Martini

by Meg Manion Silliker
(Boston)

I wanted the focus to be on the Martini, but I also wanted to portray a very elegant woman holding the glass.

I loved how you can see her reflection in the window - almost as if she is waiting for someone or something to happen.


I'd love to know a little more about this photograph. Was it planned, or was it one of those spur of the moment things?

If it was spur of the moment, congratulations Meg! You have spotted a scene that is interesting and 'photo-worthy'. And well done for getting the photo taken before anything changed to spoil the scene.

If it was a planned shot, then there's a few things we can learn here.

My first thoughts are to the shooting angle. If we are aiming to portray a wistful look out of the window, then I think a shot from low down or higher up would improve this shot.

Imagine the photo were taken from a lower angle, we would then not be distracted so much by what is going on outside the window (the grass, the road . . . ). We would only see the sky, with the lady's reflection on the glass – no distractions. I'm particularly distracted by the white line (from outside, I think) going across her face.

If the outside is important to the scene (perhaps she is waiting for her knight in shining armour to appear?) then the photograph would be improved if it were taken from a higher angle.

My preference would be to go for the low angle, and remove the outside distractions.

My second thoughts are to the glass itself – it's a bit smudgy! Especially along the top. It tends to take away a little of the elegance you were aiming for.

Well done for trying something a little different – it's always good to experiment. And as I said at the start; if this was a spur of the moment thing, well done for spotting an opportunity.

Ed.

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• Read a digital photography tutorial on shooting angles.