Observing

Anna and I often pick window seats in cafes when we stop for coffee on our walks. We watch the people go by and observe the dynamics of the neighborhood. This particular window is plastered with menus and specials promoting what the cafe has to offer. Several people stopped to read the ads while we sat there watching the sidewalk. The menus and ads on the window prevented the people from seeing that we were photographing, which meant we could observe without effecting their behavior. As we watched, extraordinary compositions would form and reform within the frame of that window.

Photo: ©2010 David W. Sumner

To The Point

"By removing the color, we become more involved with the object's form and much more aware of the light that's falling on the object."
- Craig Varjabedian

"I don't find that color adds anything to what I'm trying to say about our society. If anything, it's always a disturbing factor."
- Milton Rogovin

"In most color photographs the color is gratuitous, it doesn't have meaning."

- Bruce Davidson

"Your photograph is telling a story. At a certain point you've told that story. More of the same thing becomes boring. If you go further you have to tell something additional that relates to your main story."
- Ray McSavaney recalls Ansel Adams' advice on cropping

"Viewers are usually unaware of whether they are looking at a silver print or a carbon pigment print and most do not care. It's the image they're interested in."
- Paul Roark

Photo: ©2009 David W. Sumner