Assignment: Post Wide

All of my shots are taken using my Cannon PowerShot S31S.

In my initial posting, tight & wide, I establish the breadth of my camera. Its capabilities range from a wide open focal length of 6 mm to a "zoomed in" tight at 72 mm.

Next is my photo essay: Parade of Homes

There are roughly two hundred shots in all; I selected twelve to showcase. In all of them, my lens is wide open at 6 mm and the only variable is my proximity to my subject. This made for an interesting shoot. Most of these people were quite suspicious of why I was out there shooting, and you will see that I made sure not to cross into any of their yards. I did not trespass.

As a result, I did feel constricted by the "shoot wide" assignment and its limitations. Without the compression of a tight shot, many of my pics came back with too much visual noise. They appeared messy rather than artfully stacked. As a result, I had to choose my angles and distances carefully. I felt frustrated by the lack of depth.

With the lens wide open, I had virtually no depth of field to work with and felt hampered by the resulting flat aspect of these shots. While fitting it all into the frame, I found that often I was too far away for any of it to maintain the desired effect. The details had vanished in the distance.

That being said, I may have chosen poorly. In hindsight, I do believe that I would have done greater service if I had shot this at a safer distance, using my telephoto. I cannot tell you how many eyes were on me as I wandered these neighborhoods. Often I glanced up to see only the swaying of a curtain where a watcher once stood. I could almost taste the grating deadbolt as the unseen slid it home. The crosshairs that tickled my back as I crept closer for just one more shot. These are private people.

As you scroll through my most recent work, you may actually hear the sound of banjos - I did...