Red: A photo essay
Every so often when I get a chance to take a break from work to focus on making images for me I like to shoot what I see. That ideology is similar to the pervious post “Night Photography: Snow,” that I posted a few nights back. When I first started my career as a photographer I had a lot of these moments. These were the good ol days of just shooting purely for fun and for testing. Testing ideas, locations, types of work, and cameras. I could calculate out all the images I’ve made, all the time I’ve spent making them, but there is not real value in doing that because every time I make an image now, it is a reflection of those moments.
One seemingly colder than usually day in November I took a walk around Northampton, Ma with my Fuji X-Pro 2. This was before I discovered that I could just pop the lens back into place and make all right again with the planes of focus. When I parked the car I grabbed my camera and a spare battery and proceeded to take a walk. I had no plan in place. No set goal or idea of what I would like to photograph. I looked over my should just as the car door shut and I saw this image.
I didn’t see the bullet holes until I was processing the shoot. What I saw was the color red, brilliant and intense. The shadow stood out the most as a dark red image overlaid on the exterior of a defunct dinner. I decided in that moment I was going to shoot the color red. If I saw an object, person, or scene with red, it would be composed in my lens.
This was not an exercise in red. This was not a red car syndrome project. It was, however, an afternoon of walking around and identifying elements around me that I could tie into photographs I had just made. Had I stepped out of the car and saw the color blue or a old bicycle, they could have inspired me just as much as the red shadow crawling up the side of the Diner. When a photographer takes time to un-think and clear their minds to create work just for the purposes of creating, they are free to see, free to produce, free to re-think and see. I can’t say that every image I make inspires the next, but when I take time to make photographs like this, when I have a few hours or a day, or when I travel and shoot, I produce work that will in some way affect my future work. That is the nature of creativity.
Desaturated red brick with strong shadow of a lamp.
Man in red pants
Red awning
Tis the seasons, Mrs. Claus suit
Red books in a store front
Red bags
Red car
Red rugs in a store front
Red shadow on a car
A red prayer
Gumballs
Circles
Man in red walks dog
Man in red walks dog even more
A woman in red coat
Boy with red balloon
The Last Day of February: The 29th Day
I have heard a bunch of people wishing others a happy leap year. It seemed strangely peculiar to me, but it is a happy day. Western Mass has not really had any snow this year. Is that a testament to global warming, or just an off year?? Either way, my camera hasnt been far from my hand as I have been commuting around doing a few things, errands, getting lunch. I am posting a quick photo, one that was made as the snow first began to fall. I shall have more to post this evening.
The early stages of the snow created a mood. It appeared as fog rolling in from a distant rain storm approaching, but it was snow falling lightly.
Northampton Ma.
This Afternoon: Fleeting Moments
This afternoon I spent the last few moments of my cell phone's life, battery was dying, franticly capturing the sunset through the window of the restaurant. It was a frigid day. Not the kind of day you want to be outside walking around. I did spend a few brief moments outside, walking from store to store in Northampton, trying to find the right attire for an upcoming wedding. It was cold. The New England-ness could be felt in the air. If you arent from the area, you other wise do not know that the weather changes so frequently, that on a good day, we could see two different types of weather roll in. I wasnt interested in capturing the weather. Nor was I interested in making an image that conveyed the sense of cold. Instead, I was interested in capturing light. In a recent interview, I described how I see light and how light is a huge factor and motivator in my work. If it wasn't for light, we wouldn't be able to make photographs, let a lone see. I have formed a visual relationship with light and apply the qualities of that relationship to my photography. Without light, I wouldn't be able to see the compositions that I capture.
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