Shutter Sisters

center stage

By

  

There’s a small corner of my house that acts as studio and stage for many of my photographic vingnettes. Sliding glass doors to the right give me my main light source. A smaller window on the left offers a burst of fill light, or rim light (pun intended for my mug collection). Dark brown dining room table anchors my frame. A lovely pale blue wall, a china cabinet and cream colored drapes all vie for the backdrop (which I use is dictated by the subject at hand). I use this little area at home almost every day, for morning coffee, as a desk, for family dinner and of course, my photography.

My most recent muse is a loaner-mug. I actually borrowed this sweet tea mug (a la Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf) from a friend so I could capture it in “the studio”. It deserved a moment in the limelight. 

After capturing it in a number of different ways, it was this shot that felt just right. It’s not often that I would choose a perfect centering of my subject. Centered is usually the last compositional technique I resort too. But, in this case, the light that illuminated the mug, the dark, dramatic background, the soft lines accentuated by a shallow depth of field all work together to bring the magic right to center stage.

Sometimes the only way to be is front and center.

Have you framed a shot lately that communicated the same thing? Something that left you no better choice than to reveal it as is, no apologies, smack dab in the middle of your shot? We’d love to see your center stage shots.

 

Comments

  19. I think sometimes front & center is the only way to to.

    My photography professor was adamant about the Rule of Thirds. I once asked him when (if ever) it was okay to put your subject directly in the center. His answer was something along the lines of "When you're a professional photographer and don't care about the 'rules.'" ….I've tried to prove him wrong. I should show him this post and all these comments where front & center works so perfectly!

    Anyway, here's one of mine:

    http://cupoficedesign.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunrise.html

    -Denise

  21. i personally like centering and do use it often I know its one of the rules that you aren't suppose to do but I like to break rules. to me by centeringit it brings it more to the attention and if you have a single item that is what is suppose to be the focal point. recently I did this with my husbands new instrurment a udu. i shot it 30 different ways and finally ended up with this:
    http://stampmousephoto.blogspot.com/2011/02/do-you-udu.html

  27. simply stated + simply beautiful image! centering is what makes this so perfect. great reminder to not be afraid to go there once in a while… thanks!

  28. Although my boyfriend was kind enough to sacrifice his bonus room so that I could have a photography studio, most of my shots are taken in the kitchen. I love the light in there. The light in my studio is great too; I really need to start using it.

    My shots usually fill up the frame; I love that and just giggle when I get advice NOT to do this, but it's my THANG! 🙂 Even if I center the shot, I usually crop down to fill up the space. Like with this one…

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimberlygauthier/5444416779/

    But can you blame me? Just look at those eyes. Go ahead, click the link again and check those eyes out!

    And this one, because he's my prince and deserves to be center stage; just ask him: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kimberlygauthier/5444426265/in/photostream/