Still Life - Sculptures

A Delicate Balance by Wayne Chabre and Jeanne McMenemy

For the most part my preferences in sculptures favor whimsical and art deco.  Why?  My preferences do not have a lot to do with formal art education, since there is next to none of that on my resume.  I like what I like.

Anyway, "A Delicate Balance" by Wayne Chabre and Jeanne McMenemy located at Main and Palouse in Walla Walla is one of my favorites.  When I spoke with Wanyne about it I asked if it was about the "Which came first riddle?"  He asked why I asked.  I told him that all the little kids who saw my picture of the sculpture asked me that question.  He laughed and said, "The kids are the only ones who truly get it."

To me it is whimsical and not relevant, but very thought provoking.  To get this image I had to lay down on the sidewalk next to the building closest to the sculpture, tilt the camera and use a medium f-stop to get the sculpture in focus and fuzz out the tree across the street.  Why lay on the sidewalk?  Well, the buildings, stop lights, cars and people in the backdrop were all distracting.  Other downtown favorites of mine include "Matilda on Her Way to Market" by Nano Lopez, "The Thinker" by Ralph Tretheway and "Thoughts Discovered" by Brad Rude.  For each image I had to try several different views in order to get it "right" for me and my note card collection.

When I suggest taking so many images from what seems like every possible view I am looking to help folks develop and define their personal style.  After a number of such "thousand image shoots" folks will start to see what they like and take fewer images.  However, never give up experimenting because you may discover a different view that works for you or you may have a unique artistic flash associated with the subject.  So capturing still life, in the form of sculptures, is like taking pictures of the classic cars at a show and shine.  If possible circle the sculpture taking many shots from various camera elevations.  Vary the f-stop to make the backdrop crystal clear or fuzz it out.  Think about over and under exposing to achieve the most dramatic impact.  Also, if you use HDR take bracketed shots, process and admire the increased detail and seemingly 3D effect HDR may offer.  Also, think about framing just a part of the sculpture.

As always, have fun.