The Old Man and the SEPTA Bus

So for my Design for Journalists class we have to take our camera with us everywhere we go and document everything we see for a week.  Well, fair enough- we ought to be doing that anyway.  Truth is, I really haven't been as much as I should, lately.  So it's nice to get that kick in the butt to get back to work.

There was a man on the bus the other day I just had to get a picture of.  I'm a bit wary of shooting on public transportation (especially since the other day as I was shooting a man walking towards the exit stairs at the Fern Rock station a police officer rounded the corner and confronted me!!!) but I braved it to get this!  What an interesting looking man- I wonder what he's like.

Anyway, just thought I'd share with you all a little bit of what I'm up to in school.  I hope y'all are swell, wherever you are!

And now...

Ladies and gentlemen, a photo of the man I love... with the truck he loves.

Chiaroscuro

My old art teacher, Mrs. Okulski taught us about chiaroscuro and it always stuck with me as one of my favorite styles.  In my photo classes my teachers warned me away from too much contrast and losing detail but I've always been sort of drawn to dramatic lighting.  It is important not to lose too much detail, but I like the idea of keeping what's most important and letting everything else fade a little.

I'm still trying to figure out what my style really is (and whether there's a market for it- ha!).  I feel like I think more in paintings.  I'm terrible at portraiture- I'm always looking for the moment that feels like a secret instead of the one that necessarily frames the model the best.  This is a good example.  I really like this picture but you can't see the model's face very well at all.  There's no eye contact.  The model isn't facing the camera.

But I like the detail in the hand- the fingers, and even the fact that you can't see the face so well, that it's hidden by the hair.  I feel like it's more a photo of the inside of someone's head than the outside.