An Epic Ramble

"Standing Tall"

University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Been waiting to find time to post this latest image on the blog and on 500px. Taken on an epic ramble through Toronto a week ago with my friend Dave Pratt of Dave Pratt Photography who I finally met in person while he visited here in Ontario. I noticed over the course of the day that both of us had similar styles of exploring with cameras. Ramble along, let something stand out or catch our eye, content to let a detail or subject speak to us, in the midst of good conversation and idea swapping. But that's not always how a ramble with a fellow photographer has gone. And it made me think... obviously we have all have different ways we photograph something, but sometimes we have different exploration styles that lead to the photography itself.

I'm a happy rambler. I like to head in a general direction, without a set target in mind for the most part. I truly like the process of exploring. What feeds my desire to photograph something is catching it at that moment, the way I've stumbled across it, like finding treasure. There were a number of times Dave laughed at me last Saturday because something would get my attention, I'd raise the camera, get the golden nugget in the lens, snap away, and then cackle gleefully. Victory by Nikon. What can I say, it makes me giddy.

Some photographers are more destination oriented though. It's about already having a more "selective objective" in mind. This is me once in a blue moon. A location or subject that spoke to me so strongly that I knew exactly how I wanted to get it in the camera the next time I photographed it. And when the time is right, you don't ramble, and wander, and stray along the way, you zone in on that one objective and work it for all you're worth while you shoot. This is rarely my personal preference when shooting with other photographers... it means every one's photos look slightly familiar at the end of the day because you had one designated spot you all focused on getting in camera. But I will approach a shoot like this once in a while when I'm on my own, setting out with my own goals. It becomes more about solidifying a vision, a set intention that excites you.

Are you a rambler, a wandering explorer like me? Or do you fall into the selective objective type approach more often than not? Neither one is better than the other... but your approach feeds your overall style at some point. Think about it!

This Isn't New ~ Exploration Thursday!

"Universal Design"

Okay, you got me. Some part of this post is new. The image you're viewing today is brand new. Taken over at the U of T campus in fact. But I'm about to reiterate a couple points I've harped on before. I can't help it. It's not my fault. And it started with a comment made a few days ago.

I had just shown an acquaintance of mine the unfinished version of this image the other day. I love shape, I love design, I love details in architecture. You know this already if you've followed this blog for any amount of time. I'm addicted to these things. So I was excited to show the gem I found while wandering the Faculty of Music building at U of T last Sunday. What you're looking at is a dome in the ceiling of the Faculty of Music. It lets in some light and has this fabulous reflective pattern in it's glass. And their comment was, "well, I've cut through that building often enough... but how come I never noticed those domes in this way?!?"

If you've heard what I'm about to say before, feel free to gaze at the marvel of architecture that is the left dome in the faculty building, and then be on your merry way. But if you haven't heard this before, then today is your day and you might want to stay put for a second.

No matter where you go, if you love photography, you need to really look at your surroundings. Period. I mean really really really look. The comment above implied that this person noticed the domes in the ceiling before but didn't notice the design within, or the patterns it made, or the shapes it had. Trust me, I don't wander around looking for cool windows, buildings, or "stuff". But I do look for great details, or shadows, or light, or lines. That's why the dome of windows stood out to me. 

Train yourself. Look back through your favorite images and one by one decide what element makes it stand out. Make a point of giving yourself projects where you're only allowed to photograph repeating lines, or shapes. Make texture the theme. Find a way to start seeing "outside the box". Limit yourself to a certain lens to hone how to see details in that particular frame. Start viewing other photographer's sites that don't even shoot what you shoot. You'll start to recognize the elements that matter and not the subject matter itself. I'm still being asked how to spot interesting subject matter... that tells me we're still not really seeing what's available. And that we've locked onto a certain definition of what is visually pleasing, with no room to grow.

I'll have another example of this topic next week as well. A friend of mine whose photography I admire, and myself, decided to challenge ourselves to shooting one type of photo over the course of a week... we chose the theme of rust/decay to see what we could come up with that would stand on it's own as a great photograph. It demands that we start really looking for possibilities. It sharpens perception. It makes photography exciting. You should try it. I'll post my results next week... you can tell me what you think... and what you see.

Have a great day gang! Thanks for the ramble!

Remember To Anchor It!

"Pillars of the Community"

Today's image is courtesy of a little jaunt to the grand and expansive campus that is the University of Toronto. We wandered the grounds for a bit while my oldest child auditioned for their music programme. Since I rarely go anywhere without my camera, I was able to grab a couple images of the wonderful and diverse architecture. And today's image caused me to remember a topic I've been thinking about recently.

How are you choosing to anchor your compositions? ARE you choosing to anchor your compositions?

Looking at the pillars in the photograph it's very obvious what I wanted the focal point to be. Those grand and powerful columns leading up into the sky draw me in, with a slightly skewed perspective so I could include further angles in the peak of the rooftop too. This was a tight little area flanked with and surrounded by new, more modern buildings jutting into my line of sight so I had to be very particular. But the key was to make sure that whatever I did, I had one column within the frame spring right up from the corner. It anchors the frame. Not beside the corner. Not from way outside of the frame. But from the corner, giving it the weight it deserved, and the emphasis it needs to lead your eye into the photo and up and around it before it comes back to where you started. I made a conscious effort to anchor it well into the photograph and the composition. In fact, I know that in a final edit, I will flip this image so that it starts from the left side of the frame instead to give it even better prominance.

Here's what has prompted me to visit this topic. I receive requests a lot to visit new photographers pages or flickr streams or websites. And there's a flawed simularity running through many of them when you have a good look. All too often I see images that seem to have no definite subject, or the subject is lost in the surrounding details. In the end the photographs carry no weight. We have a tendancy to pull back, including everything in the shot whether it's nessassary or not, or will manage to fill the frame with something, but neglect to frame it up so that there is a definite point at which we start viewing the photograph. I see crops that aren't drastic enough, and in the end it just looks like they carelessly cut off part of the scene or object by mistake. I've seen compositions that if they had just cropped a little tighter, the perspective would have stood out wonderfully. Find the most powerful or the strongest element, and anchor that sucker! Make sure your composition is intentional!

Of course this all comes down to using leading lines, dynamic shapes, or interesting contrasts to bring importance to one part of your image over the rest of it. It's not hard. But we have to train ourselves to see those elements first, not the actual subject. That's what can prove difficult for the first while. But the results when we do are far more exciting and much more interesting to the viewer.

So there you have it. If you ever wonder why one image is falling flat over another one that seemed to "work" for some reason, make sure you have found an interesting or strong element to anchor the photograph, giving it weight. As DuChemin would say, "What's your intent?"

There's so much more to cover on this topic so be on the lookout for more posts in the near future.

In the meantime, thanks for the ramble today! Have a good one!

I Heart Architecture ~ Mono Monday

"Romanesque"

(1/40 sec.@ F/9, ISO 250, 18mm fl)

Busy finishing up last minute projects this week so that I can take a mini-vacay from work next week and devote all my time to some random rambling about my fair city and beyond - without an agenda, and just the Nikon.

So this week I'll just be posting some images I've had set aside for just such an occasion... and although this first post will look vaguely familiar, it's a much wider view of "The Beckoning" done last month. I needed a shot to show the extent of the details around this massive entryway! It was that simple. This is just one impressive door folks. If you're ever on the University of Toronto campus near Queens Park, you need to locate this door and see it in all its glory with your own eyes!

Back to work I go... thanks for the ramble! Have a good one!

Begging To Be Photographed ~ Mono Monday!

"The Beckoning"

(1/30 sec.@ F/9, ISO 250, 18mm fl, Exp.Comp+1.7, shade)

I do believe this may be my favorite shot of the year so far. And I wouldn't have even gotten it if not for some prompting from someone else. Friends and fans suggest locations to me all the time. Something they think would be worthy of a photograph. And sometimes they're right, and other times it doesn't work out. But my own brother has a great sense of design, and when he can't stop raving about a location that's a pretty strong indication that I need to explore it further. And he would not stop talking about this door.

He didn't just talk about it, he phoned about it, he texted about it, and I'm sure if they still had carrier pigeon, he would have used that to drive home his point. Under no circumstances while in Toronto for Doors Open was I to miss the University of Toronto campus... and this door!

I gotta buy that boy dinner.

This is the massive and ornate entry way to the Arts Centre on Kings College Circle. I will return and shoot this building repeatedly, I can tell you that right now! There's so much architectural detail, and that's putting it lightly. The entry way boasts very detailed and ornate designs from the Romanesque period, arches inset into more arches, and finally a solid and heavy wooden door surrounded by gates on a brass or copper track set into the stone steps. It has been saved as a National Historic Site, and the entire property is regal and powerful looking. I knew though once I located it, that just the door itself was beautiful enough to be photographed. So I worked around other folks posing for cameras in front of the massive entrance, and took the time to decide how to compose around the other obstacles and the close street proximity as well. I got low, I half straddled a railing that runs up the center of the steps approaching this shot (classy looking I'm sure) and centered this puppy as levelly as I could when the crowds dispersed.

Voila.

I knew this would be B&W. I do have a color version up in my galleries on my website, but the monochromatic version is the winner hands down. It allows all the detail and texture and patterns to take over. I converted the raw file into a platinum B&W in Corel, I find anything with stone looks stellar in this effx option in PSPx2 or x3. I applied some curves to it to make the dark areas more rich and the lighter areas brighter. Then modest highpass sharpening. And there it is. Like I said, I believe this may be my favorite of the year so far. I knew I had to share it with all of you.

Thanks to my brother who's keen eye spotted this gem, and for convincing me to seek it out. When I spotted the massive entrance across the field at the center of Kings College Circle, it immediately beckoned to me. I understand his insistence fully. In fact, I'm hooked on the whole campus.

Thanks for the ramble and the unveiling of this image I'm so excited about. Have a super day folks!