I SEE YOU

One of my favorite places to visit is an antique store - it is sort of like a trip in time where the past meets the present.  I try to pick similar subjects that seem to work together to form a story of the place visited.

On this particular visit I noticed that a number of my subjects seemed to be staring back at me.  It was sort of an “I see you moment.”  The lighting in these places is always a problem, with constant adjustments to the ISO.  Because of the clutter it is sometimes hard to isolate your subjects that have been assigned a particular spot and in most cases cannot be moved.  My solution is to isolate by using selective focus -and there by neutralizing the background.

So the next time you visit one of these stores – if you get that strange feeling that there are eyes watching you –they are!

Head Shop Revisited

When I go by myself on a photo walk -I usually have a specific type of image that I am looking for.  You might say I am on a scavenger hunt.

Recently, I decided to revisit an antique mall near by -The Speedway Antique Mall here in Tucson.  The place is quite large and contains a series of mini stalls each over flowing with items that make you feel like your walking though an old black and white movie -except you are in a sort of antique reality.

  

Photographically the problem with antique stores is you can be overwhelmed by the quantity of visual stimulation and this can present a problem.  There are old toys, furniture, glass bottles and assorted posters each seemingly demanding your eye.  Rather than find myself sorting through a group of images of an assortment of unrelated items -I have begun to focus on a singular subject.  

Now when I visit a place, I have a subject in mind and look for images that fit a theme.  And, that is why I label this antique place "the head shop", because my main photographic focus is on the various mannequins and heads that reside here.