Having passed by these mirrors a few times, I decided to photograph them. They are along a busy street, about 15 feet from the sidewalk. Going from left to right, they are aligned along a gentle curve. Sitting in well-tended grass, they are flanked by buildings on all sides. The problem is that I can never see through the viewfinder what I see in my mind. Something is always in the frame that I wish wasn’t there. I keep imagining this minimalist image with the mirrors facing away at a slight angle and me perhaps catching multiple glimpses of reflected clouds. Looks like that is never going to happen.
These pictures were taken with a 35mm FL lens—too many of the nearby buildings appear on either side. When I consider getting closer, the background buildings photobomb the scene. At an angle, cars and people crowd the frame. It seems my minimalist image is a pipe dream.
There must be some image that I can make work—even if minimalism is out. I had the same problem with the Bank America Tower. Trying to get the picture I wanted at street level proved fruitless. It was a walk on the Beltline (done for other reasons) that gave me the perspective to capture the building the way I wanted, disentangled from foreground clutter. These mirrors and their surroundings pose a similar problem.
Perhaps I will change the mental image I’ve been carrying around. I’ve ruled out a close-up of a few mirrors—I want them all. I also want the grass, but not the buildings. I could remove the buildings in post-processing, but I have a problem with that because of an experience in Spain. A magazine published a story about Cadiz and my wife and I were taken by the beauty of the photographs and decided that should we ever make it to Spain, Cadiz would be a destination. Well, we went and discovered that the photographer had removed all the utility lines, poles, and other things to spruce up the frames. Cadiz was a huge disappointment–a wasted day trip. As best I can, I like to present things as they are.
So far, the only plausible idea that’s come to mind is using my 58mm 1.2 lens to take a shot close to the mirrors, showing the gentle curve but shooting at an aperture so the last mirrors disappear into a soft blur. One of the mirrors closer to me would have a reflected image of clouds or maybe a passerby. I have tried to move on. However, when rummaging through my photo archive, invariably I see these images, and the sense of unfinished business draws me back in. They are trying my patience.
Although I know it’s not what you are trying to achieve, I still think the photos that you have included in this post are pleasing. Perhaps a tilt lens could help create the subject isolation you’re looking for?
These photos are horrible, they’re just not what I had in mind. The tilt lens would be an interesting approach.