Field note 01

One window, three photographs

A short exercise in noticing light.

You do not need a new camera to begin looking more closely. Choose an ordinary object, a window and a phone. Turn off the flash and give yourself fifteen minutes to see what changes as you move.

Keep one thing steady

Leave the object in the same place. Take one photograph facing it directly, another from the side and a third from slightly above. Watch the edges of the frame as well as the subject. A small change in position can remove a distracting background.

Observe before editing

Compare the three photographs at the same screen brightness. Where are the shadows softest? Which picture makes the object easiest to understand? Write one observation for each image before applying a filter.

Repeat with a question

Try the exercise at another time of day. Keep the location and object the same so you can notice the light. The useful result is an observation you can repeat, not a perfect photograph.