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Note to self: figure out a better title for these things…

Another month between posts, and another multitude of photos to cram into the cloud.

At this point, apart from the special ones of friends and family, I am chalking most of my shots up to be helpful exercises for this time in my photography career. There is as well the added sustenance which satisfies my need for a healthy artistic outlet. I have been intentional thus far about nurturing my creative flow, and I plan to help it evolve for a long time to come.

Today I want to explore one image. Here it is in gallery form, in case you want to look closely:

From a composition perspective, the photo is nice. But, the most intriguing part about this for me is actually where the shot came from.

The stairwell is located in the Wisconsin State Capitol building, which I visited the second weekend in March. Madison is a fine destination, and their capitol is a beautiful place to spend time, however when I talk about “where it came from”, what I’m referring to is my process for inspiration.

I didn’t fully realize this at the time, but the reason this corner flight stood out to me was because I recognized it from before. Deep down, there was an opportunity to capture something that had made an impact on me, and defined my style; shaping what I like to shoot one image at a time. At first it was subconscious, but after a few weeks of having this picture as my phone wallpaper, and now sitting down to write about the development, I understand the origin.

The sharp angles, warm color palette, and empty setting remind me of Jason Hunter, who you can check out here on Instagram. Jason also runs a cool newsletter, Two Hour Photo.

Ironically, Jason shoots mostly exterior shots. If you take a closer look at his work though, I wonder if you can see where I’m coming from in comparing the two. Almost everything is at a nice right angle; typically at the center of the screen or working together with another line to create something new. Jason as a knack for this type of symmetry, and I’m constantly drawn to it.

Continuing the similarities in my stairwell shot above, I really enjoy the collection of 90 degree joints, and the way almost everything is facing away from you.

Further more, the beige/pink tones of the wall in combination with the wood accents are quite calming to me. Like, I don’t mind that there is nobody there, I want to enjoy it alone.

Finally, there isn’t a human subject which leaves the door or the fire hose cabinet to take on an entirely new personality. What I love more about Jason’s work is that I can start to create my own narrative about what exists beyond. It feels so empty, but in a fun “Zombieland” post-apocalyptic sort of way…

At the end of the day, what I am most thankful for in being inspired is that the experience was organic. I didn’t plan to re-create someone else’s work, and though I can understand the appeal in that type of approach. This one just kind of came out in the moment.

Honestly who knows if Jason would even agree with the comparison, but above all, I am just excited to document an example of knowledge absorbed.

If you made it this far in the post, thank you for reading! If you just scrolled to the end, screw you! Ha, just kidding….

okay bye, for now