photos from joshua l. smith
Back in November 2023, Side Street Studio Arts hosted a photo walk; each participant was supposed to pick a “challenge” for the day, so I took every photo at 200mm. I’ve already posted several of my photos, so make sure to check those photos out too.
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What do you SEE as you walk around your daily life? A photographer friend of mine recently asked about taking photos of another artist’s work; but in reality, aren’t photographers normally taking photos of other artist’s work? Even nature photographers are taking photos of mother nature’s work, right?
A craftsman who creates an object out of paint, clay, wood, stone, or metal can claim originality, but most of us are taking photos of something we didn’t create; instead we are creating art by adding or interpreting the existing environment or material.
With that in mind, go around your home and create art by adding or interpreting your own personal environment.
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In the last ten years, I have had the opportunity to photograph several dance festivals. Over those events, I have discovered a difficulty with photographing modern dance – modern dancers are less likely to perform a particular jump at a particular time in the musical score; their movement is often more like a twisting stream than a waterfall. As I watched the various performances at Side Street’s Going Dutch Festival this past November, I realized that a long exposure could reflect the beauty of the performer’s dance and expression; as short as a tenth of a second up to a full second of exposure.
And while some movement still seems to require the “moment in time” capture, I really like how these images reflect the movement and passion of these artists.
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There were two trees that simply glowed yellow in the afternoon as I drove through my neighborhood. When I got home, I picked up my camera and walked around the block capturing the various autumn scenes, including this tree. I could have placed a lawn chair underneath it and stared into the majestic canopy for the rest of the afternoon, but I have a feeling the neighbor would have asked me to leave.
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…
One of my photographer friends has taken images that are similar to this concept; what happens if you photograph while the crossing guards close? But at the Metra crossing at National Street, you have additional options – what if you merge traffic, train, casino boat, and crossing guard?
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.
ECC has many locations where plants have been integrated into the buildings; rooftop gardens, between buildings, and even small court yards. As I’ve walked around looking at the architecture, the spots of nature leap out with their beauty and color.
Sometimes my monochrome images have power and will stand the test of time.
To be clear, I do not think this is one of those images.
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.
Oh my, and to look inside that mountain outcrop? What a wonderful spectacle of lines, shadows, and shapes! This is definitely some kind of 3D TicTacToe game that I’m not aware of!
I’ve always loved these kinds of architectural elements; the abstract corners jutting out from a building. ECC seems to have a few of these; staircases that are not in the core of the building, but on the outside hanging onto the building, and in this case the blue pillar makes this element even more impactful.
Searching for abstract architecture photos is a little more conducive to conversation than many other types of walk-about photography. As we walked along, my daughter and I talked about talents, skills, careers, colleges, and life in general. Being a parent can be stressful and contentious, but a walk through a scenic area with someone who also appreciates the beauty of the man-made world around us can bring it all back into focus.
These were the stairs that first drew me in at ECC; they’re on the outside of Building J and perched precariously on the side of the brickwork. The angles, the straights, the bricks, the shadows all combined to create great imagery.
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.
