This is the second in a series on ‘Out for Lunch’ with a camera, others will follow. Today we are at Wrest Park. Wrest Park – a country house and estate in Bedfordshire – has featured in a number of posts, most recently Hanging There and Tree Line. It also has a nice café for lunch or tea.
One entire wall of this building is made of glass through which light pours on a sunny day and it has been the play of light and shadow across the café that has always caught my attention.
This first shot task was taken over a year ago – a scene-setting shot – when the café was empty. I particularly like the harmonious colours employed in the design of this place.
Click on any image to see a higher quality enlargement.
When we were back most recently my eye turned to the detail of the light and shade on the floor. The first was taken at lunch. There was insignificant colour in the original and it was a very simple choice to opt for a B&W conversion.
The second image, taken a couple of hours later, had much more colour in it, because of the inclusion of the yellow chairs. I experimented with a B&W conversion but it didn’t work at all, proving that in this instance the colour is a crucial element of the image – a contrast to the monochrome striping on the floor and the metal elements.
I like the middle image a lot – I am a fan of photos that capture the interplay of light/shadows on floors. I also like the expanse of floor that you included in this shot.
Thanks Melinda. Light is the more remarkable the longer I live. Looking down is probably something we don’t do enough of. During the last few years I’ve collected quite a few looks of puzzlement or mild amusement, and noticed whispered comments that probably are along the lines of impugning my intelligence or mental health! Who cares – they are the ones who have eyes that are not used to their full potential!
My husband reports that often, when I am shooting, passersby will see me, stop, and look around trying to figure out what it is I see worthy of a photograph. Watching people watch me is his entertainment.
Learning to look down/up/behind is part of our evolution as photographers.
Last year, I read “The Practice of Contemplative Photography” (Andy Karr and Michael Wood); there are a lot of fantastic photographs in the book, but its real value is the series of lessons on how to see, or, more accurately, to See. Partly from the book and partly from shooting enough to feed my blog, I’ve made it to what I think of a total immersion photography: every single thing I see feels as if it could be a photograph. Sometimes, that feels a little manic, but mostly it feel exhilarating. And it’s led me to look for things like shadows on a floor….
I love the phrase: ‘every single thing I see feels as if it could be a photograph’. That is so true and is exactly my own experience too. My Eye appears to be in continual search mode – looking for pattern, design, angle, colour, reflection etc. To me it is as you say exhilarating – occasionally my wife would have a contrary view!
I am sure both our spouses would agree that there are worse things we could be obsessed with!
Well said!
That middle image is awesome Andy. The shadows coupled with the texture in the floor rocks.
Thanks very much Len
I love the way the shadows flow across the floor in the middle photo and I do like the conversion. It seems well suited to it.
Thanks Ken – B&W always simplifies and that helps to strengthen the primary thread of an image. It worked in Image 2, but failed dismally in Image 3 – the large chair backs that rendered in mid tones degraded the whole image.
You always have the clever ideas, nice, I really like the B&W
Thanks Michael. It’s all down to the way my Eye now sees the world – constantly in search mode for an image.
Love these shots, Andy. That first one is my fave of the series. Love the shadow play.
This series was a really great idea, man.
Many thanks Jimi. There are a few more in the series lined up to follow…
On about the day you posted this I was sitting in a coffee shop, during my daily coffee break (=tea) looking at a scene just like this on the floor beside me, wishing for my camera.
Ah – now that’s why my camera is almost always with me – because I never know when I might just see something worth capturing. So often they are the unexpected places.