As I normally do, I like to give the readers of my blog the actual request from the photographers. So many times what they are asking is the same kinds of questions a lot of you would be asking. Here’s what Joyce had to say:
“Hi Joe
I was reading your blog post so thought I’d send this photo I took today at a street market in the East End of London…at first I saw the street art on the wall but then from the corner of my eye I noticed the African guy in the corner so managed to quickly incorporate him into the scene before he walked across the street.
Are you doing any more photo trips this year?
Cheers,
Joyce”
To me, it was a great idea to incorporate the man into your photo. By doing so you’ve put an entirely different spin on it. Now, instead of the being taken in the East End of London, it could have been shot somewhere in Africa. I’m not going for any kind of profiling here, but because of the image on the building, and the black man ” Up close and Personal”, it sends a message that can be construed as some kind of rally in one of the countries in Africa. The white guys in the background comes across as journalists; especially since you read everyday about all the problems so many countries are having now.
Here’s what I like about things being “Up Close And Personal”. By putting him in the foreground, you’ve created Perspective (depth). Now, you have what I call “Layers of Interest”.
If this is something you didn’t want to happen, then you have to step back and look at this photo before submitting it anywhere.
Ok, now let’s talk about “In a perfect world, what if”. This is a phrase I’m constantly talking to my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet. When critiquing one of my students photos that was submitted for a particular assignment, I ask them if they could go back and change or do anything they wanted, what would they do differently.
If I had been standing next to Joyce when she was shooting this photo, I would have had her tell the black man to glance directly into the lens…why you ask?
Line is the most important of all the elements of visual design found on the student’s ‘Artist Palette’ I give them at the beginning of the classes. Without Line, none of the other elements would exist. In fact, there wouldn’t be planes, trains, and automobiles. People wouldn’t even exist because we all have an outLINE. Now, a very powerful Line would be the implied Line between the black man’s eyes and the lens. There would be Visual Tension, and perhaps even a “shock value”, especially if he wasn’t smiling. It would also match the direction of the person’s image on the wall.
I would also have you turn him around and face out of the frame. This not only implies content outside the frame, but it also gives “visual direction” to the overall look. This falls into one of the six principles of Gestalt I often refer to with my students. Be sure to read the article I wrote for Adorama on these principles. and check out the one called The Law of common Fate.
The last thing I would have done is to move him so that the pole wasn’t growing out of his head. This is also one of the principles I talk about called Proximity.
Thanks for the submission Joyce.
Check out my website at: joebaraban.com and follow me on Instagram www.instagram.com/barabanjoe. Be sure to watch for my upcoming 2024 workshop schedule. Come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
