Small Changes Can Have Big Impacts

The power of photography - as with any art form - is not in the image itself but rather in the interaction between the viewer and the work. Great images, that capture the imagination of the public, are simply images that have created a relationship with a mass of people. Beginning with one relationship and morphing into a sea of relationships that make the art work iconic.

Individually, its about the relationship or more accurately the interaction between the viewer and the work and small changes can have large affects. This is particularly important if you are either creating the image from scratch as with a painting or an etching or you are manipulating reality with a photograph.

Take this image titled "Romancing the Snow"

"Romancing the Snow"     Cards & Posters       Fine Art Prints

The image was captured in the wake of one of the largest snowstorms we had experienced in New Hampshire in over a decade. I decided to just go out and document the beauty of the moment and driving along the Buffalo Road in Rumney, one of my favorite places on the planet, I came upon these two walking together in the quiet of the snow-covered trees.  I was enchanted by the romance of the moment and I captured this image.

This image alone was worth all the time I spent but when I began to work with it I wondered what would happen to the image if I removed one of the individuals. The result was "Companion Solitude" below.

"Companion Solitude"    Cards and Posters    Fine Art Prints

The simple act of removing one individual changes completely the relationship between the viewer and the image. Now the viewer may see a lonely walker or a person who loves the quiet solitude of such a moment. Either sentiment makes the image a compelling one.

Of course, having made the first deletion it was only natural to make the leap from "Companion Solitude" to "Solitude" by removing the second person and presenting the Buffalo road with only the new fallen snow on the maples.

"Solitude"             Cards and Posters               Fine Art Prints

Now a completely new relationship is developed between the observer and the image.

With a series of changes to this image that account for less than 1% of the entire image we have created three (or more) different impressions and relationship/interactions with what is essentially the same image.

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"Autumn on Long Pond Road"          Cards and Posters          Fine Art Prints