Pt 1, Ex 1. Fitting the frame to the subject

I decided to use a sculpture in a public space on the other side of town.  I took 2 sets of photos, the first set being discarded as it was a horrible, rainy day with grey sky and poor light.  This morning I was greeted by clear skies and sunshine, and made use of the early morning light.  I don't really know anything about the sculpture as there are no plaques or notices and some initial reseach has drawn a blank.

The first image is the quick 'snapshot'

 

 

Fitting the frame to the subject 1.jpg, 36mm, 1/250, f/10 Click here for original

This is a pretty generic shot showing the subject, with some suggestion as to the context of it's placement in the environment.

The second shot fills the frame

Fitting the subject to the frame 2.jpg, 95mm, 1/320, f/10 Click here for original

In this image, we see the subject in much more detail, we have lost reference points around the subject to allow the viewer work out the size of the image in it's surroundings.  Obviously there is much more detail in the subject itself and this dominates the image now.

The third image is a close up shot showing only a part of the subject

Fitting the subject to the frame 3.jpg, 120mm, 1/250, f/10 Click here for original

This image has become somewhat abstract.  The casual viewer will have not be able to identify what the subject is, but this will promotes questions as the viewer builds out the rest of the image in their mind.  The relatively low sun and blue skies have resulted in a bold image with good contrasts.

The fourth image shows the subject in it's surroundings

Fitting the subject to the frame 4.jpg, 18mm, 1/250, f/10 Click here for original

This is a fairly bland unispiring image, but was taken with to enable it to be cropped.  We can see that this is an public open space for the local community now.  We can also see that the photograph was taken either close to sunset or soon after sunrise because of the long shadows and charateristic light given by a low sun.  This adds more information to the image for the viewer to build their thoughts on.

The following three images are crops from the fourth image.  Therefore they are all 18mm, 1/250, f/10

Fitting the subject to the frame 4 crop 1.jpg Click here for original

Fitting the subject to the frame 4 crop 2.jpg Click here for original

Fitting the frame to the subject 4 crop 3.jpg Click here for original

Crop 1 draws attention away from the subject itslef and the person walking their dog suddenly become more prominent as the eye is drawn towards them.  This gives validation to the subject being in a public space.
Crop 2 emphasis the importance given to the subject, showing the large empty space that it occupies.
Crop 3 is dominated by the sky.  This to me shows that we are only a small part of things on the earth and the sculpture takes on an almost ritual nature.  The shape of the subject, like a worked flint from prehistoric times, becomes significant as it points to the sky.

Of the three crops, I prefer the third