While preparing notes for my next workshop session today, I happened to look over at a metal and glass ornament that Chris and I bought last year. When it’s in motion, there’s the illusion of the ball going up and down the metal rod. I was really taking photos of small objects around the apartment (preparation for a discussion of “Macro Mode” in class), and this ball wasn’t really the kind of thing I intended to take a photo of for that. However,  I decided to snap a photo of it anyway:

Metal and Glass ornament

But then I thought that was kind of boring, so I took it from a different angle:

Metal and Glass ornament – on the diagonal

But really the ornament is the most interesting when it’s in motion. So, I gave a spin and then snapped a photo of it in motion:

Metal in motion

Later, on the computer, when I noticed the potential “face” in that photo, I flipped it upside down to show the light-waves “profile” on the left of the red ball:

Metal in motion – and upside down

Looking at the ornament in the first photo, would you have thought this photo would come from that?

Now, as I said, I really was taking photos of other things in the apartment today (on that Macro Mode topic), and I hadn’t really intended to photograph this ornament at all. But it was there, and caught my eye, so I snapped a few shots of it in addition to what I’d intended to photograph.

However,  I realized after I saw these images that this set of photos actually fits one of the other topics that had been on my mind for the workshop: along with the idea of not always putting the subject in exact middle of the frame, you can also be looking for ways to experiment and see/photograph it in a new light.

But funnily enough, I hadn’t been consciously thinking of that when I took these photos. Which is actually another part of my message for the class: if you start  deliberately practicing taking various kinds of photos to learn different ways of framing your image, you’ll do this kind of experimentation automatically later on, without having to think about it. And so, when something catches your eye, you’ll be ready to see it from all kinds of angles, which might lead you to an interesting shot.

And it turns out I actually do practice what I preach. Good — and fun — to know! 😉