Much has been written, here and elsewhere, about the importance of personal projects;
We enjoy tremendous freedom when we shoot for ourselves, free of any and all constraints. We have no-one to satisfy and no-one to please, save perhaps ourselves.
We may set our own parameters, i.e. the subject matter, or the length of time we wish to devote to any given project; the odd hour when we can grab one, a day, a day a week, whatever works.
Like many photographers I often have a camera with me when I'm out. I don't always use it. In fact I often deride myself a little as I return to the office 'well that was a waste of energy, wasn't it? schlepping that camera around all morning'.
Last week I went back to Liberty State Park on two consecutive mornings. My aim? Just to take a little time to "see", "shoot" and "leave" with some images of a commonly photographed landmark that I might be happy with and to do it with a 50mm lens. Although the 50mm has never been one of my favorite focal lengths I've been using it more over the last few months.
OK, you're bound to have seen something like this before, if not here then surely elsewhere. Nothing special here, nothing to write home about as the saying goes. So what happens when we step back?
A uncommon view perhaps, a different one? Yes, a great one? Not really. Excuses? Well, I couldn't move any further back to allow more space on the left of the bench. I was aware of, yet unable to eliminate the concrete on the lower right without loosing the trees. The excuses do nothing to make it a good image, dump it.
For me the above is a mildly satisfying image yet it is still not a "keeper". Understanding this; that I hadn't yet found an image I was happy with, I moved on to a structure I had walked past on my way in. I had noted the lines, the light, the shadows and filed it away under "possibly interesting", i.e. I might just be able to wrap-up my excercise with at least one decent image.
I knew as I framed the above that despite of its lack of action, recognizable landmark, and simplicity that this was my decent shot of the morning, so having avoided "failure" I headed back to the office to begin another day's work feeling that I'd be back the next morning for another look.
The following morning I came at the subject from a slightly different viewpoint.
First frame: Lines; wires on top right leading towards the statue as is the barrier on the right and the water from the lower left.
Moving in a little closer; the mud on the lower right is pointing towards the statue as is the water from the left foreground, both resulting in a angular lead-in to the subject.
Shifting position the water alone leads the eye straight towards the subject.
And here's the shot! The one that I wanted. The one that best illustrates my point of view; the empty bottle contrasting with the Statue of Liberty.
For this last shot I had to return to the car and drive it closer to the fence in order to stand in the car and gain a slightly higher viewpoint than was possible standing on the ground.
