A quick hop in Paris gave me a chance to go back to the place where I learnt to walk, and where my mum would play with me: the Batignolles park.
Many locals are enjoying the warm Sunday afternoon. The tender and bright acacia leaves seem to form a halo of freshness and serenity above the young woman resting on the bench. Like a fountain of life in the middle of the urban environment.
Incidentally, as I was “scouting the scene” looking for a better shot, I applied a key principle I learnt from Gregory Heisler, one of my main photography masters. Greg often challenges himself to be more creative by “looking for the opposite image” : if you are shooting with a long lens, what would it look like with a short lens; if you are shooting from above, what would it look like from below? Using hard light? What about soft light… etc. In this instance, I just went to the opposite side of the bench – the reverse angle. As you can see, the perspective is dramatically different. Still a relatively nice picture (I think) – but just a Spring snapshot – the magic is gone… Same subject, same moment – two opposite angles for two radically different outcomes… What do you think? you can tell me in the comments.
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More to come, stay tuned!
Didier.
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