milling around
i really like it when i can take a picture that was mediocre and turn it into something i would show other people. i wanted to capture the scene of everyone just milling around before the game started (folks from HOPE met to play frisbee), but the original shot had too many clashing colors, and it didn't really deliver the message i wanted.

what message was that? well, i always found the circle that people form to be quite amusing, especially among folks who don't really know each other all that well. i liked the variety of actions and expressions among the people.. the more introverted stand isolated, aimless, staring at.. something, or perhaps observing the interactions of others. arms crossed or swinging carelessly, feet awkwardly twisted.. fidgeting. that's another thing that i always found entertaining--how people will force themselves to stay in an awkward situation because of perhaps a desire to broaden their social horizons, but aren't able to muster the energy to go and make conversation, choosing instead to fiddle with their cell phone, tie their shoes, or pick the lint off their shirts.. all the while, trying take as_long_as_possible to avoid standing around idly. it's definitely a lot less worse when everyone's waiting for something.. perhaps a testament to the importance of purpose-driven actions.

there are one or two in here that i might say are more outgoing than the rest.

people-watching.. it's addictive, isn't it? i feel guilty for making unfounded generalizations (well.. not completely.. good thing i only have a few readers). it's a little disconcerting to realize my stalker tendancies. i think as long as i shoot in plain sight, i should be okay. i enjoy capturing candid moments.

i suppose there wasn't really a 'message', per se.. maybe just an idea, or a preservation of it anyways.

right--the shot. i thought black and white worked well here. it really helps to simplify things; to get extraneous information out of the way when you want your shot to say something that doesn't require color. aggressive cropping helped too. that's another compositional rule i'm trying my best to apply--fill the freakin frame. don't need to be shootin no trees when you're trying to shoot people. oh, and there's a lighting adjustment in lightroom--'blacks'--that i find to be particularly useful for creating contrasts. i _think_ it just makes the underexposed areas darker.. i'll have to look into it after i finish this stupid paper. anyways, with this shot i was playing around with that. i found it helps to intensify contrasts in the image, especially when it's in grayscale like this one.

PS- click on the picture to take a look at a larger size of the shot; it looks a lot better.  ¶ 11:00 PM