¶This photo represents one of the “a-ha” moments in the development of the way I think about taking photographs. I was still in my early days of learning gear and seemed to concentrate mainly on settings when I was shooting. We were at Magic Kingdom late one night (late for us, anyway), and I was messing around with getting some low-light shots, experimenting with pushing ISO higher and higher. This is shot at 1600 ISO, btw, which seemed crazy at the time even though it’s decidedly “safe” today.
¶I took a few shots of this balloon vendor and immediately reviewed them in camera, expecting to see grainy jpeg previews of my raw image. I was pleasantly surprised at what seemed to be a decidedly non-grainy low-light image. So I took a few more. And a few more. Reviewing those additional shots, my mind shifted a bit and I started to think about what was actually in the frame, and how it looked.
¶In other words, composition.
¶This isn’t the first time I had intentionally composed a photograph, but I think it is the first time I remember experimenting with it as I read a scene. Looking back on it, I think I needed that assurance that the exposure settings we’re ok to let me get to the point where I could truly explore different compositions.
¶I like where I landed with it, too. I like the overwhelming presence of the bunch of balloons, as that’s the impression the scene left on me. So many balloons! Cinderella’s Castle in the background, sort of sub-framed by the edge of the balloons, draws my eye next, and then finally I land on the anonymous vendor with his face turned away, which, for me, sort of emphasizes the weight of the balloons.
¶I cut his right shoe a bit, but I’m ok with that. I think.
¶The focal plane is another matter, though. It’s completely off when you pixel-peep. The details of the balloons are out of focus, but the lady in the street and the lettering on the mailbox on the far left are both crisp. So I composed the image well but completely missed focus. I’m ok with that, too. I think.