A Look Back: Old Stores

 

The near ancient timbered floor creaked in time with the deeper reverberation created from the clomp of each step. That clomping sound seemed to flow outward, but not return, only to be absorbed by the brick and mortar and wooden framing within the walls. Old buildings tend to sound the same, feel the same with their often tired yet not yet broken spirit. They have a feel about them newer buildings will most likely never have. It is a feeling of time and place, of history and story. Their sounds, their feel, their aroma, all provide a manner of time travel where one is instantly removed from the here and now and transported back to earlier days. They were days which held their own hopes and dreams as different as they might have been from today, yet just as real, just as important, maybe dare I say, more so than today.

Wister circa 1915

A few years ago, Kris and I made a stopover visit to my old hometown in Oklahoma. While there, we entered into an old building on the south end of town across the old railroad tracks. The building was an antique shop at the time of our visit. I remembered this old building from my youth. As soon as I walked up the weathered stairs onto the front porch area and entered, I was transported back to my youth growing up in southeastern Oklahoma in the small, Mayberry-like town of Wister. Even then in the mid-1950’s Wister was an old town and all the buildings were made of weathered and faded red brick, on the sides of which were painted the remnants of advertisements for Big Chief writing tablets or Bull Durham tobacco. My grandparents for many years ran a “Dry Goods” store known as “The Dixie Store”, a two story, long squared off building.

Made of brick like all the others it stood alone just on the south side of the railroad tracks. Inside were wood and glass counters containing various sorts of small merchandise from that early 20^th century era. The walls were adorned with lady’s calico dresses, men’s work overalls, boots, hats and other assorted necessities used by the blue-blooded working class of America. And, of course, there was the floor…the wooden floor which more than likely generated the same creaks and moans from foot steps that faded toward the back of the long rectangular structure.

Just down from “The Dixie Store” maybe a couple hundred yards stood the old mercantile store my Aunt Mae and her husband ran. Look closely at the photo on the right. In the distance you'll see a building partially hidden by another brick building. It has an overhang and a white front.

Mae was my grandfather’s sister, and she and her husband ran the quintessential grocery and general merchandise kind of store. I remember well as a young lad running up and down the front isle. The sound of the old wooden floor creaking and rumbling underfoot. I can even remember how certain boards would bend and give when weight was applied and of course, the aroma and ancient feel of the place. That old mercantile building had a look and feel all its own where old timers sat on the front porch in a set of rocking chairs wasting the day away.

“Slow down there boy…” they would say with half a laugh as I ran up the wooden steps to the heavy wood and glass front door. My grandmother would follow behind and they would nod their approval, “Morning Miss Ophie…”  “Morning Jack,” she would reply. Then with a brassy clunk as she pressed down on the door handle, we would go in. The door always seemed to stick and required a small jerk to pull it loose, then in a wide swing outward the old hinges would creak in protest as the door opened. On the day Kris and I visited, I reached for that same door handle. When I heard the brassy clunk and felt the door stick and wobble as I pulled it open, I felt like that 5 year old boy again taken back in time.

The world changed inside that old building. Outside in the summer drifted a torched, red-hot, dusty day with the cicadas screaming in the background. Inside it always felt cooler with the out of balanced overhead fans spinning from the high ceiling, creaking with each wobble. At least they stirred up the air and it felt cooler. It always seemed busy when we went inside. My first appointed mission was always to check behind the front counter where Aunt Mae always kept a small box of candy and bubble gum. I’d help myself at my grandmother’s chagrin. (When Kris and I stepped inside, those same old wobbly fans still stirred the air. My eye instantly drifted toward the counter on the right. I'd swear it was the same one from all those years before and I was tempted to take a peak just inside the back corner to see if there was any candy or bubble gum.)

“You ask before you take something now…” my grandmother would remind me as I opened the bubble gum I had extracted, then I’d pout and Aunt Mae would smile say it was okay…and off I’d go as happy as a three or four-year old boy ought to be. 

Those days were certainly simpler times having been tempered by more difficult days just a few years before. They were still connected by what many might consider outdated today…good manners, politeness, generosity, church on Sunday, a slowness of pace, a connection to family, a purpose in life other than just for self. Life certainly was slower, then, with far fewer distractions and a great deal more self-reliance. Sometimes I feel like the world has forgotten how to be like that. Well, as far as that goes, I suppose, so have I. All it takes is something as mundane as a creaking, worn out old door to shake me out of today’s hectic pace of life.

The Dixie store was long ago torn down, but it still stood when I was a young boy. All that is left now is just a concrete slab, and that may not still be there. The mercantile store Aunt Mae ran as far as I know, the building is still standing, it's been a few years since our return visit. Around 1950 or so, before I was born, my grandparents opened their own dry goods store on the other side of the tracks and did quite well until around 1967 or so. 

The new Dry Goods store - circa 1950

 During the 1960's there were two devastating floods   that all but destroyed the old nature of the town.   After the second one, my grandparents gave it up   and retired. 

 Whenever I enter an old building today and feel the   wooden floor, and breath in its ancient aroma, my   heart is instantly transport back to 1955 where the,   even then, old buildings simply by being there   created a wonderful Americana memory. Come to   think of it, 1955 felt more like 1905 in many ways. I   love old stores and I feel more like my old self after   having visited one.

What Makes Great Light? - Shoot the Angles

A line of thin clouds drifted a few degrees above the western horizon as the sun hovered between their opaque layers. This late afternoon light just before sundown cast a softly, shadowed, golden glow across the corn stubble field spread out in front of me. I hunkered behind a makeshift blind made of camouflaged burlap with my camera peeking over the top edge. Dressed in full camo myself I hoped to blend into the dark green backdrop a cluster of cedar trees provided. 

Across the field almost directly in line with the setting sun a few deer meandered here and there feeding on various shoots and probably spilled corn that still sat in the fields. One of them was a young little buck with what appeared to be a set of spike antlers, but turned out to be a set of six point antlers that protruded almost straight up. The closer he came, the more photos I snapped, none of which I felt were too exciting. Just as he approached the woods to my right, he stopped and the sun slipped below the thin veil of clouds throwing a warm glow across the field and into the woods. The little buck turned toward the woods and lifted his antlered head with an alert posture. The angle of the sun was such that only a few highlights accented across his form and the edge of the woods were bright enough to see clearly. I adjusted my exposure, purposely underexposing the image so just the highlights would become prominent. I snapped a couple of shots just before he again dropped his head and meandered into the woods.

Later that evening as I thumbed through the images from the days shoot, I wasn't impressed with all that many of them. Most were simply ordinary, until I came across this last series. With a closer look, the image stood apart from all the rest as the light created a unique look, a look that was enhanced by the angle and color of the light.

What makes good light when it applies to photography? The answer of course is rather subjective as it depends a great deal on what you attempting to photograph. However, when I dig into the question as it applies to how I approach photography, it becomes apparent that the angle of the light is a key ingredient. If you follow this blog very much at all, you will discover that many of the articles deal with light and how it by far is the most important element in nature or landscape photography. Subject matter is important for sure, but without extraordinary light, any natural subject will look, well...ordinary. 

When I browse through my favorite images, one thing stands out; virtually all of them were made using light coming from an angle. Angled light is what creates shadows and highlights. It also illuminates the subject in ways that direct light cannot. Angled light will often penetrate through the subject generating a luminosity that will often set the subject aglow. This after-glow gives life to the subject, especially things in nature like plants and clouds, and small critters. It brings out detail that would not be seen otherwise. It really does not matter what your subject is whether it be a person, a wild animal, a tree, a cloud, a single leaf, a flower, a drop of water...I could go on and on, angled light is the key to capturing mood and emotion.

 A single flower illuminated with front light may capture a technically good photograph of the flower suitable as an illustration, but will stir little or no emotion from the viewer...and being able to generate emotion is what sets apart ordinary photos, from extraordinary photos.

Even soft diffused light can be considered angled light because the light comes from all angles and thus illuminates the subject along with the background with a natural glow. This can also be used creatively within a wooded environment where only diffused light filters downward, through the canopy of trees to cast a muffled arrangement of light onto the subject.

Angled light is what I look for whenever I am in the field regardless of the conditions. Some days are better than others, sometimes it just does not happen, and other times you hit it just right.

 So, what makes great light? Well, it is light that falls outside the ordinary to enhance the moment, suspending your imagination beyond what is simply visible, to transport your imagination into the sublime where awe is not only inspired, but is potentially elevated into excellence. 

Using Backgrounds to Complement, Enhance, and Support an Image

Any photograph that catches the eye will possess a multitude of combined characteristics to generate an emotional response. Most of us instinctively understand this and recognize the results whenever we see a good photograph. Things like focus, point of view, rule of thirds, subject, composition, color, and one very important element, light, among others, are some of the things a good photographer will look for and apply to his photography. However, it is easy to overlook one part of the equation; Background.

The background in a photograph can make or break the image. How we as photographers use this is as varied as there are numbers of photographers. From my perspective, whenever I frame an image, I subconsciously view the image from the foreground, across the middle, and through to the background. My eye rapidly advances across and around the frame to visualize what is there before I snap the shutter. It all happens in an instant and when it looks right, well the mind just knows it. Backgrounds then, for me, become the most powerful portion of an image next to light and just like bad light, a weak background can ruin a photo. They need to possess at least three qualities: It should Complement the subject, not compete with it, It should Enhance the overall impact of the photo, not detract from it, and it should Support the overall story you are wanting to portray. Let's take a look at each of these qualities starting with Complement.

A background should never compete with the subject. In the photo above, the simple green background complements the single flower. It was created by using a long focal length about 300mm, and a relatively large aperture probably f/5.6, plus the background was far enough away to allow for it to fall well outside the depth of field inherent in the exposure values. There is nothing here to compete with the subject. By compete I mean for it to be so out of place, it confuses or distorts what the subject is suppose to be. Things like powerline's are big ones. I see this all the time where there is a reasonably attractive photo with a series of black powerline's crossing overhead. 

Sometimes things like useless clutter that has no bearing on what the photo is suppose to be about can become a distraction. Many times clutter can be caused by using the wrong lense, or the wrong aperture settings which can cause distant objects to  remain in focus and thus compete with the subject. Many time this can be remedied by a simple change of perspective or angle. It is the photographers duty to recognize those things and choose a background angle that complements the subject. Also beneficial is to understand the use of Depth of Field. Defining depth of field, simply put, is that portion of an image which remains in focus while objects outside of the focal range becomes blurry. Things like what aperture is used, focal length of the lense, and the distance to the background come into play. Generally speaking, the larger the aperture the narrower the depth of field. Factor in focal length, and distance to the background, and distance from the camera...well, there are a good number of factors that affect depth of field, but using it effectively will strengthen how you build backgrounds that complement your subject.

 Complement simply means to separate and lift the subject away from distracting elements. Using a long lense, 200, 300, 500mm, and a large aperture , f/3.5, f/4.0, f/5.6, to blur out the background is one common technique to accomplish this. The use of soft, complementary colors is another technique. The background should be there just enough to know there is something there to identify a location or a moment or event. The angle and color or temperature of the light are powerful tools to apply as well. Also, a dark or light background will often serve to isolate the subject depending on the setup.

Not So Good

A background should also be able to Enhance the subject. To enhance means to make the subject stronger than it might be otherwise if it was against a mediocre background in so-so light. The image of this Cormorant is a good example of a not so good background in harsh light. There is not much appeal to this image...it's a snapshot taken in bad light with an uninteresting background taken from a bad angle. The image below of Sandhill Cranes is a much better example of how background and light work together to generate a wildlife image with much greater appeal. Wildlife photography is a entirely different animal because environment is as important as the subject. Capturing both effectively can be a challenge.

That leads into how Backgrounds should Support the subject. It matters not what the subject is. The background has to support the subject. For wildlife, think environment, for still life think in terms of effective use of lights and darks and color and how the background should impact of the image. For nature or landscape, Background is critical. Take a look at the Damselfly image below. Notice how the use of color and a soft background supports, enhances, and complements the subject.

There is just enough detail in the background to identify it as lush creekside foliage without it becoming a distraction. Also the first black and white image at the top effectively uses soft detail. Notice how the background sort of blends away into the fog leaving the subject standing apart from it.

Sometimes, the background actually becomes the subject. This can be tricky, but all the elements still apply. The image below of the reflections across this backwater slew is an example of how the background actually is the subject, yet it complements the subject story by the flavor of the moment. It enhances the subject with effective use of light and shadow, and it supports the essence of the story by blending all of the elements into a single story, a single moment of light.

Effectively using backgrounds will help to generate strong, story-telling, images. By applying a few simple techniques and training your eye to visualize how the background will complement, enhance, and/or support your image, what you create begins to express images with greater impact displaying more emotions and feelings as opposed to simple snapshot qualities. Recognizing those potential moments of light comes with experience. Applying that knowledge comes with practise both visual and mechanical.