Color Seduction

Bernice Abbot once said about photography that color gets in the way. The longer I work in photography the truer that statement becomes for me.

I'm periodically seduced by color, but more often than not color gets in the way of my seeing. I'm distracted by color and I miss the essence of a scene. The only color photography I make that I feel are successful are those in which color itself is the subject.

My natural tendency is to see through the color to find the substance of a thing. To me values of gray are more apparent than hues of color.

Photo: ©2011 David W Sumner

Define the Space

There's a single light source, the sun, no artificial ambient light in the image. The drama of the image is formed by the lines of the structure against a dark sky as it is illuminated by the sun. Sunrise or sunset is irrelevant. It's the simplicity of elements and a single light source working together to isolate the dominate forms that define the space.

Photo: ©2011 David W. Sumner

The Beauty of a Simple Thing

Practice looking to increase your ability to see.

Be aware that details can tell a story often overlooked.

Photos: ©2011 David W. Sumner