fourpointedstar

There are certain architectural elements that lend themselves to odd, abstract photographs, but in some instances, you must create the abstract image. As I walked around ECC some images just made sense – the concrete ceiling under the elevated walkway and the outdoor metal staircase. But the staircase’s metal railing and marbled look, I knew there was a photo; but as long as it was right side up, it just looked like stairs…

There may only be a couple of weeks each year when the sun lines up perfectly with the doors on this building to create this photo.  If the sun is any lower, then the trees just outside the doors will block the rays too.  Opportunities like this abound everyday, we just have to pay attention … and bring a camera. 

A few months back, a photography mentor challenged me to find the photos in everyday life. I tend to capture many beautiful images on photo walks, but them rarely take photos outside of those “events”, so I began photographing the normal scenes in normal life. While this was taken while I wandered around ECC looking for photos, I would’ve likely ignored it without the challenge of looking for normal scenes.

Once you start looking around ECC, you’ll find many beautiful scenes to photograph, and since the campus has been built over decades, there are many different architectural styles to take advantage of.

I’ve lived 2 miles away from Elgin Community College for ten years now, but I’d only visited when I was teaching my daughters to drive. As I walked into Building H for my daughter’s first class, I was struck by how many photo opportunities exist in the architecture. So, the next week when I dropped her off, I chose to walk around and capture a few of those images.