Photo Inspiration from Todd Hido and Alex Webb
A few weeks ago, I had some time to shoot some of the downtown streets in Opelika, mostly where many shops have been closed due to water damage. I love this area; it's a time capsule in history, much of which is still very visible. On this trip, I managed to capture some of my favorite shots of the year so far. It was a cloudy, rainy day, making it a perfect break from the high contrast high heat we normally have here. I'll post the rest of the images another day, but for now, I want to share how these shots drew some inspiration from two amazing photographers, Todd Hido and Alex Webb.
In a recent interview, Todd Hido said:
"Ambiguity is one of the finest tools in making art. In my way of thinking, images should raise more questions than answers."
I love that. Photographs that are more than mere snapshots of obvious subjects, that require the viewer to interpret, place value, or determine meaning, are some of my most favorite images. An image should be intriguing enough to warrant more than a passing glance. Todd Hido's work achieves this remarkably well, especially in his homes at night selections. One of my favorites is Todd Hido's Image #3737-12 of a car parked in moody light on the side of the road.
Then there is Alex Webb, a master at layering images with a foreground, middle ground, subject, and background, and placed in truly incredible ways. His style translates into remarkable depth thoughout his images, even when the scenes are physically close or compact.
These two artists are in a completely different league when it comes to creating images, but they inspire photographers, like me, to find creative ways to show a scene or tell a story.
The first image above is of a mural that I managed to layer across the trees. It does, on first glance, ask questions like "What is that? Why am I looking at that? What is this?" I hadn't seen this mural since it was created a few years ago, and the entire wall is beautifully done. It's perhaps a hidden gem in downtown Opelika. The wall is on the side of the Museum of East Alabama and features a large image of an Alabama Native.
The next shot below is one of my favorites. This reflection of the Alabama Office Supply Company building and creates multiple layers from foreground to background to inside the Wakefield Home shop. I did take a horizontal version, which I equally like, but I missed the focus on it, or rather missed the depth of field. It needed to be shot at a much greater depth plane so the entire image was in focus. I still like the both shots, especially with the many layers present in the image.
More images from this shoot are coming, but I wanted to upload a few from Opelika before spring turns into summer and summer into football season.
The opening image (shown above) was one of my best Alex Webb impressions. I didn't even realize at the time I was able to capture so many different layers in this image. Can you see them all? Including looking through the building to the other side. Window reflections are a truly unique photogrphic tool. The lady looking at the camera at the time the shutter clicked was pure bonus, but made the shot.
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