This theme took me back to some of my favorite subjects: street scenes and urban landscapes around Boston, full of people and architecture. The idea started with a great pub we saw in Australia. It was one of many, and while it was very British/Australian, it also reminded me of Boston a bit. When I was looking for a new theme, I thought of focusing just on interesting corners or intersections.
Boston has such a variety of architecture that I thought it would be a good subject with a lot of different looks, not just the same thing over and over. Halfway through, I remembered the food court in Downtown Crossing called "the corner" and it was all downhill from there! This theme was also fun because it got me back out and exploring, making good use of my summer Friday work hours. I went to a few neighborhoods I don't get to much anymore and came away with some great photos.
Ahead of the curve
This theme was a departure for me from my usual geometric lines and shapes by focusing on curves. It was definitely a challenge! For starters, there are a lot more straight lines and angles in a city, especially one like Boston where there isn't a lot of modern architecture. So it was hard to find subject matter, and I had to really think in advance about good locations and options before heading out to take photos. I didn't stumble upon very many natural curves.
Once again, a theme also helped me solidify my style. I like a lot of these final photos, but I took a lot more pictures than normal that I wasn't happy with. I just didn't like the overall compositions as much, or I didn't find them as visually interesting. I really like the strong contrasts that straight lines and shapes can bring to a photo, and sometimes it was hard to express the whole curve I saw in front of me within the frame. Still, it was fun to try something new and force me out into this cold spring weather.
Beauty on the outside
This theme was about facades of buildings and the outward appearance they project. I love photographing architecture, so to make this more of a challenge, I decided to limit myself to just the front. Not geometric details, or shots looking up, but just the view from the sidewalk. Boston actually has a lot of different architectural styles from neighborhood to neighborhood, so it wasn't too hard to find a good variety.
These photos are from the Back Bay, South End, Fenway district and Kenmore. As usual, half the places were ones I had in mind, and the others were ones I stumbled upon along the way. There obviously was no shortage of subject matter, so these nine are a very select edit of what I shot.
Split screen
This theme was about symmetry, and I was surprised that it was much harder than expected. It was influenced by Wes Anderson and his style of cinematography, which I love. Around the time his most recent movie, The Grand Budapest Hotel, was released, a video compilation of his movie scenes was posted online. It shows Anderson's obsession with, and mastery of, symmetry in his shots. It's mesmerizing to watch and impressive that he creates it so consistently, especially since as the viewer, it doesn't seem to be obvious or oppressive. I myself didn't notice how prevalent it was before watching that clip, and I've seen all these movies multiple times.
So I thought this wouldn't be that difficult. Sure, symmetry is everywhere, but I quickly found this theme was becoming an excuse for me to just take more pictures of architecture. I tried to switch to objects, but found that a lot of compositions and the resulting images weren't visually interesting to me. Even with editing and filters, they just looked flat. The genius of Wes Anderson's compositions is that they appear simplistic, but are carefully crafted of many components and layers. It's something I realized has to be created for the most part, rather than stumbled across while I'm out searching for photos. I also realized I like taking photos that are often not symmetrical, with something askew or at an angle, or lines that criss-cross the frame. Surprising, since I love Wes Anderson's visuals so much.
It took me a long time to choose these final nine. While many are still architecture-related, I did begin to find more interesting objects and subjects than just classical columns and the geometric facades I started with. I ended up choosing a group of images that created a variety of colors, subjects and types of symmetry. Though the photo with the columns and arches reflected in the water is still my favorite. *sigh*
In the shadows
This was hands down my favorite theme. I've intentionally put it off in order to challenge myself with other themes that may be out of my comfort zone or at least something different. But with warmer and sunnier weather, I couldn't resist any longer. I love the patterns created by light and shadow, or not even patterns sometimes, but interesting abstract art painted on everyday objects and surfaces. The theme also lends itself well to architecture and geometry, two more of my favorite subjects.
There's not much more to explain about this group of images. Except for a streak of cloudy days in there, I had an abundance of photos and had to edit them down to these best nine. Enjoy!
