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My old photo teacher in Boise told me to quit centering everything, and now I see accidental art in parking lots
Back in 2011 my photo teacher looked at my shots of a puddle behind the Walmart in Boise and said the best part was the cracked curb in the corner, not the puddle. At first I was bugged, but she was right. Now I catch myself framing oil stains and shopping cart shadows instead of the obvious thing. Last month I got a shot of a wet parking lot at dusk where the light stretched across the asphalt like a brushstroke, and it is still my favorite picture I have taken all year. Does anyone else shoot the messy edges first and find the real picture hiding there?
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keithyoung1d ago
That cracked curb advice is real. Spent two years shooting bands in dim clubs and wondering why my shots felt flat until someone told me the singer's shadow on the back wall was better than the singer. Started walking lots before shows, just looking down. Weird thing is the edges teach you light faster than the subject does, because nothing there is trying to look good. Try this next time you are out: turn your phone upside down and frame the ground first, then bring the main thing in last. Nine times out of ten the frame gets better and you stop caring about the obvious shot. Your parking lot picture sounds like the real deal, that stretched light is the kind of thing nobody plans.
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