Finding the unusual in the usual.

As I go my daily routine I have found that I must be observant of the environment around me.  Like most people I have a full life with obligations that I must carry out.  If I was to scurry around and kept my blinders on, seeing only what is in front of me I would never notice the little nuances of the world.

It is one of the things I talk about in my History, Art and Culture of Photography classes.  That one must be observant at all times and look past the usual and see the unusual.  When you look at the photographs of those who produce extraordinary work, this is one of the hallmarks.  The keen eye of observation allows them to document the world as they see it and wish to express it.

Now this is where the controversy of what is a good photograph and what is a great photograph occurs.  If you look at the photo's that have achieved the highest purchase price you will no doubt wonder why some achieved that stature.  This area particularly underlines the subjectivity of our medium and gives raise to the question of who makes these decisions.  I wish I could give you an answer.  There are many scholars, curators, artists and collectors that can argue the merits of just about any image, both positive and negative.

What it comes down to in the long run is that as a creative individual, we ultimately decide what we want to portray of the events and environment around us.  When we see in an unique way, we open the possibilities to create those works of art.  Allow yourself to see the unusual in your every day.

May 21  A walk around the neighbourhood with Luke on his lunch break allowed me to see a variety of interesting views.  All three captured with the iPhone.

May 22  I seem to have a thing for reflections the last little while and here I was playing with my Studio lights and a glass of orange juice.  Canon 7D 24-70 mm lens.

May 23  An interesting evening with my class at SAIT.  We did some photo's on campus and used this wall that changed lights as a background.  Canon 7D, 24-70 mm lens, 100 ISO, f5.6 1/8 sec with Canon speedlight flash and lumiquest bounce card.

 

May 24  My boy's had a rehearsal for their dance recital that was coming up on Saturday.  A chance to photograph them in their outfits before the show.

May 25  I did a commercial job but am under a confidentiality agreement as it is a new product.  While I was on set at Hotel Arts, this lamp caught my eye as a potential creative subject. iPhone photo.

May 26  Please refer to my earlier blog on my marathon experience to learn about these shot's. The second is part of my photo a day challenge.

May 27  Cleaning up in the garage I found some rusty nuts that interested me.

May 28  Two iPhone photo at sunset from the upper levels of the Senator Patrick Burns building.

May 29  While demonstrating lighting positions to my basic studio class I saw this great shadow behind my associate Andrew Bolton.  It made for a dramatic portrait.

May 30  Another walk around the SAIT campus and I cam upon these bars with different quotes on them.  This one spoke to me. iPhone photo and processed with the apps Jazz, Noir and RealCamera+.

May 31  I saw this row of small plants with the rocks beside my boy's school and frlt they could look good in a panoramic composition.