composition |ˌkämpəˈziSHən|
noun
1) the nature of something's ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up: Two red umbrellas, one slightly larger than the other; one even larger yellow umbrella; sand; half a dozen people; pigeons; one ocean with slight swell; fog bank; and one American flag over all.
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Not often, but occasionally I capture an image with all its “ingredients and constituents” arranged in a way that pleases me. If an American flag happens to be located in the preeminent place in the picture, it’s even better. I don’t know what was happening here. A old man fully clothed and with a heavy coat had set up his “spot” for the day on Mission Beach. Camping isn’t allowed on this beach; so even with a lot of camping gear, he can be there only for the day. The day was sunny and cool with a brisk breeze. One umbrella kept the sun off him and the two others stopped the wind. When I got to the Mission Beach on my bike this morning, the fog was so thick I couldn’t see the ocean from the boardwalk. By eleven o’clock the fog bank had receded making one more interesting horizontal element across the image.