This month's photograph was taken in the Boston Public Garden. This is the Boston Acro Play group.
When
I began photography I was most interested in photographing people I did
not know, but I had no idea how to do so. And then I saw the
photographs of Robert Frank showing everyday life rather than news
events or celebrities. The next day I photographed a parade of children
and their pets in Palo Alto, CA. I was disappointed with the results and
threw away the negatives. My timing was off - way off. I realized that
for the type of candid I was interested in, it was often critical to
take the picture before the person could choose how to react to the
event. I continue to photograph parades and festivals, but have become
much happier with my timing and the subsequent results.
Working
close creates a dramatic perspective that is unobtainable by any other
method, especially when using a wide angle lens. I am most comfortable
using ones that have an angle of view of 84 -104°, working 3 feet or
closer to my main subject. I don't pose them or talk with them while
taking their picture, but they know I am there. The closer I shoot the
faster I need to decide when to shoot and continue to only shoot before
the person can make a choice how to react to my presence.
"Photography is not about the thing photographed. It is about how that thing looks photographed." - Garry Winogrand
