My week got away from me and I really didn’t have a plan from for this challenge. I wavered from “this is going to be so hard” to “I am sure I will stumble on something.”
By Saturday afternoon I knew I was not going to stumble on anything and I better make a plan. After a quick search for images using negative space I came across an image that reminded me of something I shot before and decided for the sake of completing the challenge I would shoot there- a small pedestrian tunnel near the Colorado State Test gardens.
I stalked the location and waited.
One of the things I have become keenly away of with the Creative 52 challenges and my recent assignments is my lack of attention to details in the background. Clean backgrounds are essential to good composition.
So as I waited for someone to come through the tunnel, all I could focus one was how messy the background was; cars, poles, signs reflecting light turning into white hots spots became unavoidable. I went from one end of the tunnel to the other hoping I could find someway to avoid them. It was almost impossible with the composition I had chosen.
Even though I am not shooting for a newspaper and ethics really aren’t an issue for these challenge, I just couldn’t bring myself to Photoshop out the distraction (plus I don’t want to take the time)- although a bit of a burn helped a little. I didn’t have the patience or time to wait for the perfect subject which I realize would be someone walking at dogs on leashes coming toward me…. another reshoot
Despite my goal to create portfolio images with Creative 52- this was truly an exercise in getting it done. It actually made me a bit bitter- but with who… the book, the challenge…
Once again the biggest lesson learned, which I already knew but chose to ignore is PLAN. I had looked ahead and had negative space on my mind but I did not look at visual references and took for granted that it would be a relatively easy challenge to full-fill.
Dwight D. Eisenhower