I would say our inaugural ladies only photo trip to Caddo Lake is a fantastic addition to the Van Os Women Only Photography series. With only four ladies and myself along with our female boat captain, we enjoyed great camaraderie, shared tips & techniques, captured some wonderful images and had a few laughs along the way. It was a relaxed and educational trip where everyone felt comfortable asking questions and building their photographic skills with guidance and practice.
When we first arrive onto the scene here it can be a bit overwhelming. Finding the composition amongst what can feel like swampy chaos is not intuitive to most visitors. The cypress forests seem mysterious and ethereal, draped in the delicate pale celadon finery of Spanish moss rife with the brilliant oranges and yellows of fall. But, to capture the essence of this place? How to tell the story? I have found it easiest to snap a quick pic and show the group how to see the scene. After our first few visits, we seem to drift into the essence of the area, and the images start to present themselves.
Each day began and ended in the dark. We wanted to be out and in place, ready for first light and, in the evenings, stay until we could not see – blue hour, when the tones are muted and even and the colors are saturated but not contrasty. This is my favorite time to photograph in the bayou but can also be the most difficult. Low light and a moving boat present challenges, so often our first discussion is about denoise technology and pushing ISOs to get a sharp image when hand holding. It has become more about getting a sharp image with good exposure and then using the tools now available to remove noise.
And, as a break from time on the water, we took one sunrise and one sunset to break out the tripods and shoot from solid ground. This allowed us to slow down – literally, with low ISO’s and slow shutter speeds – and collect images we could not get any other way. We had time to explore focus stacking or bracketing and utilize our HDR more effectively. We had fun with long exposures and a bit of wind on the water surface creating a soft effect that gave the scene a timeless feel.
On the other hand, we had lots of sun this week with very little overcast. Once the light is up and bright, the scenes change dramatically, and we had to shift our eye and use some filters to cut the glare on water and trees. We used HDR. We looked for scenes spotlighted by the sun as it found its way through the tangled forest. We played with the idea of back light on the Spanish moss as it cascaded from virtually every branch. We found reflections and turtles and alligators and a few birds to add to the story of the swamp.
Caddo Lake and the Big Cypress Bayou are worth a visit at least once but, truthfully, you could come back each year and find it speaks to you differently. Local conditions sculpt the forest, alter the timing slightly, affect the colors and add fog or mist or rain. I also believe that how you see this place is affected by who you see it with, sharing perspectives and compositions. I had such fun with this group of ladies and learned to see the forest through their eyes as well.
