I have tentatively set myself a new project over the winter, and would like your help in progressing this.
The project stems around a thought I had some time ago - this involves using the 'in the round' technique, capturing multiple images around a central subject.
This thought evolved from an initial image, capturing activity at an intersection in Boston (image #1). I've tried to expand this to experiment with intersections in my home town and beyond, be that with vehicular or foot traffic.
I'd like some of your expert feedback on this. I know they will not appeal to all but would like to know if you find any appealing, and how you feel improvements (subject, processing etc) might be made.
I'm especially interested to hear if anyone has thoughts on subjects that may be suited to this technique (focal subject must be somewhat vertical from various angles).
Thanks in advance for your help!
I've mentioned before that with ICM, I like to see a sense of motion that includes the subject in some way going with the flow of that motion; on the other hand, with ITR, I like to see a subject that is still without noticeable background clutter and just a sense of quiet motion all around. I think the background should be a complement to the subject.
The first image and the third image achieve this really nicely. I love the solid background in the first. The traffic light (subject) is the main character in the image's story, and the background establishes the setting and complements the subject with its angles and vertical/horizontal lines in a big-city way while the quiet busyness in the lower part of the image expresses the feeling of all moving forward in an orderly way thanks to the main character. The third image's main character also stands out from a solid background welcoming travelers to walk down its charming, small-town lane.
Images 2, 4, and 5 feel too busy and/or too cluttered. The backgrounds don't supplement the subject – it kind of equals the subject in weight. In 2 and 5 I have a hard time finding the subject being the main character in the images or a telling of any story. I'd love to see ITR version of just that church in 4 (or maybe the steeple).
Now that it's getting cold, I've been wanting to try this technique indoors with still life. Thanks to your post, it got me thinking that maybe I'll give it a try with one of my Christmas decorations.
Look forward to hearing what others are thinking!
Thanks for your honest and candid response Jennifer. I tend to agree with you on your preferences, one of my goals in his experiment is to find out what works and what doesn't, so your feedback is helpful.
Just hot off the press, this is a brand new image I have just worked on. These take some time to edit so I'm still playing catch-up with shots taken over the summer.