Me, The London Eye, and the APA Something Personal Exhibition
By Ellis | Dec 7, 2009
The London Eye
Of the five images that I entered, this was the only one that was selected to be display in the APA Something Personal Exhibition of 2009. I must say I was a little puzzled why this was chosen.
While I was in London last year, I took only a handful of snapshots of the London Eye as I walked under it. It was spur of the moment, I didn’t plan it, and didn’t even remember I took it until I returned home to review my images. And yet, such a forgettable image at capture time has come to have such a visual impact.
For those of you that have seen my main page, this is the first image that shows up. I picked it to have a “universal” appeal to those that stopped by. I selected it because at the time, I wasn’t sure what photographic specialty I’d like to market myself in. So, I thought it best not to pigeon-hole myself with a portrait up front. It doesn’t represent the overall style I claim to strive for, and I certainly don’t have any deep story or process to back the creation of it (see above). To this day, I don’t think much of this photo, yet I “feel” something every time I see it.
Of course, the image did not look like that out of the camera. It looked like this:
Original
It’s pretty flat, the background’s a bit blown out, and there isn’t much color in it. And, to put in its print-ready state, I took no more than 5-minutes of Lightroom adjustments and presets.
I think what I’ve learned through this process is that compelling imagery can be in essence, very simple. And, as the show’s name dictates, “something personal.” No clients, no art directors, no crew, just me…creating an image. I still enjoy the organized chaos of many talented individuals coming together to create something exciting. However, this reminds me of the ultimate part of the process of simply capturing the moment: whether contrived, serendipitous, or completely unintentional.
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SEE THE PRINT!
Of course, you’re all welcome to see this print in person at the APA Something Personal Exhibit (and Holiday Party!) this Friday, December 11th, 2009 @ Leftspace Studios, 6:00pm - 10:00pm. There will be 100 images on display there.
Click here to download and print an invitation to the show.
If you can’t make it to the show, it’ll also be on display @ Gallery 645 through January.
Thank you for all the support!
