Now that I find myself consistently thinking about noticing, I find it is changing my perspective in familiar environments. I’ve found myself looking at patterns, sounds and details I would have glided over previously. Heading home from uni in the dark recently, I’ve found that visual patterns and details are constructed by the light predominantly, through high contrast. With inspiration failing, I decided that I would get into my car after Rugby on a Wednesday night (around 9:30), and drive into an unfamiliar area of Melbourne. Then I’d wander around with a camera and a 100mm lens, which I find to be one of the hardest lenses to shoot.
The two spots I found myself in were St Kilda and Richmond. I walked around for about an hour and a half, and took over 200 photos. Some of the themes I started to see were a fascination with movement, particularly in reflections. While I was walking, I was significantly aware of my drive to look for unusual details, as part of developing a prompt for myself. With minimal ambient light to work with, I was concentrating heavily on movement, around which tended to be more light. For example footpaths, roads, sporting ovals, gyms and restaurants. all these areas had more activity than the less populated areas like carparks, suburban streets and shops.
When I started photographing, I was looking into how reflection was distorting the image of the subject. Even though whatever I was looking at (for example a street light) through the reflection was distorted, because I had either seen it directly or had some prior experience of seeing it, I was able to understand what I was looking at, however when I looked back at the images I captured on the camera, it became less clear in the still. What you then started to see was patterns, colour and shapes rather than the object (a light source and a wobbly line rather than a street light). My understanding in this shift of interpretation is there’s no movement in either the mise-en-scene or in the perspective of a viewer. I find it interesting on how the constraints of the camera completely change the details of the noticing experience.
Distortions in shopfront glass on Bridge Rd.