(They are not talking to each other. It is only the illusion afforded by the reflection from the mirror. The photo is so taken to represent how I see about the restaurant)
What are the things to l earn in photography? In short, two things. The answer lies in the essence of photography.
First, there are the photographic techniques which are primarily the know-how in using light in an image. Light is the soul of photography. To take photos is to paint with light. Light to a photographer is like a pen to a painter, a graver to a carver or a musical instrument to a musician.
Second, there is the seeing because a photo is basically the way of how the photographer sees an image with the right techniques to represent the seeing.
While techniques are more structured for learning, the seeing is more subjective and takes longer to mature. It goes without saying that the mastery of combining both produces what we consider photographic masterpieces.
Take the photos here for example. A few days ago I took my breakfast in one of the McDonald's outlets in Shenzhen, the Chinese boomtown neighbouring Hong Kong. Like when first opened in Hong Kong, the McDonald's was once a novelty in Shenzhen. Then It was the place where people dressed themselves up for a visit to try out meals. As the time worn on, the economy shot up and real haute-cuisine restaurants came on the scene around town, the McDonald's has became what it is worth and a place for food connoisseurs no more. But at the same time, the unhealthy culture of fast eats have spread far and wide to people of all age groups.
(So, guess which one is the reflection)
So there I was taking my breakfast and, seeing the patrons of different ages, thought to myself, "How can I make a photographically interesting image to represent such a morphing of the McDonald's in Shenzhen?"
Finally, I came with this set of photos. The real and mirrored images are carefully knitted together (look at the edge of the chair, the ceilings and the gestures of the people) to connote a transition and present the age elements (the poster aimed at the children, the old lady and two young men) on the same plane. The complimentary colours (blue/purplish vs orange/yellowish) add an interest to such a novel representation of what a place I think the McDonald’s has changed into.
(Colour dial: the opposite colours are complimentary to one and the other)
(Postscript: I went on a holiday for a couple of days with my GX200 for sure. One of the destinations was Shenzhen. Being away from familiar persons and things always gives us the breathing room to reflect and improve. So apart from clicking the camera shutter a lot, I reflected a bit on photography over the last few days. I did not come up with a long list of high-sounding conclusions. But I wish to write some posts on my pondering over "the seeing and techniques" as I did above.)
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