Recently I got back in touch with a friend from high school, who has become an art teacher and an impressive photographer. Her photographs show patient experimentation and scene staging that result in charming, dynamic images.
I appreciate how she explores all aspects and dimensions of a scene to find her shot and uncover the happy accidents. It’s tempting to stop after one, two, or even three good ideas due to competing priorities and limited billable hours. Innovation comes from persisting past the easily seen to find less expected, hidden treasures.
In my professional work, the angles and the subject are on opposing ends of a seesaw. Spend too much time focusing on the details and you might miss the idea that wraps them all together, but if you don’t spend enough time exploring the details you won’t have learned important facets that increase your understanding of the subject.
Above is a class project her students have been working on, creating a wall-sized forest of Kandinsky trees. I love it!
Photo by Sina Evans.