Dichotomy
When you’re walking the streets somewhere in the world looking for photo opportunities, My suggestion is to be on the lookout for what I call the ‘photo dichotomy’.
First, in case you’ve heard the word used but might not know exactly what a dichotomy is, let me give you the definition.
Dichotomy: something with seemingly contradictory qualities. mutually exclusive or contradictory.
Perhaps you’re still a little confused as to how this relates to photography. So, having said that let me show you in the photo seen above.
I was walking around the canals in Venice, looking in all four directions to make sure I didn’t miss anything when I saw this young woman sitting on the steps.
Ordinarily, I might pass on it since the visual interest is limiting. But what really sparked my interest was the small sign right behind her…a dichotomy!!
In my online classes with the BPSOP, I often talk about keeping your eyes and ears open all the time. You just never know when a photo op will rear its head, and when it does it will usually be for just a moment.
When I’m walking with my fellow photographers that are participating in one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops, I always point out things that in of themselves have visual interest.
Another dichotomy
Another example of a dichotomy is in the other photo pictured here of a man walking in the opposite direction of the arrow signifying a one-way street.
If you click on this link, it will take you to a post on paying attention to what you hear.
Visit my website at www.joebaraban.com, and check out upcoming workshops at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
