Sorry for the long pause in posting, but I've been slammed with work and haven't had much time for musing about the day - fast approaching - when I will finally kick off my SoFoBoMo project. Haven't even taken a single picture for a couple of weeks. Bleh.
I did have one thought, though, the other day: while I've been trending toward a broader definition of my "serendipities" idea all along, it was after reading this post and following the links to check out the two talented artists mentioned there, that I realized I haven't practiced taking ultra-slim DOF shots or defocused shots for quite some time. (Well, defocused with a lens, that is).
So I think a couple more techniques will join the list, bringing my options up to four - shallow DOF, defocusing, double exposure, and long exposure. I may just divide the book that way too, set it up in four parts, with some measure of the 35 shots allotted to each. Although I'm not keen on keeping the divisions clear by identifying the technique used - I wouldn't want sections of the book titled "defocus", "long exposure", etc. I'll have to think some more about how to make these sections distinguishable, but with as little explanation as possible.
In fact, if I reveal technical specifications at all, I might just slap it at the back of the book - maybe repeat all the shots as small thumbs with a short blurb about technicals. For each image page, I'd prefer the images stand alone without supporting text, maybe even without titles - it's just a personal preference. I don't think a viewer needs to understand exactly what the photographer intended or thought about the image in order for it to be successful, so I'd prefer the shots to stand unaided, so to speak. One of the things I dislike about posting my shots at the photography site I frequent is the expectation that the shots should be titled - although I admit I've been known to run at the mouth with too-too much explanation in the photographer's comments section. I've got to learn to let my shots stand on their own two feet and not be moved to justify them all the time.
Well, I might be frazzled right now and not know whether I'm coming or going, but at least I appear to know where I'm coming from. :)
[Note: the sculpture pictured in this post was created by the artist Dana L. Stewart and can be viewed in person at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ]
You might not have seen this blog: defocused.net. Really wonderful photos, especially his own.
ReplyDeleteMy immediate thought upon dividing the book based on techniques or equipment is that it makes sense if the book is about these per se, otherwise not. On the other hand, mixing images that are blured/sharp, warm/cold, coloured/monochrome can be problematic too. I certainly have no answers of how to do this, maybe I'd better shut up. :)