During a recent trip to Door County WI for a photography workshop, I was hoping to find a focus for several new projects. I had been looking for inspiration for a photo project for several years and was never able to narrow in on something to inspire me. Right before my trip to Door County, I watched a Youtube video on the very talented photographer Sam Abell. In that video he explained his process for his famous photo of a window in Moscow. It took my breath away. It immediately brought to mind the photos I have made with windows in them and the variety of ways to shoot them.
My new project
One of our daily Door County workshop outings was to the Eagle Bluff lighthouse in Peninsula State Park. Lighthouses have universal appeal. They seem to draw us back to a simpler time. Photographers and non-photographers alike love ’em! I’ve shot a ton of them on a photo trip around Lake Michigan several years ago. When we arrived at this lighthouse one of the first things I noticed were the curtains on the windows.This structure had not been just a lighthouse but it also a home for the lighthouse keeper and his family. So unlike everyone else, I decided to photograph inside the structure more than outside. And it gave me the inspiration for one of my photography projects:
Windows!
The best part of a windows project is that there are endless variations for this theme. It also immediately brought to mind one of my own favorite window image; it is featured in the photo at the top of the page. That’s my grandson Jacob, the fifth grandchild out of nine. I take them to NYC for a long weekend when they turn eleven years old. The hotel window here provides lovely, soft afternoon light and makes a natural frame for this sleeping child. That same soft, natural light also makes a great still life. Click here to see an image of Jacob the same day in Chinatown (at bottom of page). The topic is Umbrellas, another new project.
There are so many perspectives to examine with windows. Do I want to be looking out? Are people looking out at me? Do I want to make the window itself the subject of the image or just a backdrop? With or without curtains or drapes? Are we looking into something intimate? Are we being voyeuristic or just artistic? Although the former may be true, art can be a great excuse to shoot something more private. Even a broken window of an old car can make an interesting subject with lots of texture. The following are photos I have taken and are examples of how I looked at different ways to shoot windows.
Looking out
Looking in
As a background for Still Life
When the window itself is the subject
The inspiration and possibilities are everywhere for this subject. So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to find more windows of opportunities! Ah, life is good.
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