I have learned that in some photographs, a whole new world is implied. We can sometimes get the feeling that what is in the frame is only part--and perhaps the best respresentation--of a larger universe or place. One of my early discoveries on this site was a photographer who does this often as part of her style. If you visit her profile page, you'll see right off that her four top photographs do this very well, and all are quite different worlds. Hats off to Indigo997!
. . . But her top photo goes beyond ocean zoology. By putting her subject on a third (see the excellent Rule of Thirds tutorial), she gives us the feeling that she captured only a part of this strange universe, and that it continues beyond the borders of the photograph. She has many excellent examples of how to use the rule of thirds for a purpose, rather than just for interest or as a default rule.
. . . where another strange world is presented through marvelous composition. Note the wonderful use of a double rule of thirds. Triple if you count the belly button! She is a child of whimsy and seems to enjoy suggesting quirky things once in a while.
...both builds mood and also isolates the subject of her photograph, while still retaining the sense that there is more out there to see and envision in this 1940s universe.
. . . In this shot, for instance, the boy is in the lower right third again, and through her cropping and framing, she is still able to imply that there is a world in which the boy exists. The money bucket stand, for instance, goes on outside the frame, and she includes some architectural elements, too. Indeed, it could be argued that her photograph is not a picture of a boy, per se. Instead, it is about the world of the boy, using the boy as this world's best example.
. . . she does not use the rule of thirds, and see what happens to our attention: it is all on the rainbow pattern and the candle, which become the predominate subjects above and beyond any world trying to be created. The world or universe to which these objects belong do not matter much here. She wants us to focus on the candle and the colors.
She is truly an inspiration to me in many ways. I think we share the same sense of wonder--that the world contains, or could possibly contain--strange, wonderful and bizarre things, if only we'll look to see them. Fortunately, we have her eyes and camera to help us!
Which photograph of hers do you like? I'd love to hear your thoughts on her work.
(Once again, if you are wondering, I select photographers for these profiles based on whether I, usually recently, learned something from them, and whether or not I can speak of their work in a lucid way. I consider them mentors, and hope to be as skilled as they are some day!)
By the way, these are my perceptions; the photographers I profile certainly have other great strengths than the ones I mention! However, I learn a great deal by looking at various photographers from a specific point of view.
Well, aside from the obvious ones, (Jmsetzler, etc), the two photographers whos photos i reallly like are dsidwell and uabresch. also i have to say that of all the photos ive seen in my life, dsidwell's "Life Span" is my favorite. it stands out as being the most perfect photo ever, i cant believe it didnt get first place.
Because she's a regular chatter, I have gotten to know Indi's work after talking to her. She does some amazingly good shots, usually ones that make you go "wow, I wonder who did that?!" then you quite often find out it was her! Excellent choice!
One thing that I have noticed as a hallmark of her pics is that they are almost always very technically well done. Focus, exposure, always spot on. She gets the most from her G2.
I think my personal favorites are probably "A melancholy song" and "My angel" (although it looks better in black and white). They're pics of my nieces and will probably be about the only pics in my portfolio that I even care about ten years from now.
I also think that "Berry Limeade" and "Beached" are interesting. Over time, I'll probably end up doing a series of this sort of up-close shot focusing on one saturated color against black. Sometimes the shots I like have mass appeal and sometimes they don't, but I appreciate the recognition.
