Friday, November 03, 2006

All the world's a stage

I've lived here in Austin for 5 years now. Of and on for two years before that. This mural is hidden down in South Austin. I've been meaning to take a picture of it for years. Finally got off my butt and went and did it last night, but as part of scoping out locations for this year's Christmas card. Once upon a time, I'd be happy with a shot of something like this, but these days I see it just as a set, waiting for the action to happen. For years I took shots like that. Great stages, but somehow lifeless. I'd find a scene, set up my camera, take the picture and look at it at home. Almost all of my pictures didn't have any people in them. The world looked empty. The stage was set, but nobody had said 'action!'. Lifeless - literally. Just waiting for the people to appear in the frame and bring the picture to life. It is certainly easier to find those great shots without the person in it. Fewer time constraints, just find the light and the subjects and you are done. But for now and for next year, I'm looking to get the people into the picture, hopefully to take the results to the next level. No more empty stages. Let the play begin! And hullo y'all, from Austin, Texas.

1 comments:

Amanda said...

You may be in denial :) but we've actually been here for almost 6.5 years now!