Hitched to everything else in the universe

John Muir quote illustration with a Sierra Nevada lake and distant mountains with a mountain chickadee bird on a branch in the foreground and the quote "As soon as we take one thing by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

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It all matters. Be it one person, one bird, or one tree. We are all connected. As John Muir wrote in My First Summer in the Sierra :

"As soon as we take one thing by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

— John Muir

Take care of each other.

The sketch is Heart Lake in his beloved Sierra Nevada.

Published 8 Nov 2020

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Ever taken a photo of a scene where someone is standing with their back to the camera, looking out at the view? That's Rückenfigur, a German word derived from Rücken (back) and Figur (figure), which roughly translates to "figure seen from behind." Rückenfigur is a technique in composition where a person is included in the scene facing out to the view rather than at the viewer. It's associated with German Romantic painting and the artist Caspar David Friedrich, who painted many paintings in this style. I like Rückenfigur's ability to invite you to consider the person's perspective in the scene and what they're experiencing looking out. Especially as it's often used with grand scenes from Nature, I find Rückenfigur helps me appreciate the grandeur and wonder they may feel. When I learned about the term, I realised that I use it all the time in photography. In photos, however, I think there are other good practical reasons to employ Rückenfigur, such as: Focusing on the scene Without showing a face, the viewer's attention is drawn to the landscape, not the individual. Adding scale and context A person in the frame provides a sense of size and invites contemplation from their perspective. Privacy and shareability Travel photos with friends or family members facing away are easier to share. No face awkwardness Like painting, photographing faces has a lot that can go wrong: people can have their eyes shut, be squinting, have an odd smile, no smile, bad hair...not having a visible person is more reliable. When I see a beautiful scene such as this, somehow having a person there looking out helps put me in that person's shoes and experience that wonder again. And I think that's often what I'm trying to capture in a photo of Nature. Or perhaps Friedrich started it because painting faces is hard? The sketch is based on a photo I took in the breathtaking Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in South Africa in 2010. Related Ideas to Rückenfigur Also see: Atmospheric perspective The Golden Ratio Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe The Rule of 3rds Notes Rucksack has a similar derivation translating to backpack.…Ever taken a photo of a scene where someone is standing with their back to the camera, looking out at the view? That's Rückenfigur, a German word derived from Rücken (back) and Figur (figure), which roughly translates to "figure seen from behind." Rückenfigur is a technique in composition where a person is included in the scene facing out to the view rather than at the viewer. It's associated with German Romantic painting and the artist Caspar David Friedrich, who painted many paintings in this style. I like Rückenfigur's ability to invite you to consider the person's perspective in the scene and what they're experiencing looking out. Especially as it's often used with grand scenes from Nature, I find Rückenfigur helps me appreciate the grandeur and wonder they may feel. When I learned about the term, I realised that I use it all the time in photography. In photos, however, I think there are other good practical reasons to employ Rückenfigur, such as: Focusing on the scene Without showing a face, the viewer's attention is drawn to the landscape, not the individual. Adding scale and context A person in the frame provides a sense of size and invites contemplation from their perspective. Privacy and shareability Travel photos with friends or family members facing away are easier to share. No face awkwardness Like painting, photographing faces has a lot that can go wrong: people can have their eyes shut, be squinting, have an odd smile, no smile, bad hair...not having a visible person is more reliable. When I see a beautiful scene such as this, somehow having a person there looking out helps put me in that person's shoes and experience that wonder again. And I think that's often what I'm trying to capture in a photo of Nature. Or perhaps Friedrich started it because painting faces is hard? The sketch is based on a photo I took in the breathtaking Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in South Africa in 2010. Related Ideas to Rückenfigur Also see: Atmospheric perspective The Golden Ratio Hitched to Everything Else in the Universe The Rule of 3rds Notes Rucksack has a similar derivation translating to backpack.

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