(Leica D-Lux 5)
Supposing
you are asked to do a photo showing the mood of a place or an area, how would
you go about it? For sure there are
plenty of ways. One can read lots of
books and study theories to come up with an idea. However, a volley of theoretical statements can
sometimes be no more than garnishment to what practical illustrations can
teach. There is much truth in it for
photography.
To answer the
question, there is not much chance that a theory could inspire you to make shots
of legs to represent your best.
Definitely not in the case of a commercial project like for a movie poster
as what Evangelo Costadimas has done here.
I choose to be inspired by practical works.
Evangelo
used to be an engineer and when he was laid off in his late 40s, he took his
photography hobby to a new height to become his second career. His works are widely seen in Hong Kong and
overseas and his name is among the local artists noted in the University of
Hong Kong's art archive. One of the
archived works of his, Yaumatei Red, reveals his probable penchant for shooting
low. He has actually done a project SafeDistance in which shots of legs are not rare.
I learned
of this Yaumatei Red shot – in fact his shooting-low works -- some years
ago. This phto was done in Yaumatei
where some streets have long been Hong Kong's de facto red light district and sighting
of street hookers is common throughout the day.
Whatever sensual overtone the leggy attraction /
detraction might have conjured up in the viewers, it aptly befits the villainous
mood looming over the area at night.
I have
since worked on some shots following his example. Today's is one of those shots of mine and was
done in Yaumatei too. Instead of making
it after nightfall like Yaumatei Red, I determined to do a bit variation and
made it at daytime when there is a less sinful atmosphere to the neighbourhood. While there are normal happenings like any
other neighbourhood in the day, sex workers in a short skirt or tight shorts roaming
the street punctuate the sense of normality and shove in an incompatible feel of
tension. Using a secondary subject handing
out leaflets and another carrying a plastic grocery bag in the background, I
hope to reproduce this same feeling with the leggy subjects occupying the
foreground in an conspicuous way. The
final image was defocused in post processing to complement the effect.
There are lots to tell the uninitiated viewers in matters of composition whereas to experienced photographers the compositional contrast and balance and their use in the shot may be so obvious as to be too tedious to explain. In either case, I just leave it to the viewers for their own evaluation and interpretation. Hope you enjoy the shot.
There are lots to tell the uninitiated viewers in matters of composition whereas to experienced photographers the compositional contrast and balance and their use in the shot may be so obvious as to be too tedious to explain. In either case, I just leave it to the viewers for their own evaluation and interpretation. Hope you enjoy the shot.
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