After looking at the three different photo books, I realized that a central theme is really important. From each photographer’s book, each photo tells a story that is a part of the overall theme of the photo book. Composition is key in telling stories related to the theme, especially in Vincent Laforet’s “Air” photo book. “Air’s” theme is about human psychology, yet Laforet decided to take pictures of cities and other landmarks from elevated heights. While the subject of each photo did not necessarily have anything to do with psychology, the way Laforet took the shots up in the air and the composition of the shots made each photo seem as if the landmarks were part of the human body, such as the photos of Manhattan which looked like arteries and veins inside the human body.
Originally, my idea for my book was to take shots of street photography in the town that I grew up in and other places that I often frequented during my childhood. I was hoping to capture the places that shaped me as who I am today; this would be my theme. I realized that I need to really focus on the composition of my photos to really convey this theme, but I am still unsure how to do this. I was hoping to capture people within my street photography, but lately, because of the pandemic, not many people are out in the streets of my town, or any of the places that I frequent. I think having people within my shots would be important to the theme because people entering certain places would have conveyed certain levels of popularity of the places that I go to. However, because not many people are going out, I don’t know how I can convey my theme through my shots. I may have to think of a completely different idea, or try something different after I take some shots.
You can still convey the feel of a place even if it is empty – perhaps at dawn or early evening with a long shutter speed. Use a buddy system so you have a partner with you when you are shooting.