The Wide Shot

A/k/a the long shot, a/k/a the establishing shot.

I’m going to take a guess and say that every film has a least one, and probably many, many more.  At some point, the viewer’s brain needs to know where the action takes place.  “Inside a room" doesn’t cut it for very long.  A room inside what, and where is that “what” located?  Viewers' brains are very demanding.

But in fashion photograpy?   Not so much.   The wide shot seems relegated to more “arty” editorials or campaigns.   Maybe because, with the model so far away, they don’t show the texture of the fabric, or simply show too little of the clothing and too much other stuff.

But while an intimate view of the warp and the weft is important, it doesn’t automatically impart an intimate feeling for the clothes.   The larger story of a picture or editorial does most of that.  And a larger picture is the whole reason why editors and art directors seek out interesting, emotional locations, isn’t it?

The wide shot has the possibility of bringing in all those other emotional factors.  It also gives the model and the clothes some space to breathe, to put them more solidly and naturally in the scene, as if a photographer wasn’t even there.  Not in a voyeuristic way (although that’s possible, too), but in a more neutral way.   Less intimate, more epic.  And if nothing else, a wide shot creates an opportunity to include more design elements, for a more sophisticated and, if it works, more interesting visual experience.  

And creating a more interesting picture might be the key reason to show more of a location at the expense of seeing less of the clothes close up.  Because…if it’s more interesting, people will spend more time looking at it.  The eye will dance around the image for a moment longer, delighting in the overall design—a delight that hopefully gets associated with the brand.

Where To Start?

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The thing about art and creativity is, there’s no checklist to follow for generating original, inspiring ideas.  Bits and pieces come at you from every conceivable place and angle, no two ever the same (is it a little too much to say, like snowflakes?? Probably.)

When it comes times to actually shoot a project, sure, I know I have to come up with a plan and try really hard to follow it.  But outside of that, I try to stay as open as possible, take notes, clip to Everynote, take pictures, do screen captures, make mental notes, and anything else that works.

Which brings me to this shoe:

 

Sitting there on it’s own, it looks like a piece of art.  And I’ve found myself thinking about how I could design a complete styling for a photoshoot around it.  While that might never happen (or it might), I know at least I’ll use some of the thoughts generated on other, future projects. 

I didn’t set out to find a shoe to help me generate ideas--that would be crazy!  It just happened.  But I’ll take it.   It’s a start, and there's nothing crazy about that.