“Colors Passing By”
December 14th, 2024
a daily photo from joshua l. smith
I absolutely loved photographing the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle; but I would love to photograph any of Frank Ghery’s buildings!
I suppose at this point, I’m kind of known for my “reflection distorted in glass” photos, but I really love this one. The monochrome makes the textures and details really stand out, and I absolutely love the architectural elements of the building as well.
Our human sense of scale is often inadequate for what is around us; that tugboat is huge, longer than a semi truck. But that tugboat pales in comparison to even the small “lake” that it’s floating in, Lake Union.
When I first saw this hood ornament, I immediately was taken with how fragile and sharp the front piece was. I was then taken with the luster of the copper color of the animal (perhaps a pegasus?). The copper color and the animal’s shape reminded me of the decorations on the Ishtar Gate, and placing that hood ornament with the rich blue backdrop really completed the enchantment.
As I walked north through the Concours, I passed by the painter; so I made a point to stop by and say hi on the way back south. John Paul is from California and was just in Illinois for an art collaboration, and chose to come to the Concours to paint a car or two. Also, the blue Cadillac in the painting was detailed by a friend’s dad’s friend; life really is only 6 degrees of separation from painter to the artist who created the subject of the painting.
If you take a beginners’ photography class, your instructor is likely to bring up leading lines, rule of thirds, and removing items that aren’t needed as some of the keys to a great photo. I’d like to think that those are the reasons that I love this photo, but it’s probably only because I love the color red combined with the yellow hints in the center-line trim work.
I have mentioned more than a few times that the Geneva Concours can be crowded and those crowds limit the photos that you can capture. In addition to the crowds though is the venue; the somewhat narrow street and shops and businesses also often provide a very cluttered backdrop for photos and the Concours. Which is why I’m thrilled with the simple nature of this photos; the red really brings out the shine of the chrome.