SAN SEBASTIAN CHURCH
ANALYSING THE SUBJECT - seeking the angle
Often you are drawn to a moment and you capture it but you are not sure what the reason is? Is it the play of light, or the people or the church, or is it more? It can be any of these things or none of them. You have to decide which it is, then you present this as your work.
This is an image taken in San Sebastian, Spain. Because the alley opened out on to a square, from this perspective the church dominated the scene, so everything pointed to the church. Were the people being drawn to the church? who knows. How you alter the content creates different responses in your viewer, depending on how you treat it. If you add an open-door, then it is kind of implied that the people are going there. If so, you have created an avenue for your viewer to go as well. Tonality, what is left in shadow or highlight evokes different responses, and you as the ‘artist’ are the creator of the work, so it’s up to you as to what you want your viewers to take away from the experience.
Again, like other examples here, there is no right or wrong. It’s just a choice.
All photography and information © Jon Davison 2022.