On my way back from Lyon recently, I experimented with trying to convey meaning over prettiness.
I was in an Uber (sprained foot and it was nearly 11pm) coming from the train station. I was bored and fuzzy-headed after hours of transport. When I was looking outside the window, the weather was miserable. It was raining, it was cold, it was dark. The window was covered in condensation (bad ventilation in Corollas?). A winter night travelling when you’d prefer to be home watching TV or reading a book under the duvet.
And then it struck me: how would I convey that feeling? I talked recently about my growing need to move away from pretty pictures. The fact that meaning is becoming way more important in my photography direction than producing pleasant images.
Looking outside, the distortion of light because of condensation and speed clicked in my head. It wouldn’t make a good photo. I only had my phone with me anyway, so next to no control over the process. It would be messy because of the various distortions. But would it look like what it felt?
Looking at it now, I can see how it feels very wrong. The lights are all blotchy, like big splats of liquid. The scene is fuzzy because of the window condensation. The cars have motion blur because they were moving. The composition is pretty much absent (why is there a big car in the foreground?). There is no clear focus point to hold the attention.
I would never have taken this photograph normally because essentially everything about is wrong. I hate this photo and you should too. But it reflects the feeling of the moment.
It’s only an experiment, but this is a first step.
#Photography #IMayBeWrong #Opinion #Night #Light