Good advice. And there's no lack of photo opportunities--we only need to
see these opportunities.
I live next to the opera. Actually, I live more next to the Ballet
Association facility, which is next door to Inn at the Opera, a small hotel
which caters to Opera and Ballet clientele and rich people--the opera
building itself stands across the street.
Anyway, this hotel (facing north) sports its name running up along the
front edge of its east-facing brick wall. The colors are subdued gray and
blue and tan and at night its affect of color and texture intrigues me. Now
I've walked past that wall so many times I can't say--every time I take
Beamer (my German shepherd) to the park across the street that lies between
the opera and Herbst Theatre. I finally noticed this
photograph-waiting-to-be-taken maybe a month ago. I snapped off a few quick
shots hand held just to have a reference. The big obstacle is a street
light, which wouldn't obstruct the camera's view but would add light I
don't want (and the wrong kind of light at that) to the picture. I'm still
puzzling over this one. When I eventually take a tripod outside and snap
some test frames I'll do so with and without filters, study the proofs,
then go from there. I view this as a problem in photography as much as a
quest for the photograph itself, and an appropriate one for a photographer
like me as I don't do a lot of studied work, and not often off tripods, so
the intellectual demands of this will force me to think in terms of
dynamics I usually blow off--and happily so, I readily admit! <g>
I also took a few minutes off earlier this evening to walk around the
southeastern corner of the green area which abuts the Palace of Fine Arts.
Discovered a dandy place to set up a tripod for yet another available-light
study. This shot will be a relative piece of cake, as no intrusive source
of lighting exists--at least not in the same obnoxious form as with the
hotel. I'll probably take this picture with and without a color conversion
filter as well; the building is partially lit at night from the inside, so
the effect is one of reflected light off plaster surface to the observer.
Now I should probably determine just what kind of light that is, and I
wonder if I'll bother. <g>
I rarely go this trouble. Must be the mood I'm in these days. As a rule I
see and click away and choose from what I've taken a keeper or two. Or one.
Or none, sometimes. Film wastage means nothing to me. But the thing is I've
sworn that this summer I'm going to spend time up on a tripod at night and
do something serious with that damned sun down. I just love the quiet
beauty of the night, and if I could ever manage to somehow translate that
love of mine for these peaceful rhythms I connect wit out there then I like
to think that someone somewhere might be better off for the experience.
Tris
At 06:15 PM 7/29/01 +1000, you wrote:
I've set myself a couple of assignments. One is photograph a wall at work.
It's an odd one, painted with a sky mural - it's rapidly becoming my 'Lily
pond.' As I teach, I have spaces at different times of the day and can take
a short break to go work on it. The other is to document a mob of kangaroos
at a park on my way home - to get a decent shot, I have to slow right down
and work in close to them - that is a very calming, gear-changing
experience.
Find a subject you pass every day, carry a camera and work at it.
AndrewF
|