How To Photograph A Moment In Time
A quiet moment in a chapel in Paris, France. This image employs light, shape and color to explore mood.
I’ve written previously about the beauty of Paris. It’s a delightful city, particularly when you consider its size and considerable population. Being surrounded by so much art and beautiful architecture you’ll begin to feel as though you are moving through a living museum.
Yet, for all it’s grandness, it’s the quiet, peaceful moments that I remember most from my two short trips, thus far, to Paris.
Composition For Photographers | A Useful Definition
In the case of old churches and public buildings, much of the work has already been done for us photographers. And for that we should be thankful.
All praise the genius of the architect.
“Composition can be defined as the organization of individual elements within a scene so as to create a pleasing or harmonious result.”
The photo at the top of this post was made in a small chapel with natural lighting.
It’s an attractive scene with an arch-shaped architectural element providing a frame that draws the eye towards the stained glass window which, itself, is inset within an even more gently shaped stone window frame.
While the shapes and textures within the scene suggest that it would have made a pleasing black-and-white image, it was the pattern of colored light falling onto the foreground, as much as the colors within the stained glass window, that determined the final outcome.
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Patient Photographers Are Rewarded By Glorious Light
After setting up my tripod and composing the scene I noticed the light coming through the stained glass window on the right hand side of the frame.
The intensity of the colors reaching the floor varied, from moment to moment, as the sun peaked in and out from behind cloud cover.
After waiting for quite some time I made a photo with which I was happy.
I love the way that splash of colored light references the colors within the stained glass window at the back of the frame.
A Moment Of Peace, Serendipity And Great Beauty
If there was a simple, yet powerful tip I could share with you today it would be to move away from the crowds, wherever possible, so as to seek out quiet, intimate moments such as I found when photographing the scene at the top of this post.
You can still photograph all the iconic locations and buildings along the way, but it’s these more personal experiences, much like the people you meet, that will likely become your most pleasing memories.