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Photography and Text by Robin Sanders, Copyright 2016
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On the first day of photography class, my professor mentioned something that has stuck with me ever since. He described what I like to refer to as the “artist’s eye” when capturing an image. This refers to the first aspect of an image that captures the photographer’s eye, whether it be an aspect of the subject or even the physical photo itself. For my professor, for example, the border of the image, in other words everything on the outer edge of the picture, was the first thing he looked at when taking a picture.
The idea that photographers focus on unique aspects of their images has been fascinating to me. Throughout the semester, I have taken note of the details and aspects of photos that intrigue me the most. The result should be evident through the following photos you are about to look at.
Coming from a creative but structured background, my eye notices symmetry, shading and the relationship of lines within a photo. For myself, my favorite pictures are ones where the composition of the aforementioned characteristics arrange themselves in a pleasing manner. Thus, as I began this body of work, I kept an artist’s-eye out for subject that jumped out at me. I first started my creative process by simply walking around my fraternity chapter house. It gave me a fascinating opportunity to really focus on the details of my residence, something I had never really set aside time for. Eventually I moved to the outside of the house, where I realized nature also has a beautiful way of composing lines and symmetry together, as is evident with tree branches, leaves, and flowers. Other pictures were taken on an airplane and at my home in California.
One of the most interesting ways to capture shading and symmetry is through photographs taken directly below light sources. As you will see, pictures taken from such an angle provide a unique view point for lights many of us overlook (or literally underlook).
The following body of work is indicative of how every person in the world has a unique view on life. Each and every one of us works with two (or less) eyes, but how we choose to look through these eyes is unique to each respective individual. Such is the way, and the beauty, of photography.
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About The Author: Robin Sanders is a Junior majoring in Systems Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Class of 2017. To read more articles by Robin Sanders, go here:https://tonywardstudio.com/blog/robin-sanders-portraiture-second-look/
