If shooting at a wide angle (18-35mm), a photograph can capture everything that you see when looking straight ahead. There is so much going on in this scene, the eye doesn't really know where to stop. This makes for a busy snapshot that no one will want to hang on their wall. On this shoot, I asked my family to sit on the steps on the right and then increased my focal length to zoom in on just them.
By shooting closer and with a longer focal length (50-105mm), all the details of the parking lot, factory buildings, train tracks and utility poles are no longer fighting for attention. The family is my focus, because they are what is most important. The cool bricks and crumbling steps are now just charming details drawing the viewer's eye toward the family.
I so love the backdrop of old brick/stairs, there's none of that character in my neighborhood but I saw those opportunities on every block when I was visiting TX!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a wonderful background! Love this pic.
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