What People Pass By: How To Photograph Uncommon Beauty
Store window, tagged with graffiti, displaying the uncommon beauty people pass by.
I’ve long been drawn to the kind of uncommon beauty that most people pass by as they make their way through life. But whether I’m taking a walk in my neighbourhood or on a photography adventure to exotic locations around the world, I’m always on the look out for uncommon beauty.
Uncommon beauty can be found in people, places or simple objects that most people pass by as they make their way through life. By keeping your eye out for uncommon beauty you’ll discover the power of light to transfer the otherwise unnoticed or unappreciated into the sublime.
Uncommon Beauty on the Gold Coast, Australia
The Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia is a popular tourist location for Aussie and overseas tourists alike. While not my idea of a holiday I have traveled to the Gold Coast on several occasions on business and have enjoyed making photos in town and in the nearby hinterland.
The photo at the top of this post features a retail outlet just off the main street that runs through the heart of the Gold Coast. It's only a few minutes walk to the beach yet, due to a range of issues, tourism and property prices have been down over recent years.
I was amazed at just how few tourists were out and about during my last visit.
At any other time of day this scene would have remained unremarkable and, for all intensive purposes, unattractive.
But it’s the warm color of the setting sun, shinning through the shop windows, that transforms the scene and reveals, albeit only for a moment in time, the kind of uncommon beauty that most people pass by.
Uncommon Beauty and The Joy of Photography
It's said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Of that I have no doubt. But I'd also say that there is a certain beauty within even the most banal scene.
In particular it's the transforming and transcendental nature of light that brings out the beauty in what would otherwise be a most unremarkable scene.
And it does so in such a way that leads viewer and photographer alike towards new interpretations, understandings and realities beyond what's in front of the camera.
For me the greatest joy associated with creative photography is that unique and very personal discover of beauty that no one else sees or appreciates in quite the same way you do.
If you’re interested in reading more about the notion of beauty, I’ve written a post titled Definition Of Beauty Explored: Culture and Perception which features black and white portraits of a young, Italian women who took part in a portrait photography workshop I ran in Australia.
Exploring Uncommon Beauty and What It Reveals
What drew my attention was the backlit shop window, which reminded me of the classic beauty within a stained glass window.
While we photograph faces, landscapes and buildings, our best images are often based around light and arranging various elements of composition into a cohesive and harmonious arrangement. To this end light, shadow, color, line, shape, texture and balance underpin our best photos.
And it’s through gesture, symbolism and metaphor that we are able to explore more essential truths in the photos we create.
The relationship between reality, beauty and truth is perhaps the most amazing association we can explore through the art of photography. This relationship is at the heart of why, for me, photography has become a life long endeavor.
Uncommon beauty people pass by at the George Brown Botanic Gardens, Darwin.
Make A Point Of Photographing What People Pass By
Have you ever been to Darwin in the tropical Top End of Australia? This close up photo of a temporary barrier, fencing off a pond, in the George Brown Botanic Gardens in Darwin is another example of the kind of uncommon beauty that often draws my attention as a creative artist.
It’s certainly not the kind of image most folks would think of when it comes to Botanic Gardens or Australia’s wild Top End.
Needless to say, just as most people pass by this kind of scene without giving it a second thought, it’s also the kind of image that most folks would fail to find any intrinsic value or beauty within.
And that’s okay. You like it or you don’t. But please don’t let your judgement of any particular image distract you from potentially expanding your own sense of beauty and, as a consequence, encouraging you to explore beauty in more unconventional scenes you’ll see and photograph into the future.
As you can see the scene depicted consists of an orange bollard, a dirt covered barrier and some native grasses. However, for me, this is an image that explores the composition within that, otherwise, banal and unattractive scene.
I can describe the main elements of composition within this photo as follows:
Color: The color contrast between the orange bollard and the yellow portion of the barrier against the cooler greens within the native grasses.
The strong vertical and horizontal lines and shapes within the bollard and the barrier.
The high degree of texture within the barrier, and also on the surface of the pond on the bottom right corner of the frame.
As I say you’ll either like the image or not. And it’s not the only image I made that day. Often this is the kind of photography that helps concentrate my attention and sharpen my compositional skills.
In fact it’s this kind of work that helps prepare me to create much more beautiful pictures, whether dealing with the scenes that most people pass by or when photographing scenes displaying more conventional beauty.
It costs nothing, other than a little time and effort, to make these kind of photos. And not all photos we make are up to portfolio standard. My point is that it’s the photos we make along the way that enable us to create our most beautiful and life affirming images. Of that I’m certain.
I do hope that, every now and again, you’ll try your hand at photographing the kind of scenes most people pass by. As a way of improving your chances of making good photos when you do take a look at my post titled Magic Color Composition: 7 Easy Tips To Improve Your Photos.
I’m sure you’ll find it an interesting read, illustrated with really beautiful photos. What’s more, the lessons in this post will provide easy and fun ways by which you’ll be able to improve the composition in your own photos.
Unconventional beauty showcased in composition rich structures in Stanley, Falkland Islands.
Example Of Uncommon Beauty in the Falkland Islands
No doubt folks would find it strange if I incorporated more than a few pictures like this in a portfolio of images on my travels to the wild and windy Falkland Islands in the remote South Atlantic Ocean.
While there’s no penguins, southern elephant seals or black-browed albatrosses in this image it’s a great example of how a highly structured image, based around elements of composition, is a great way to photograph uncommon beauty wherever you are in the world.
And yes, this is exactly the sort of scene most people would pass by without giving it a second thought. Certainly, you wouldn’t expect most folks to see the intrinsic beauty in the scene.
But, for me, the color contrast between the greens and reds, separated by the silver and grey colors in the sky and buildings invites closer examination.
Add to that the highly textural nature of the corrugated iron, wooden door and grasses and also the square, rectangular and oval shapes within the scene and there’s an image I just had to explore.
And I did so while my companions, a bunch of photographers taking part in a tour I was co-leading to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and Antarctica, headed down to the pub to experience a little bit of old England in this most remote part of the world.
Take Another Look At What People Pass By
My advice, going forward, is to train yourself to take a closer look at the kinds of uncommon beauty most people pass by. It’s a great way to train yourself to use composition and the transient and transforming nature of light to discover beauty in otherwise banal scenes.
It’s a great way to focus your attention on the beauty around you and to discover a more unique and intimate view of the world around.
If you’d like to further explore my philosophy regarding uncommon beauty and how to photograph the sites that most people pass by, with little more than a passing glance, I recommend the post I wrote titled Making Something Out Of Nothing.
It further distills my thinking on the topic and features images that, when it comes to beauty, are more accessible than the ones in this post.
