inspiration. Walk out your front door and make the mundane work for you.

Have questions, comments? Let me know what you think.

Technical Data

Hosta Leaves, Middlebury, Vermont was photographed using a Tachihara 4x5 field camera and a Schneider 210mm Symmar-S ƒ/5.6 lens on Kodak T-MAX 100, rated at ISO 50. The sheet of film was developed in Agfa Rodinal 1:100 for 17 minutes.

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