subject – Monte Stevens Blog

…with most of my photographs, the subject appears as a found object, something discovered, not arranged by me. I usually have an immediate recognition of the potential image, and I have found that too much concern about matters such as conventional composition may take the edge off the first inclusive reaction.
Ansel Adams

Street names are used for landmark purposes but house numbering was implemented by the postal system to aid in the delivery of mail. Throughout the world there are different schemes for numbers housing. In the US we primarily place odd numbers on one side (usually west or south) and even numbers on the other (usually north or east). I wonder how long they debated over that issue. We find them near the front door, over the garage and on our mailboxes. I would venture to say that mailboxes are another one of those subjects photographers find in their viewfinders.

Okay, I’m on my couch in a slouched position reading a new book I just bought called, “Within The Frame” by David deChemin. For whatever reason I remembered this image from a year ago and wondered how it would look in B/W. I looked up the image then did a comparison in Lightroom, which he mentions in the book, between a color version and a B/W version, and is a powerful tool that needs to be used more often. Which one stirs the emotion in people is subjective, so both work. But there is more.

David has already helped me understand the difference between subject matter and the subject. We recognize the subject matter in both images: the trash can, bench and lamp post. But, the subject is the stark nakedness of the scene. Does seeing it in B/W accentuate the simple nakedness or not? Do we spend too much time assessing the blue sky or the grass color rather than feeling the subject. So I’m asking, which works better for you and why? Excuse me, I have more reading to do. 🙂

House Numbers

Empty Bench