This week’s shot of the week was taken this past Thursday during my commute. As I prefer backroads when driving to work, there are plenty of opportunities to find spots that have some photogenic qualities.
My favorite spots are those that are not apparent to all who pass them; this is definitely one of those, as this is a road that goes up to a state mental hospital that is no longer in use (of course it is about time that the good old mental hospitals from the 50’s and 60’s are being shuttered). Just out of the shot to the left is a ‘No Trespassing’ sign, which didn’t deter this person walking their dog.
This photo was taken with my iPhone 6S with the standard camera app and adjusted with Instagram.
Nothing like starting a series of weekly posts and immediately breaking the rules…
Resisting Escape
Nothing like starting a series of weekly posts and immediately breaking the rules that you set for them! I posted a photo that I took yesterday, which was definitely my favorite of this week, so I thought that I might go to the archives for what actually is a work in progress; but more about that aspect later.
This week’s image is titled ‘Resisting Escape’ and it is part of a series of surreal images that I am putting together over the next couple of years. I shot this during a workshop taught by the wonderful, giving Brooke Shaden (Promoting Passion is Brooke’s inspirational blog). As you might imagine, this image was not captured in a single shot, but rather took a bit of visualization, planning and post-processing to make it come to life.
Brooke Shaden’s workshops give an in-depth, hands-on look into how she creates her amazing images; Brooke takes the participants from inspiration and techniques to set up the shoot all the way through post-processing. For any photographer who is looking to expand the artistic side of their craft, I wholeheartedly recommend Brooke’s workshops.
A little about the process that I used in creating this image.
We were in an old, dilapidated mansion in New Jersey for the shooting segment of the workshop. All of us took a tour of the mansion, so that we could decide on the rooms, in which we wanted to shoot. Each of us got to pick one room for each of the three shooting segments.
When I saw this bathroom, I immediately had an idea about how I wanted to put together the shoot, as I visualized the struggle against being pulled into the hereafter, even though it might be a release from an abysmal existence. The stark red served to me as an immediate indication of something wrong that affected the woman’s existence in this plane of reality. To enhance the effect of moving into the menacing sky, the shooting angle had to be low, so this is where I set my camera on its tripod.
After some test shots and locking in the exposure, I shot the master image, which serves as the background image for the post-processing. I explained to my awesome model what I was trying to achieve in the shot, so that I could get the right posture from her, as she was propped up in the air. As you can understand, hand position and body angle were key to get the desired look of fighting against what is pulling her into the sky.
The one element that I did not get at the time of the shoot, is the sky. It took me several months to find a sky that provide the kind of menace to fit the overall feel of the image. As there were many photos that came together in creating this overall image, the post-processing took a bit of work, about 8 hours of work. Even then, it was not until I started looking at this image a couple of weeks ago to consider it for a large format print, that I noticed a slight bit of imperfection, which is still to be edited. Extra credit, if you find where it is…
Feel free to ask further questions about this image or the process, as I’d welcome your comments.
A weekly feature that highlights a photo taken during the past week.
Yoga Tree Admires Winter’s Sunrise
The first ‘Shot of the Week‘ features a subject that is no stranger to followers, as I photograph the Yoga Tree quite often.
During my daily commute this Friday morning, I noticed that the sky had an interesting cloud cover, which might produce a good backdrop for the Yoga Tree, so I went for a little detour. When I got there, the sky did definitely not disappoint, as the sunlight’s reflection off the underside of some of the clouds provided beautiful structure.
A quick look at the tableau helped me make up my mind on composition and relative positioning of the key elements in this image. My decision was to play a little bit loose with the rule of thirds, so that the rising sun would end up more as a pleasant surprise rather than a key element. The Yoga Tree will always be a main subject in this image, but with the amount of light in the upper left quadrant, I knew that the eye would go there and cause tension, if allowed to compete with the rising sun.
When examining the radiance of the sunrise, I did realize that it could have been the main subject, all by itself. However, my love of trees would never allow me to ignore the Yoga Tree; also, I didn’t have a lens with me to frame the right shot of the sunrise, which helps with decision making!
All in all, I am pleased with capturing this moment during the past week, and I am curious to hear your thoughts about this image, as well as what images you may have captured.
P.S. this is the first post in a series that I plan to feature on Sundays this year. I love to get your feedback on it, as it progresses during the year.
