I like to take photos of things
that don't seem representational -- one's where the subject is not obvious at
first glance. You might want to look at these photos and guess what they
are of before you read on. It can be a fun exercise.Witta's PhotoGallery June, 2003
I like to take photos of things
that don't seem representational -- one's where the subject is not obvious at
first glance. You might want to look at these photos and guess what they
are of before you read on. It can be a fun exercise.
I've been taking pictures of skyscrapers for about a year now, but the brand new Roppongi Hills shopping center in Tokyo, which had its gala grand opening while we were in town, was one of the most interesting. The image above (left) is actually shifted 90 degrees clockwise, the light blue windows at the right were originally at the top. But as an art photo, I prefer the way the lines flow in this perspective.
This next photo is really hard to fathom. No, it's not a scaly plant or animal.
It's of a stage curtain at the front of the Volga Restaurant in Tokyo. The heavy, black velvety curtain was selectively illuminated by a bright white light hanging overhead. Just a portion of curtain and its hanging folds were lit. The curtain seemed silver and black when I looked at it, not this golden color at all. But for some reason (color saturation in my eye or perhaps a reflection of the padded, gold fabric walls that made up the restaurant's decor), this luminous gold is exactly what was visible in my camera's viewfinder!
The
image on the left is more mundane. Can you make out what it is? It's
of a portion (perhaps 100 sq. ft.) of a large sand garden. Like the rest
of the grounds at Kyoto's Silver Temple, (Ginkakuji) this garden is meticulously cared
for. One can walk all around this much photographed garden and see
the sculpted sand from all angles. The contrasting light and dark areas,
representing waves and white sand, are produced by "gardeners" scraping the sand. Not
shown is the famous all-white mound that is shaped like Mt. Fuji.
You might want to take a minute
to reflect on the image below. 
Perhaps you know someone who's looking for an
original symbol for their new product or
company? I'd be happy to add a commercial commission to my resume.
The photo is of a large (60 foot high) sculpure against a clear blue Paris sky. I've rotated
the image and then digitally reflected it to produce this abstract.
Such fun!
The last image this month is an edged
photograph. 
Edging is a digital technique that can produce
unusual results. It can take a rather mundane picture and convert it to
something worth looking at. I've discovered that the subject usually needs to be rather simple, with a
limited number of lines and contrasts. Then it's hit or miss with this bit
computer wizardry.
This photograph makes me think of skyscrapers photographed from the air. Instead it's of three shiny triangular metal containers (maybe garbage cans?) that are slotted into a stone wall. Above and below are some cobblestoned walkways.
I think photographs can be fascinating, and the versatility and techniques of digital photography expand the boundries set by representational images. I'd be interested to know what you think.