I just watched this video by NiftyFiftyPhotographers, Your Aperture is Ruining Your Black and White Landscapes, which really highlighted a mistake I make. I am working to improve my black-and-white photography and move beyond landscapes. With this one line from the video, I finally get it...
“Every frame I ask, what do I want you to feel?
And where do I want your eye to go?”
In my photography, I have always tried to keep everything in focus and create a pin-sharp image.
If you look at this photo, I love the story I have in my head, but the composition could be better. The bench is in the center, but it does get lost in the scene.
When I think about where I want your eye to go and the feeling I want to portray, I want this bench to feel like a place of solitude within the park.
If I take this as a black and white (Edit it in Lightroom). Rather than exposing for the bright sun and foreground leaves, which brightened the bench and background trees, reframe the focus on the bench and use a darker frame with a slight vignette.
The key learning is to focus on the subject and the story you want to tell. I should have metered on the bench and cropped the scene to focus on it. The fall colors tell their own story, but make it harder to focus and tell the story of the bench.
Funny how a short video and one line change your perspective.
Thanks for reading.
Steve