A Day In The Life

Idea 1: Exploring Relationships

There are many different relationships, within photography. By relationship, I mean the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected.

People

Capturing relationships between people is a real privilege. Be ready to photograph the stolen moments which come in between the posed shots. This is when people are momentarily relaxed and the emotions of what is normally only shared privately, is briefly revealed to us.The photograph of actor Martin Clunes and his horse Chester taken during a shoot for Your Horse Magazine, shows there is a playful side to their relationship.

Places

When photographing locations, I look for the relationship between the background and the foreground. Unusual perspectives always stand out so be bold and move around to get the shot. You will find relationships everywhere, between what lies above and below the horizon; between reflections and shadows; and between your subject and the main light source such as in the picture below. In contrast, the relationship between two clouds in the picture appears to be hostile. This cloud formation was made even more dramatic by the relationship between the dark shadows at the top and bottom of the photograph.

Animals

When taking photographs of animals, I think you must simplify the process by deciding what relationship you are trying to capture. For example, is it the relationship between two animals, or between a pet and a toy? To make my images stand out, I would look for a natural relationship of colour and contrast within the shot. I found an image online where the dog’s brown eyes and brown markings form a natural relationship of colour.