The Art of Architectural Photography 3-1-2016

The are times when I am working on an image and I accidentally create something other than I intended.  This happens in all areas of our lives.  Sometimes the results are good; often not.  You wear what looks like black sox with black slacks and at a meeting, you notice your sox are charcoal brown.  You add baking soda rather than baking powder to your recipe or salt rather than sugar.  But occasionally, or for those fortunate ones, the mistakes turn out just fine.  In fact, trend setting fine!

Just days ago I was working on a photograph in Photoshop that needed help.  Since my background is photography and fine arts, I frequently tweak my jpegs or camera raws with some computer application in order to crop; fix blown out highlights; straighten the buildings; remove unwanted elements, such as cars and other "fixes."  Sometimes the image I have in my mind pops right away.  Other times, I struggle to get what I want.  Once in awhile I have to scrap a photo.  This happens for several reasons: too much noise, blurry, a giant I never noticed while taking the picture is standing in front of my subject.  You would be surprised!  Out there in the photo shooting zone, I'm forever excited and seeing what I think is there.  Sadly, what was there, I thought while clicking the shutter, is not what sometimes appears on my computer screen when I download the camera cards.  It happens.

On my recent trip to India, I was overwhelmed with many sensations that were uniquely exotic.  Never had I been to Asia.  The tropical weather and vegetation is similar to that which I have experienced in Florida, but combined with a totally unfamiliar atmosphere that bespeaks mystery, majesty, allure, and all things extravagantly fantastic.  In capturing the feel of India through photography, I have to present the magnetism of the place I sensed while there.  The image I was working on is of the marvelous University of Mumbai: architecture that is as magnificent as it is intricate.  The University is surrounded by lush plants and the beautifully designed windows shimmer in the heat of the tropics.  In error I reversed my photograph to a negative-like/infer-red style image.  Somehow, all the sensations of the day I stood before the building enveloped me as I looked at the image: heat, tropics, exotic vegetation, luminous architecture. This image is a sketch.  It captures an emotion and gives me again the feel of the breathtaking enticements of India.  Through an unintentional reversal of positive to negative, I caught my mood.

Black and White Architectural Photography: University of Mumbai, India