Photo Study
A Director’s Cut 🎬
When I get behind the computer and begin skimming through the images I shot that day, I tend to find myself in an immersive meditative state editing and curating the best selects. I try to consider the stories of the day, the moments that moved me or impacted me in some way. At times the story is clear, and other times I rely on my 6th sense — a gut feeling.
This is a Photo Study on an image taken recently in New York, whose story had not developed itself, until now…
“Life imitates art”
Follow Your Intuition
Editing an image can be done with your usual color style or you can listen to the visual clues of your image and follow that storyline. In this case the subject’s posture, the dramatic lighting and the scratches on the glass lend a sense of adversity. I decided to follow that storyline at the core of my editing no matter how ambiguous the rest remained. In fact it was the mystery of it all that announced the presence of this image. The color edit is derived from hints of emotions so that the viewer can later read into them.
By following your intuition on the story behind the image, your editing skill will become more dynamic.
Dust off the archives
Revisiting your visual archives after time has passed can be very revelatory. In fact I think it’s an important practice to consistently maintain as a strong visual a storyteller.
Today we tend to feel this heavy responsibility to keep our audience up to date with our chronological whereabouts. We abandon photos taken in the past because they are “old”, dare I say irrelevant?
But the fact remains, an aged photo carries with it the virtue of time, all the change that happens from the moment when the photo was first taken to now — a precious artifact.
EDITED IN ADOBE LIGHTROOM
Final Thoughts,
It these moments of trials, I find myself appreciating life so much more. The happenstance of street photography continues to surprise me. There are so many stories in the world taking place all around us. Some difficult, some asking us to pause, and reflect.
