By Scott Shephard
A print of this sculpture (Play Days by Harriet Frishmuth) has hung in our house for over a decade. The photo was taken in 2002 at the Como Park Conservatory in Saint Paul. Deb likes the picture and I guess I do, too, though there is much that is wrong with it.
What's wrong? First, it is a picture of a work of art. Some would argue that the photo is a mere document. I would rather that my photos be a little bit more than that. Second, the highlights on the garden nymph's back and shoulders are completely overexposed. Digital photographers call areas like this "blown highlights" and generally don't like them because there is no detail there and because they draw the eye. Finally, I think the framing of the photo is pretty bad. I wish had put more space to the right of the subject and less to the left. A subject should be looking into the frame, not out of it.
So what do I like? I like the soft colors of the statue and of the out of focus flowers in the background. And I like the Como Park Conservatory, a fact that has nothing to do with the photo. Finally, I like that Deb likes the photo. That, alone, is enough for me.
Canon 1D 1/500s f/4.0 ISO250 135mm (35mm eq:175.5mm)
