This last set were the left overs from the two rolls that worked without fitting the brief in some way. The two of the roof tops have a style I would have previously shot before this year and so whilst I am pleased with them, I find them derivative of my past work and plenty of other online photographers that do it much better.
However, the second image through the window shows a decent knowledge of exposure and is the kind of shot I always intend to take but never pull off. Exposing for the outdoors and framing the indoor shadows is fairly simple, yet my lazy tendancy to over rely on the in camera meter and not reframe means I have failed many times at this high contrast, in door – out door style composition repeatedly.
The monochrome image through the door works largely down to the leading lines. I noticed the beam became more prominent after cooking, which reminded me of a story I’d read about Josef Sudek. His assistant was instructed to wave heavy dust sheets back and forth between each exposure, creating the bold lines of light passing through particles in the air in his Cathedral images. My image feels much more domestic and less grand than that of Sudek’s but still has a dynamic arrangement of components.
The abstract square image did not fit with the others and really came to life when still in colour, as the streak of blue breaks up the deep contrast of the dappled light and shadow. These are the kinds of abstract images I could look at constantly but find hard to repeat. They are intriguing if you give them time but on the surface resemble little of anything interesting. This is possibly a lesson in the balance of abstraction and still life photography, images that resemble nothing need more attention but images with no subject often don’t deserve it.
The final picture couldn’t be cropped due to its composition but is fairly striking. Bold light hitting the floor at an angle is a picture I could recreate in any room and often try to do. Probably a lackluster photo for an audience but something as a photographer I can’t help avoiding.
Overall, of the last two rolls there wasn’t much to begin to edit. I seem to get carried away when aiming for abstraction and presume anything at a close distance, unfocused will produce an exciting image. Obviously this is not the case and more often than not it is the more thought out arranged images that I carry forward. The scans were the cheapest I have used and I can’t say the quality has massively dipped especially when I have nothing worth printing yet. I have missed receiving prints but should probably pay for the medium size scan and hope that eventually I will acquire enough images to produce a book or zine. Perhaps the next black and white rolls will bring me closer to what I think I am headed for, and if not I can see myself breaking my minimal restrictions and buying a cheap 6×6 TLR or folder.
A J Carlton 