To Worship the Camera

Photo by Dasha, 17, Russia

To some photographers a camera is an important identity symbol. They can wear it on a T-shirt, a pendant or a keychain. It’s a way of signalling ‘I’m of the photography tribe and I worship the Camera God/Goddess 😉”

If you are one of them you might get extra enjoyment from seeing this image where the camera might appear the main character, but only at the first sight!

Although our great friend, a camera is not the main tool in photography. Your eye (and your mind’s eye) is!

Learner’s tip📸

Notice how Dasha moves our attention from the lens (the eye of the camera!) to the lemons and back. She made her photo about the actual process of looking.

How did she achieve that?

Check out her clever use of composition and colour: as the camera is sitting neatly on a diagonal it’s the first thing our gaze goes to. The yellow of lemons is so bright and striking that our eyes can’t help but go to them next, and then back to the camera. ⠀⠀

Another clever touch: see the curtain-like bits at the top corners? It’s probably hands that appear red. They frame and close the image down bringing our attention to the camera and the lemons even more.

This spontaneous artistic image has a timeless feel about it too. You can’t tell from here what the make and model of the camera is but with its vintage vibe and no modern detail in the clothing this photo could have been taken pretty much any place any time - from Sicily in the 60s to today’s Moscow.⠀⠀