Telling the Story: Artistic Elements

Man with Red Sail

We were playing tourists at home one weekend, with a photo workshop at the San Francisco Maritime Museum.  As we were wandering, I noticed these beautiful red sails. Often an element like this becomes an attempt to tell an artistic story.  The problem is that as a traveler, you need to be able to get next to a subject like this to really emphasize its artistic elements.  Still, I decided to take it on.  Here is a description of the thought processes and problems I encountered.

Red Sail

The first problem was the angle.  I was limited in where I could stand by the fact that this boat was in a restricted yacht club.  So, I decided to include the setting and emphasize as much of the character of the sail as possible by where I stood in relation to the sun. When the sun is at an angle, texture shows up in the form of shadows.   In both of these photos, the red sail with its angles and shadows portrays a feeling of being well-worn and the sail itself stands out as a well-defined subject.

The next issue was whether or not to include people in the shot.  That decision created two entirely different stories. The addition of people makes a difference in the story the shot is telling.  The photo on the left tells a story of action: getting ready to sail, or bringing the boat and its sail home; while the one on the right emphasizes the sail itself and nothing more.

Neither shot is wrong or right.  The difference is in the intent of the photographer.  Once you decide on the purpose of the photograph, define it by using all of the elements at hand to tell the story.