Taking Dean's prompt for this month's challenge yesterday while on my way to a shoot I decided to jump into the back seat of the car and just play.
Thanks again Dean for helping Alan out with the challenge.
Taking Dean's prompt for this month's challenge yesterday while on my way to a shoot I decided to jump into the back seat of the car and just play.
Thanks again Dean for helping Alan out with the challenge.
I really think the traffic control chevron sign really make the photo as it points to the subject in the mirror and the reflection points back to the chevron. This is easier to see when opening the image then select enlarge.
May I edit you photo and show you what I see?
Thank you for posting Julian.
Hey Dean, yeah it was just one of those moments where everything came together.
I always like story in an image and with all these elements contributing to the narrative works... somehow.
Glad you enjoyed it.
And of course you can play with the image in any way you wish.
This is what my eye focused on.
Yes Dean that is what I think most people will goto.
The reason I went wider is to encourage a narrative discovery process.
First off, our brain is hard wired to goto the brightest part of an image first so I left that part in to grab the viewers' eye.
Next the gold Zedi would peak the eye's curiosity as it is slightly out of the frame and a bit unusual.
Next the strong graphic of the traffic direction sign leads the eye to the framed mirror.
At the end the viewer makes that "discovery" of the face framed by the mirror and the car window ties it all together.
These narrative tools can be better seen with either a golden spiral or a harmonious triangle compositional overlay.
And yes the tool of thirds also applies here as well.
PS -Note that I say Tool not Rule.
Over the years I've found that when I teach photography and photographic composition, if use the term rule, society has most of us thinking that we must either follow or break the rules. A somewhat confining mindset.
But when I describe these concepts in terms of tools people tend to feel more at ease using them or not as the need arrises.
Thanks Dean for taking the time to start and have a great conversation. 🙏
I like your take on the compositional 'rules'.
For some time now I have tried to find a phrase that better describes how compositional 'guidelines' can be used, without the idea of adherence.
Your 'tool' descriptor is truer to how these should be used.
BTW - on the subject of composition I have a theory. With so many tools available, I think for any decent image you can go through and find one of the 'rules' that might describe why an image works.
Whether 'rules' are ingrained or whatever, I now find myself looking for balance when shooting and relying more on gut feeling. I'm guessing that you weren't thinking of rules/tools either as you were taking these shots.
Your word 'adherence' perfectly articulates the problem with the concept of 'rules'.
There are many words commonly used in the photographic world that I try to avoid as, in my opinion, they don't accurately or helpfully convey the intent of the concept.
As with the term 'rules' other words I almost never use are 'take', 'shoot', or 'capture'. Instead I use the term 'craft' or 'create'.
By crafting an image we think about the process, use what tools we have at our disposal, work to express our vision, and create an image.
To 'shoot', 'capture', or 'take' are terms that can connote hostility, aggression, and to some extent, thievery.
But to 'craft' and image puts the photographer in a mindset of a creator, and artist, a journalist, or a visual musician.
We think in words and the better our vocabulary is the better our thought can be.
Alan you are right that as our skill and command of the technique and technology improves the more we can focus on the feeling of an image we want to creat and less on the tools used.
Thanks so much for taking the time to join in the conversation.
🙏
Great points Julian, and I like your replacement terms.
Great to see you taking this challenge to heart Julien, and that your playing with opportunities.
I'm normally the one doing the driving, so it is rare I have such opportunities. That said, here are a couple of experimental images I've attempted in the past, snapped with an eye on potential.
Hey Alan, great to see you playing as well. I also do most of the driving but on this day I wanted to sit back and just play.
Fun images. Your ICM technique really transforms the feeling in these images.
Yeah, with ICM especially it is difficult to know what might result unless you take the opportunity to play.
As long as you keep expectations low, it is always fun to see how they turn out.
Nice idea! I agree with Dean on the Chevron sign being just right!