One among Many
Using deep shadows and shallow depth of field, this single cup was highlighted from the others surrounding it. Not only that but by narrowing the focal point of...
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Using deep shadows and shallow depth of field, this single cup was highlighted from the others surrounding it. Not only that but by narrowing the focal point of the image the eye is drawn to the artwork painted upon the china. The mood is reflected by both the use of light and shadow in the overall image revealing a connection to the emotion portrayed by the artist who painted the surface of the cup. Two worlds meet.
Shot on 35mm Film (Illford XP-2 Super)
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Shot on 35mm Film (Illford XP-2 Super)
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Oct, 2015Views
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Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Staff Winter Selection 2015
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my parent's home in Melbourne, Australia. I'd just started shooting analogue film so from memory, this image is from the very first roll I shot. A very raw learning experience teaching myself film photography, manually taking the image with no preview on the back of the camera - you're very exposed, if you'll pardon the pun.Time
There was nothing special about the day I took the image. I wasn't working at the time so I had a slow morning, around 10am on an ever so slightly overcast, cool day. I had just poured myself a coffee thinking about how to use up my first roll of film when I spotted the cups hanging in the kitchen.Lighting
I hadn't "set out" to take this image. It was there waiting for me. I was standing in my parent's kitchen at a time of day that usually has me out and about, but the light that came through the window, being reflected from the ground outside, cast a heavy shadow and buried everything in the corner of the room in darkness. The late morning light beamed onto this one mug sitting in the middle of the others hanging around it and that's when I noticed the artwork on the china.Equipment
I took this image on an old Minolta SRT101, shot with black and white analogue film Ilford XP-2 Super - with an MC 55mm f1.7 lens. No tripod, no flash, no light meter.Inspiration
When I noticed the artwork on the china so perfectly highlighted by the light coming in from the window, casting heavy shadows in the background I realised that by narrowing the focal point of the image the eye is drawn to the artwork painted on the china. The light and shadow revealed a connection to the emotion portrayed by the original artist who painted the surface of the cup. Two worlds meet. The light, the dark, my world and the original artist. To me the photo represents a connection between artists and the unfettered reach our work can have.Editing
Even with a digital image I tend to limit how far I try to push an image in post. This shot being analogue film is exactly as it was taken. No post-processing, no editing. It is the original crop of the frame. I didn't even do any dust removal. There is a scratch and some dust specks still in the image. What you see is what you get.In my camera bag
I recently downsized my digital gear to focus more on film photography wherever I can and moving towards using film as my main medium. For digital work I now shoot a secondhand Sony A7R which I picked up fairly cheaply at a local used camera store. I now only buy lenses for my Minolta film camera because I can also adapt them to work with the Sony (effectively doubling my arsenal). I also shoot on an old Ricohflex Model VII medium format camera. And of course, when I can be bother hauling the thing around I shoot with a Mamiya RB67 Pro SD. I have very few lenses, only primes and I zoom with my feet.Feedback
Let the photograph happen to you... We can get so caught up in "capturing" an image or "making" a photo that we miss things, things of the soul. In fact my advice is to open yourself to the world around you with the camera in your bag not around your neck. It's ok to miss a shot if you experience something of beauty or meaning. If the experience of photography isn't affecting your heart, then your images will have no soul. Specifically though, if you want to capture something similar I recommend practicing looking at light wherever you go in your day-to-day activities and observe how deep shadows are formed and how indirect light can reflect off surfaces (such as the ground, ceiling or anything really) and what that reveals about your subject. Most of all remember, take the best shots you can with the camera in your hand!
