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Thursday, February 27, 2014

The picture of a picture picture

Morning shoot
London, ON
February 2014
For more Thematic, click here. All will be explained.
Warning: I'm feeling philosophical today. Not sure why. Maybe I'm overdue. Either way, I've been wondering about the photographic process. Here goes...

The smartphone era is reshaping how we take and share pictures. On one hand, it means we often feel comfortable leaving our so-called "real" cameras at home because we figure the phone should be good enough to capture whatever we come across when we're out.

While it can mean pictures that trend more toward the casual snapshot instead of the artfully composed or exposed shot, as long as we're shooting, it's a good thing.

Also a good thing: the picture-of-a-picture picture. These days, when I do a still life shoot, when I'm done with the main event I like to grab my phone or tablet and take a picture of the shoot itself. It gives me a chance to step back a bit and remember the meta moment, what it felt like to be there as I fiddled with the camera and tried to tell whatever the story was.

Because this particular shot was taken with my iPad, the highlights are blown, the resolution isn't quite where I'd like it to be, and the colors are, um, a little off. This won't be blown up, framed and mounted. But it still serves an important purpose. A contextual one. 

It's also a reminder that when you're trying to tell the same story from lots of different perspectives, you'll use every tool you've got. Besides, I'm slowly learning that the end result is only part of the journey.

Your turn: A time when you stepped back and took it all in. Please discuss.

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