Out Of Chaos Comes Order

The title of this blog is really a paraphrasing of the Nietzsche quote, “One must have chaos within oneself to give birth to a dancing star.” Still, it is an appropriate lead in to this post.

Street photography never ceases to present new challenges and new ideas. I’ve found this image (taken in October 2014) to be a lesson in finding order out in the urban landscape.

Shot from the hip

Shot from the hip (actually, more chest height) using a 28mm lens, my focus was dead on, but my composition was less than orthodox. The obvious focus is the woman who is very aware that I am attempting to sneak a candid shot, only to be found out with a smile! Off to the right is a generous amount of negative space also beckoning for your attention. I am not adverse to using off-kilter shots and negative space, but having made several attempts to find the best crop, I realized that this is how I saw the shot unfold, and would not have bothered to capture the moment if the scene, on an unconscious level (think “Gestalt”), did not call out to me even outside the viewfinder. What salvaged the entire photo is the quick grab of the motorcyclist just breaking out of the frame, pulling the eye towards some semblance of completion. The woman conversing on the right adds some tension pulling the eye back into the direction of the woman on the left. But, the cyclist adds just enough implied weight due to motion and his momentum as he breaks out of the box, and so directs the eye back to the right. The photo therefore reads from left to right, appealing to Western sensibilities. The image manages to convey balance even though the tilt of the frame is generating a gravitational force that wants to pull everything down to the left.

Overall, a successful image where the human condition and randomness merge to create layers of wanted and unintentional detail.

All images © Joe Longobardi. All Rights Reserved.
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