I was out walking through downtown Nanaimo looking for ways to introduce depth into a two dimensional image, looking for images that pulled the eye into the frame. I am drawn to subjects that speak of urban decay, of a place that had once been brimming with life and energy but now was left only a shell. I came across this window that wrapped around a triangular shaped building that was partly covered with paper left after the tenant moved out. This image brought both of these things together. The portion of the window that was covered reflected the street behind me, I could see through the middle section of the window, to the street on the other side but the second window picked up more reflections at a different angle. It all worked together to give about 6 different views of the street behind me and the street in front of me. I had to work hard to find the right position so that I would not become part of the image. I really like the way that the layers of glass produced and almost double exposure effect for portions of the frame. There is a lot of see in this image but I am especially drawn to the way that the street light pole is repeated in a shadowy reflection and the vague idea of a person in the deep background.
Looking down into the pillared entry of a courtyard. Canon EOS 7D Mk. II EF 50mm f/1.4 at f/1.6 1/80 ISO 250
Earlier that same grey morning I had come across this location and I really had to hunt to find the right angle from which to shoot it. It is near the China Steps in Nanaimo and getting above the arches gave them a more interesting appearance. I leaned against the wall in the extreme right of the frame to anchor the image. I used an extremely large aperture, f/1.6, to push the wall out of focus and dark out of focus portion of the right side of the frame provides a contrast to the crisp shapes of the arches and brick patio and fence beyond. The light and the light coloured tiles pull the eye deep into the frame, away from the dark anchor on the left. I also darkened the edges of the frame and lightened the centre portion of the arches so that your eye would be pulled deep into the centre of the frame both by what’s in focus, and by where the light is. Finding ways to introduce depth into, what essentially is, a flat medium can really add interest to your photographs.
-Russell Berg
www.seeingberg.com
