Indianapolis Photo Walk / Personal
Last Saturday morning, I participated in Scott Kelby’s 2nd annual Worldwide Photo Walk — a social event where photographers get together, walk around, take pictures, and generally have fun with other photographers.
The event brings together various types of enthusiasts and photographers from all different skills sets and sets the stage for networking, personal development and capturing great photos.
The year’s walk was led and organized by led by Lyle Mannweiler and took us along the White River State Park and Indianapolis Canal Walk — locations I know well from client engagement lifestyle sessions.
While the goal of the Photo Walk is to “just get out and take some pictures”, there also happens to be a contest involved! Each participant is allowed to submit two photos from the walk to be considered towards the Grand Prize — a Nikon D700 and other goodies. This year there were over 32,600 participants in over 918 locations worldwide!
The top prize package is awarded by Scott Kelby and given to the single best overall photo taken that day, from all the Photo Walk locations around the world; there are also 10 honorable mentions that can also be won.
I personally went for a storytelling theme this year, with the focus of my photos on composition and leading lines; the strengths and passion of my craft. The two photos I submitted are shown below and titled: “Just Do It” at left and “Stairway to Heaven” shown at right.
Photo Caption: At left, a lone morning jogger is seen running along the Indianapolis Canal District, casting his reflection upon the calm water. At right, leading lines from opposing walls converge upon a horizon filled with clouds and blue skies, showing the way to the Stairway to Heaven.
When I came upon the “Just Do It” scene, I was immediately drawn to the thick, bold lines leading into the wall and sidewalk [where the runner would be] and the near mirror image reflection the water provided. I intentionally used a slow shutter speed when capturing the runner in stride, suggesting movement and motion in the image. I exposed for the shadows and reflection, but intentionally blew out the highlights to suggest a ‘bright unknown’ which the jogger is running into.
Meanwhile in the “Stairway to Heaven” photo, the opposing brick walls and black rails leading into the stairs creates a strong composition of converging lines and perspective. I love how everything in the photo leads your eye up to the blue sky, suggesting a magical stairway to heaven. The puffy white clouds add the perfect finishing touch, and the fact that they too converge near the top of the staircase is just incredible.
Since every journal entry deserves at least one ‘pretty picture’ … here’s a snapshot I captured of a bee pollenating a single flower along the canal:
You can view photos from other Photo Walk participants in the ad hoc Indianapolis Photo Walk Flickr Pool or on the official Worldwide Photo Walk Indianapolis, Indiana, city page.
The 2009 grand prize contest winner(s) will be announced on Monday, August 17th, 2009. Stay tuned for more information …
Update (06 August 2009): Somehow, this photo was selected as the local winner.
Update (17 August 2009): The grand prize winning photo was announced.
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