Sanctuary

[wlotus]

Today was wet and rainy. That's a good reason to leave my camera at home, right? Wrong! The rain wasn't torrential, and besides, I have a golf-sized umbrella. I walked 20 blocks rather than ride the subway, just so I could capture a bit of New York City in the rain.

For the past few days I've been shooting exclusively with my 50mm lens. I do that when I feel like I am leaning too much on zoom and not enough on instinct. Like choosing to shoot in the rain, it is something to do when I need to stir things up a bit and keep myself on my toes.



If I had my zoom lens on my camera, I may have zoomed in to try to focus on the woman carrying the umbrella. But I prefer this composition: what she lacks in size next to the church, her umbrella makes up for in contrast.

This shot wasn't all luck. I saw her coming down the block, saw this image in my head, and shot five or six frames once she got to the church. Being there when she was there was luck, but the image was deliberate.

That is the difference between taking a photo and making a photo.

Comments

[audrabaudra.livejournal.com]

I love this. I LOVE THIS, WANDA!

I love the church. The threatening tree growing in its corner.

The woman passing by with her umbrella--the contrast makes a narrative to me because it looks as if the umbrella is protecting her from the arms of the tree reaching out. The feeling is a bit threatening, but mostly empowering because her stride is strong and unbroken.

Fantastic. I feel privileged to see this so soon after your making it. Thank you!

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I am enjoying seeing my photos through your eyes!

[scream4noreason.livejournal.com]

I love it. The white of her and her umbralla against the black of the church makes it look like she's bringing light to the darkness, on some sort of mission.

[audrabaudra.livejournal.com]

It's such a beautiful shot, with or without my little storymaking ideas :-) I love how the soffit on the church that forms the A of the roof is lighter, leading us down to the light umbrella.

When you saw her coming with her stride and umbrella, do you see the photo in b&w, with the lighter umbrella against the darker facade of the church?

This is one of my fave photos I've seen in a long time. I love the contrast between the old church and the newer buildings behind, too. And the woman, with her bright umbrella, as progress incarnate in front of the architecture that marks a slower march of time.

It's all just gorgeous, and it can mean so much, and yet its composition is beautiful without verbalizing any kind of "story" behind it. Again, thank you!

[audrabaudra.livejournal.com]

Doesn't she just, Christopher? I like the way perspective is slightly skewed on the left, too, with the way the perpendicular part of the church meets the front at the gable in the roof (Would that perpendicular part be the "transept?" http://www.pitt.edu/~medart/menuglossary/choir.htm)

The perspective on the transept gives the entire photo a sense of motion in the same direction as the pedestrian. Then all the strong verticals of the buildings behind, the church entrance, the tree, the rails in the iron fence. The pedestrian is walking horizontally in front of all those verticals, which makes her the visual focus. Beautiful composition!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's a great image. Disorientating too. It took me a while to figure out just what we were looking at.

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I'll share a post-processing secret: I brightened the soffit on the church to draw the viewer's eye towards the umbrella. One of the things I learned in Photography II was how to use lines to draw the viewer's eyes where you wanted them to go.

I don't remember if I saw the shot in color or b&w in my mind; I only remember seeing the composition. I did, however, deliberately underexpose by 1 stop, so that the color version results in more saturated colors. Her umbrella is yellow and the church is a very dark reddish brown, so even in color there would be a strong contrast between her umbrella and the church. Changing it to b&w made it more powerful, though.

[audrabaudra.livejournal.com]

Well, there you go, then, brightening the soffit definitely had the desired effect!

It's interesting to see different talents at work. I'm a great responder to art and can write up interpretations and make up stories about anything. But if I were behind the camera in your place, I would've been like, "Woman! Get the hell out of the way!, I'm trying to take a picture of that tree!" *lol*

It's neat that you don't remember if you saw in b&w or colour--you saw the lines. That's a true artist at work!

[purlypuss.livejournal.com]

What a great shot. It looks like a book cover - one that I would pick up and read just a couple pages of, at minimum. Very intriguing.

[rockbirthedme.livejournal.com]

I saw the same thing audrabaudra said, about the line of the church leading to the umbrella, but I saw it leading the other way. To me, it was the church saying, "See how this woman is part of me, see how I reach out to her, no matter who she is." I saw it in a very positive, welcoming, affirming way.

[acoustics1220.livejournal.com]

Amazing photograph, i love those moments where you 'make' a photo. That's when I get a real thrill. I usually capture moments through luck, not always because I 'see' it first.


Very nice.