In the Details
As of late, I find I have been drawn away from the bold and obvious shots and more towards the subtle and nuanced elements in a photo. Something that doesn’t really grab you attention in a loud commanding way, but more so keeps you scanning and wondering beyond the photo. The main problem with these types photographs is they don’t really “perform” well and our current photographic ecosystem has incentives against the softer and quieter nature of things. Also, being viewed in small format, kind of defeats the purpose.
Regardless of everything above, chasing the details has been a focus as of late. At a minimum, it has been very fun to pursue and makes me feel like a creative type - even if I’m not doing anything truly awe inspiring or original. I’d recommend it for anyone feeling like they’re in a rut, especially if you’re used to shooting the wider scenes and the conventional shots. The ultimate is a combination with one overall encapsulating scene photo with supporting detail shots. But even without the wider context, sometimes a small collection of detailed shots that on their own can’t hold water, really speaks when paired together… or at least I think so.
To support this, I have some shots from a trip to Montreal, where I was hip shooting on the street gathering that really only start to work when they are placed together. In general, I’ve always preferred having people more anonymous in my pictures. Some claim that it’s the “easy” way to shoot, and it is compared to the risk of showing cameras in people’s faces. At the same time, using your imagination and keeping the wonder open has tons of value. None of this is at the expense of the “raw” street style, but just is more complementary to how I feel when moving through the world. And yes, I am significantly less comfortable shooting people’s faces too. I just really think making people feel uncomfortable isn’t always the greatest thing to do without consideration and that being tactful is always appreciated (or just unnoticed). All of the following photos, fit within this blog’s context and are all photos that I like. To me they have a mood and capture the movement of a city and people without even showing where they are from in any obvious manner. To me, this was Montreal.
