Over the Balcony
Nov, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The image was taken around our property as I was out enjoying the day and taking photos. I try to look for scenes that I can convert into interesting black and white images as I really like the feel of that photography style.Time
It was right around noon. I noticed that the sky was crystal-clear blue at the time, and thought it would provide a neat balance to the intensity of the rest of the scene.Lighting
The lighting was very bright at the time and created intense whites and shadows, so I hoped it would help in merging all the objects into the same color range. I like how the organic shape of the feet and toes is in visual balance with the hard edges of the man-made railing, and since everything has a similar shading range, it all kind of merges together to then form the larger abstract shapes and angles.Equipment
I was out with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT and a tripod and just taking pictures of neat things I found in the woods and around the property.Inspiration
Funny enough, it was just one of those 'dopey' moments as I was taking pictures that I actually ended up liking. It was a recently built deck and not yet painted or stained, and I was out taking pictures at the time. The deck stood above me by a good distance, and I was noticing how intricately detailed the wood grain was. I always try to think about my pictures as eventual black and white images, and I was focusing on the abstract shapes it seemed to create between the bright railing and the darker sky. I then thought it would be fun to give the scene a slightly candid, organic aspect, and wanted to make the image feel like a beach boardwalk with a sunbather. No one was around at the time, so I had to be resourceful and did both the shooting -and- became part of the scene myself. The trickiest part was setting the camera up to shoot the correct angle, hitting the button to start the delayed shot, and running up to quickly get into a natural position. What interested me about the photo was that there's at least two different layers going on: you can see some familiar objects, yet at the same time there are larger, more obscure sections formed just by the lighting of the scene alone. There's also the numerous repeating shapes involved, which also adds another layer of interest in the scene.Editing
I didn't really have to do much post processing besides converting it into the black and white image I envisioned, and then sharpening it a bit to further enhance the detail.In my camera bag
Honestly I try not to carry a bunch of items... I have my camera, a small tripod in case I want to really steady my shot, and extra batteries in case one loses a charge. I like to keep it light and be resourceful and play with the scene as it is presented.Feedback
Just go out and have fun when holding the camera. Shoot pictures of any scene or concept that flashes by in your mind even if it seems different at the time. You never know, it might just turn out to be a cool and interesting image.
