How many red cars have you seen today? Probably none come to mind. But if I told you I'd give you fifty dollars for each red car you spot, you'd likely start noticing them everywhere.
Coming to you from e6 | Craig Roberts, this fantastic video emphasizes the importance of having a subject in mind when you go out to shoot. Roberts explains how having clear goals, like looking for chairs and benches for a specific project, makes you more productive. You become more attuned to potential subjects that you might otherwise overlook. This approach helps you see opportunities that you might typically miss, enhancing your vision and making you more aware of the photographic possibilities around you.
Roberts also discusses what to do if you don't have a specific subject in mind. The act of actively looking for something to photograph will naturally make you see more. It's not an overnight change but a gradual process that improves with practice. The more you do it, the better you become at spotting scenes and subjects. Once you spot one interesting subject, you'll start seeing others. The more you look, the more opportunities will come your way. This method trains your eye to notice details and scenes that were always there but previously went unnoticed.
Visualizing the world in a particular way also aids in spotting potential subjects. Roberts mentions an artist, Kieran Gabriel, whose block color art of street scenes and famous buildings aligns with how Roberts sees the world. This visualization helps in finding compositions and subjects. Seeing the world in simplified forms and being aware of your surroundings can reveal overlooked beauty in everyday scenes. This method helps you tune your vision to spot potential subjects more effectively.
Another tip from Roberts is to focus on specific projects. For example, his "field studies" project involves capturing views from the edges of fields, exclusively on film. By intentionally looking at fields he walks past, he discovers their potential. Ordinary fields, which may seem bland at first glance, reveal their beauty when observed with a focused eye. This approach can be applied to any subject that appeals to you. If your vision isn't tuned to spot these subjects, they remain hidden in plain sight.
Roberts also shares his project on shooting reservoirs. He finds a perfect blend of landscape and man-made elements in reservoirs, which offers unique photographic opportunities. These locations may not be as glamorous or obvious as popular landscape spots, but they provide excellent subjects if you use the red car theory. By looking out for particular elements like benches or views through trees, you can find amazing scenes in these less obvious locations.
Next time you go out to take photos and aren't sure what to shoot, remember the red car theory. There are countless opportunities out there, just waiting to be noticed. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Roberts.
Alex Cooke wrote:
"How many red cars have you seen today? Probably none come to mind. But if I told you I'd give you fifty dollars for each red car you spot, you'd likely start noticing them everywhere."
Oh I don't know if that works on me. I'm a car color nerd. Always looking at the colors of the cars I see while driving around. Research car colors and their history online. Even watch YouTube videos about car colors.
There were 4 red cars all parked within a 40 foot radius at the diner that we ate breakfast at yesterday morning. Despite being from 4 different manufacturers, not only were they red, but all 4 were a particular shade of red that appears to be about 75% traditional red with 25% maroon pigment blended in. One of the friends who was with us for breakfast is shopping for a new car, and she wants that particular type of red, so we all took particular notice of those 4 cars and scrutinized them at length to see how the finish looked from different angles, relative to the ambient light source.
Excellent article, it help to open mind on things that we found unsually not a great subject