It’s interesting how people react to your pictures when you watch them flick through your website. Almost universally, this one get’s a positive reaction. I’m not entirely sure why, but I’ll hazard a guess…
Autumn leaves. Copyright: Mike Kemp
It’s a tender picture. Unlike a lot of of my photographs it is uncomplicated, having a simple message showing someone lost in their own little world within a quite graphic frame.
It’s simple, but effective.
I had been waiting around these leaves for about 20 minutes, trying to make something from the scene. All sorts of people were coming along, taking their own pictures, marvelling at the beauty of pattern and colour. I was wondering how I was going to make something clever, funny, whatever from it, when I decided to cut out all the waste from the scene, stand upon a nearby bench and shoot from higher up.
This allowed me to shoot down, cropping out all extraneous scene, while also keeping it relatively wide. Basically I was framing it up to make the pattern of the leaves work well, and to then see what would come along. It’s a technique you can use often in street photography. Where you frame up a scene (often because some element of the scene is interesting) and...
...wait for the right interaction.
So, I am enjoying making the scene itself just right. And have an exact position, which I don’t move from after a bit of testing.
A few minutes later this girl came along. And in a moment I made one frame as she crouched slightly. I moved slightly from my own framing to make her position sit better in the frame, but it still works. I like how she isn’t stepping on any leaves, toes pointed together. Also she was Japanese and that seemed to fit the scene of Acer leaves well.
So, when you’re out there next time. Don’t always attempt to redesign the wheel and try to make totally complicated frames. Try simplicity if you can. And be patient if the scene is strong on it’s own. You never know they may even gain a great response…
Have a great week!
Mike