Here we have another attempt at Ben taking pictures of random things, this time in the woods. This is a small stone house located in Washington Park in eastern Portland. It’s been lovingly dubbed the “Witch’s Castle” by some. I did my best to emphasize the “frame in frame” composition technique with these shots, but as always I feel like I missed the mark a little bit.

       I’ve been so caught up in trying different compositions that I didn’t realize how hard picking a subject would be. Shooting portraits or wildlife photography is relatively easy because the subject is already defined for you. With portraiture the key seems to be figuring out what makes that subject look best, or tells the story you’re looking to tell. In wildlife you’re waiting for a particular animal or a specific pose. With…I actually have no idea what to call this kind of photography. Stuff…photography? Candid photography? In candid photography not only do you get to choose the lighting or the angel or the composition, you also get to choose the subject. And in the case of this house, there were so many different angles and sections to choose from I very quickly got overwhelmed.

       So let’s talk through the choices that I did make. First, I stuck with a single focal length and a single composition style. In using frame in frame composition I felt like I was limited to a pretty narrow scope. In the first shot I wanted to get a bit of a leading line, wanting to emphasize the juxtaposition between the natural and the human-made. I really like the idea of this house being just a handful of tools away from the earth from witch is was quarried.

       Shots two and three feel like they fit comfortably in the frame in frame category. I wasn’t really sure what else to do with this location, and I am pretty happy with the two photos that I did get, but I still feel like I am leaving something on the table.

       In the next post I am back to talking about birds! I’ll see ya there.

Best, -Ben