What Are Your Photos About?
Is this photo about the Louvre or about tone, shape and space?
What are your photos about? Is subject matter, composition or metaphor what makes a particular photo work?
This photo was made in a beautiful courtyard at the Louvre in Paris, France. As you can see the subject matter consists of a beautiful stone courtyard, statues and people.
But, from my point of view, the photo is about something else entirely than those individual elements scattered throughout the frame.
Exploration of Space and Depth
The photo is, firstly, an exploration of space and depth. You can see that in the relative distances between foreground, mid ground and background elements within the frame.
Those elements help you take a visual journey, from front to back, and help overcome the problem of recording our three dimensional world into the bounds of a two dimensional photograph.
In other words space and depth are largely an illusion in a photograph.
However, by using some of the following techniques a sense of three dimensionality can be added into a photo.
Inclusion of definite foreground, mid ground and background elements.
Light and dark and/or warm and cool color contrasts throughout the image.
Side lighting to emphasize shape and texture.
Similarities and Differences in Photos
Regular visitors to this site will know that my photography often explores my fascination with dualities (i.e., opposites).
In the case of the above photo it's interesting to contrast the differences in tone (i.e., light and dark) throughout the frame.
Likewise, there are a number of ways by which we can both navigate and think about the photos we make.
In the case of this image of a courtyard at the Louvre in Paris I’d refer to the following similarities and differences.
Sunlit versus shaded areas
Smooth versus textured surfaces
The relationship between the elevated statues and their contemporary human counterparts
It's also interesting to compare the rectangular shapes of the stone bricks compared to the arch shaped windows and the circular plaques on the wall.
Do Your Photos Explore Metaphors?
Central to the success of this photo is the ability to reveal as much information as possible.
A large depth of field, careful exposure and image processing has allowed me to maintained the range of tones, shapes and space within the scene while retaining important highlight texture and shadow details.
It’s also interesting to consider the relationship between the people and the larger and quite grand statues placed strategically around the courtyard.
Scale is important in this image, as is the placement of the statues within the space. They’re elevated above the visitors which also elevates their importance in the image.
A metaphor could be drawn that speaks to the greatness of the classical era and, by contrast, our relative insignificance when compared to the historical and/or mythical figures showcased in those statues.