Blinds | East Wenatchee, WA | December 2019
Forgive me for donning my Mr. Know-It-All suit so early in the morning. But this single photo (“Blinds”) answers my blog followers’ most frequently asked question: “Christ almighty, you call yourself a photographer?” No, that’s the second most-asked question. The first is: “How do you see your photos?” Or, in other words, what elements grab my eye, put me into a hypnotic trance and compel me to eventually click the shutter? Trust me, it’s not complicated. Here are three things I (and you) might watch for:
• Contrast — Light vs. dark. What’s bright against the black (or vice-versa)? Train yourself to spot the shiny.
• Patterns — Repetition. One fence post is good; three are rapturous. Ask yourself: Is there a zig-zag? An S-curve? Multiple lines or shadows?
• Layers — Depth. Your eye yearns for something in the foreground, middle ground and background. Give it what it wants. (In this photo: Shadow, blinds, window frame.)
And there’s one more feature that marks my pictures — everyday subjects. Sure, this blog has a few dramatic landscapes. But mostly the photos depict commonplace scenes or objects in a new or different light. Nothing too exotic, unless you consider clothes hangers, wheat fields and grazing cows as worldly marvels.
IrwinFoto 