It’s all in the Details
As a photographer I’m constantly looking for a different view or a unusual interpretation of something that might have been photographed thousands, if not millions of times. On a recent visit to Italy, my Wife and I accompanied my Father around various medieval towns in Tuscany. On a number of occasions, we’d walk around a corner to be presented with an impressive view, only to stand shoulder to shoulder with other tourists taking a lasting memory with our cameras. During our day trips I tried to look for the alternative view, a different interpretation of a common landmark, or looking at some unnoticed detail down a side street. This gave me the opportunity to really think about my photography, to look for details in my surroundings and to look beyond the cathedrals and statues.
Some images from my ‘Details’ Flickr Gallery…
Look for the Unusual
Tuscany (and most of Italy) has a lot of interesting doors… I know that sounds boring but the sun weathered wooden doors on many buildings looked like they had been there for hundreds of years. You could spend days wondering around Assisi for example just taking photographs of doors. This is something that other tourists might not necessarily notice, and you’ll come away from your holiday or trip with something that other people haven’t got. Even the detail in the door can be interesting – a handle or letter box, or even a rusty hinge can make a good photograph if you’re looking for it.
Focus on the Details
As I mentioned in my introduction, many common tourist landmarks have been photographed any number of times, and you’ll find yourself stood next to your fellow travellers taking the same image. But if you look for details and the features of the landmark itself you might be able to find something that other people have missed. For example, when looking at the Fountain of Neptune in Florence you could step back and take a image that includes the entire fountain, or you could step closer and look for the little details. These landmarks are so detailed, you could spend a great deal of time looking for something interesting, a little bit of research before you leave home will give you something to look for. The Fountain of Neptune includes a statue of Giambologna’s satyr; perhaps this is something I could have looked for had I known about it (I discovered its existence while researching for this blog post!).
We are not Alone!
Much to my Wife’s annoyance I used to spend ages standing in front of a scene I wanted to photograph, waiting for all the other pesky people to get out of my shot. I still do sometimes if the human element is detracting from the image I’m trying to create, but now I also try to incorporate people into my photography. People and how they interact with their surroundings can be an interesting thing to look out for. In Italy the crowds of people sometimes hindered me, but sometimes I noticed that I could incorporate my fellow tourists into my photography. This is a concept that I’ve been interested in since viewing an exhibition of the finalists of the Landscape Photographer of the Year. One finalist had taken a photograph of a steam train crossing a viaduct, but rather than find a view without people in it, they had included two other photographers in the shot. The human element adds ‘something’ to a photograph, this could be a sense of scale or an emotion, but it gives you something else to look for when wondering around with your camera.
Where’s Graham?
I spent a lot of our holiday to Italy following ten or fifteen feet behind my Wife and my Father and I managed to find a few of the little details in Italy. Sometimes it didn’t really make a good photograph once I got home, but that’s the beauty of digital photography, you can snap away and experiment a bit. Take a look through the images in this post, or go straight to my gallery at Flickr and let me know what you think. And next time you’re out with your camera, why don’t you spend a little time looking for the details instead of standing in line with the other tourists!
