It was a windy morning a few years back and I was shooting on the Greek island of Santorini. As I have learned from numerous other experiences, cursing the wind does little to make it stop, so instead I found reasons to embrace it. With my camera and 12–24mm lens mounted securely on a tripod, I moved close to these windblown daisies, intent on shooting a storytelling composition while at the same time making it clear that this was a windy morning (top). My goal was to use a slow shutter speed to emphasize the wind, combined with the small storytelling aperture of f/22 to record exacting sharpness from front to back of any subject not being blown by the wind. The slow shutter speed allows the flowers to blur, calling attention to the windy conditions and providing, at least initially, an anxious moment for the eye/brain, which then quickly searches for something safe and stable—meaning, something in focus. The other sharp and stable objects serve as compositional anchors, allowing the eye to enter and latch onto a “safe” object while it then feels the windy day that it is. Compare the first windblown image with the second, where, for a brief moment, the wind died down considerably. Which image creates the most visual anxiety and is thus the most compelling?

Top: Nikon D300 with 12–24mm lens, f/22 for 1/2 sec., ISO 200; Bottom: Nikon D300 with 12–24mm lens, f/22 for 1/2 sec., ISO 200, 3-stop ND filter