A few weeks ago, we set our club members a task to take a photograph of something in way that disguises what it is. A photo which makes the viewer ask, “What the heck is that?”
This usually involves getting in very close with the camera and only showing a part of the object. You can do this with any camera if you have what is called a macro lens, or you could take a wider photo and simply crop into a part of it. Mobile phone cameras are good at this because they can focus very closely. Creative lighting can also help to lead the viewer astray by further disguising what we are looking at.
It wasn’t long before several of our merry band of Facebook group members rose to the challenge, and we were soon being prompted to identify all manner of objects. Most of the photographs took folk several guesses to correctly identify. Some still remain unidentified!
Exercises like this are a bit of fun, but they are also useful in getting us, as photographers, to see the world differently. Most photos we see are taken from head-height and show subjects as everyone would usually encounter them. By taking a different perspective on the world and by changing our point of view we can reveal aspects of common place objects that are not ordinarily seen. Moving away from the expected view of something can reveal interest in even the most mundane objects. I hope you can see that in the photos this week.
Why don’t you have a go at guessing what each of these photos is showing before you read the captions?
Irvine Camera Club continue to meet every Tuesday evening at the Irvine Community Sports Club. If you have got a keen interest in photography, we have got a packed programme of activities that will inspire you to be creative and to make better photos. You can find all of our details at www.irvinecc.co.uk
Until next week, enjoy the light!
