Now and again, I come across a photograph I particularly like, something I think is worth pulling out of the mainstream of posts and setting aside to keep it more accessible.
Updated on
From 2029, 17 May
Apart from the excuse to revisit and post from my archives, I hoped the "Best of" pages would create an opportunity to review individual photos. I wanted this opportunity because I often think I am a poor editor, and I would like to improve.
I think I knew, sooner or later, I would come across a photo like this one, which is not short of flaws - unintended motion blur, some soft focus, and some other slightly distracting reflections - but which would not be greatly improved if the flaws were removed or fixed.
This is "just a moment", and I still think removing or fixing the flaws wouldn't significantly improve the shot and might detract from it because these flaws confirm it wasn't posed, merely "grabbed".
From 2018, 31 October
The tall buildings on both sides and in the distance create the perception of being hemmed in, almost a feeling of foreboding.
The figures are all silhouettes, all casting long shadows, all in a line, and overlapping with one another, almost suggesting they are linked - as though forming a "human tram", and an echo of the other trams.
While the two buildings on the left provide contrasting backgrounds for the trams - dark building behind the light tram and light building behind the shadow tram - I find them distracting, but I don’t really know how to avoid it. Perhaps I could have lightened the dark building to reduce the contrast.
From 2015, 12th July
This illustrates one of the real joys of digital photography, which is the ability to take photographs and then immediately see and share the results. This is just such a moment— sharing a selfie on a day out in Manchester, with friends.
The photograph just captures a moment of joy on the subjects' faces. The background is untidy and, probably, distracting without adding anything of significance. A tighter crop could remove some of the background, but with shots like this, I am always torn between a very tight crop and the context the background brings. The balance is somewhat personal, and I expect others might prefer the crop to be tighter.
Perhaps a wider aperture than the f/8 used here to blur the background would have helped.