I use just a simple 18mm-200mm zoom lens. It does everything I want and what I often want is the intimate, close up view. Removing the contextual element of a subject opens new possibilities for creating dynamic and thought provoking images.
This image of a growth on an old tree would, at first glance, seem an unlikely and frankly unappealing subject for a photograph. Something about it caught my eye though and I took the time to make the image. It was the way the tree had adapted to the intrusive growth and simply grew around it...slowly, patiently but deliberately. Later I found a piece of writing by Margaret Atwood and it made sense.
"Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your
hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not
stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end
can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone.
Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through
an obstacle, go around it. Water does."
Water...wood...an important life lesson I think! When we look into the heart of our subject, we can see all sorts of things. Spend some time getting closer to what draws your eye. Fill the frame with it. Explore it's abstract qualities. There are lessons to be learned everywhere!
Here is a video of some lovely black and white photographs by a man who knows how to embrace the close-up view...
No comments:
Post a Comment