The Photography Tip of the Week #046

Posted by Philip in Photo Philosophy, Podcast

046 Photography Tip of the Week (audio)

See with new eyes

How do you stand out in a crowd?  There was one time I served on a jury.  Right before the trial I sat back and watched a custody battle for a newborn to a twelve-year-old.  This was truly a sad case to have a preteen pregnancy.  The grandfather was there dressed to the nines wearing a trim and neat Armani suit and alligator shoes.  The grandmother was wearing a baby blue denim suit with yellow plaid cuffs, a bright red blouse and green galoshes.  She definitely stood out in the crowd.  I wish I had my camera because she was a sight to see.  Apparently the judge didn’t like what either of them had to say and awarded the custody to the great grandmother.  And to tell the truth I don’t remember what she was wearing at all.  But she was the one I should had paid attention too.

Sometimes we get into a rut and photograph based solely on what we have been taught or always follow the “rules.”  Today the snow finally stopped and I was ready to get up before dawn and shoot the landscape around my house with the pristine snow covering the ground.  I’ve done this the past several times, and I have some truly nice shots.  But today was different and I wanted to make sure I had different shots.  I wanted to shoot the snow from a completely different angle and in the process create a few images that told a story.  And I didn’t have to bundle up and trek outside to get the shots.

You see sometimes what seems ordinary and normal to you could be the different angle.  Most photographers would have gone outside, but I chose to do something different and shoot what I normally see.  The first is the snow covered backyard and fort.  I’m sure at some point the ground won’t be as pristine.  Since the shot is obviously taken from inside a house, it completely changes the mood.  If it were outside you would put yourself into the image and feel that bit of cold brushing against your cheeks.  But this doesn’t evoke that feeling since you are obviously inside.  You see the landscape and put yourself as a detached observer.

But I wanted something more and this shot gave me what I was looking for.  If I could sum up the emotion and message in this image it would be “Longing.” This is the same window and same scene, but with the girl looking out the window not only are you not cold, you now identify with her and put yourself in her position remembering back to when you were young and seeing the snow on the ground and being told that you had to eat breakfast and put on your clothes before you could go and play in the snow.

This final image is actually where I started.  I decided to use a boy’s messy room to my advantage.  I was looking for a contrast between the disorder of his room and the pristine landscape outside.  And I did get that shot, but it didn’t turn out the way I envisioned.  But then I noticed how the rays of the morning sun were streaming in through the window and I quickly moved and composed for this shot.  What caption would you give for this image?  Please leave a comment below.