I sometimes get accused of being high-maintenance. But I’m just particular! And this, of course, extends to my photography.
One of the things I generally strive for (though not always) when composing a photograph is simplicity. I tend to focus on trying to include in the frame only that which really needs to be there. Sometimes I do better at this than at other times. But sometimes the world seems to be conspiring against me (perhaps those who call me high-maintenance will also now call me paranoid).
I’ve never been a big fan of power lines. As a technology buff I’m a huge fan of electricity (preferably from the greenest sources possible, of course), but I just don’t like power lines. For as long as I can remember they have seemed to be in just the wrong place when I’m composing a photograph.
So as I was wandering around Graz, Austria, I found myself getting a little bit frustrated (in a low-maintenance sort of way) about all the power lines. These power lines provide the power for the trolleys and buses, but they sort of get in the way when they are in between my lens and a subject I want to photograph.
But then I decided that perhaps I should just embrace the power lines. Perhaps I should make them part of the composition.
At this point I sort of feel that I’ve gone halfway. I’ve been focused on not sweating it when the power lines get into the frame. But I think to really take this full circle, I need to actually make the power lines the key subject, with everything else in the frame simply providing context. I’ve not found that composition just yet, but I’m keeping my eye out for it.
What do you think? Can something that I thought of as a blemish actually become the key subject in a good photograph? I’ll keep my eye out, and see what I can come up with, but in the meantime post your comments below to let me know your thoughts, and perhaps to provide suggestions on how I should setup the shot.
Hi Tim. Couple of thoughts here as this turns out to be something I’ve been thinking about alot. First, there’s a healthy tendency for photographers to “cast off their tired old rules” from one era to the next. Currently I would point to the “lens flare” taboo (always shield your lens from direct light!) which IMHO – at least in fashion – seems to have gone overboard to making a cast a core photo requirent. But secondly, what I see you doing that I think is important is allowing ‘distracting detail’ to become a natural and intended part of your composition. So my vote is to *not* try and make the wires more the subject – that’s just going back to removing distracting detail (e.g. everything else) and you’re back where you started. What I see in these early test shots is something akin to what I see (still) when I look at someone like Freelander’s crazy desert shots: from a seeming cacophony comes a seeming clarity. I have no idea how he does it, but it’s in those buildings, wires, birds, whatever somewhere.
Steve,
Good to hear from you! I hope you’re doing well…
And very good thoughts. I agree that “trying” too hard isn’t the answer. I think it is more a matter of trying to figure out a way to let a distraction such as this be a more natural part of the frame, without fighting it so much as I tend to do.
Thanks for sharing!
Tim
Tim,
My former assistant and then VCU fine arts major (photography, of course) completed a series on just power lines in downtown Richmond. The images were great – it certainly is possible to make the distractions the attractions!
John
John – Sounds like a great project! And fun!
Tim
Hi Tim: Met you briefly at Cal. Photo Fest. I am a newbie, but, I hate power lines, trash, etc. in my photos. I find there are some really beautiful shots that just cannont be made with the distractions in them. Photoshoping them out? Sometimes. But, as is pointed out above, it if makes the shot, then why not. Some creative minds can make anything a piece of art. I hope to be able to make it work. Sometimes, it just doesn’t.
I too cannot believe all the “lens flare” make your photo look like old polaroids, etc. that is popular. I am not a fan. However, I have seen some excellent samples.
So, in conculsion. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the eye of the holder of the checkbook if it is a client. Create what you love and what is needed and wanted.
Best,
Susan
Susan,
Well said. I agree with you in principle. I generally dislike any distractions at all, but every now and then the distraction becomes a nice element of the photo, and thus isn’t a distraction at all. The photos here were obviously just an exploration of trying not to hate the power lines as much, but I’m going to keep my eyes open for some good possibilities. We’ll see!
Tim
I really like the power lines and I think this photo is successful in incorporating them into the picture. The only one I find really distracting is the one in the upper right corner on the diagonal. It cuts off the sky and draws the eye immediately to it.
Being in NYC, there are plenty of subjects with power lines and well as other “distractions” to photograph.
Well Tim, you might be interested in this shot of power lines as the subject …
Power Lines
It was taken on Staten Island, NY, last November. I too always hated power lines (still do for the most part) but I think of them as a man-made spiderweb and am looking to capture an image with that as the message. This one is a start.
BTW, I’ll just take this opportunity to thank you for all the lectures at B&H and the Ask Tim Grey Newsletter. You’re the best.
eljay
eljayPhoto.com
Thanks very much for the kind words. Glad you’ve enjoyed the emails and the presentations at B&H. There will be more!
And great shot of the power lines on Staten Island. They are, of course, a bit more difficult to find in Manhattan, where the power is underground!
Tim
I very much like the top one–well composed, and essentially all silhouettes. Too much going on in the other, for my taste.
As you may remember, birds are my main thing–and I try to avoid artificial perches. But sometimes they work, as here: http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/1513471
Keep up the good work!
Tim, I think that power lines can be a power-ful addition to a photo but only if they add to the design of the photo. Looking at only the lines to see if they by themselves create a good composition or interesting design. Otherwise I think that I’ed get rid of them.
The question I ask myself when dealing with power lines is this – are they part of the story I am trying to tell? If so, then yes, include and work with the composition of the lines they create. If no, then work around them, avoid them.
If you concentrate on the composition of the other elements in the picture and just say to heck with the wires and let them do as they will, you’ll likely destroy your composition.
Thanks for the thought provoking question. ** Mary
Mary,
Very well said. I completely agree with you on the approach. I think for me the key issue here was deciding I was actually going to allow those “blemishes” to enter the composition at all. Normally I avoid them like crazy!
Tim