I feel like I spend a decent amount of time on this blog talking about ideas on how to be creative, whether it be through talking about what caught my eye, or how I approach situations in order to come away with something I like. Well, this week’s photo is maybe the exact opposite of that. 🙂 Sometimes you show up to a popular spot, and the obvious, and perhaps only shot, is the famous one. That shot that’s been done a million times. And you know what, sometimes that’s okay, because at the end of the day it’s your version of the classic shot, and if you like it, which in this case I do, then go for it!
My eye is typically drawn to the grandiose scenes. The large scenes, the scenes that tell a big story. For this image though, what drew me to the spot was the singularity of it all. Like a single tree standing in a field, this little boathouse is just sort of is what it is. I really like the strong leading lines of the dock leading out to the house, and then just the dead front-on view of the house itself. It’s fun, in my opinion, for black and white, again because of the singularity of the scene. I also enjoy the variety of grays, and the contrast between the textures of the slicked out water (this was shot in late evening) and the grain in the wooden dock.
So what the heck is this? It’s known as Blue Boathouse, but it’s official name is the Crawley Edge Boatshed; Crawley being the particular neighborhood that its sits on the edge of… go figure. It was evidently built back in the 30s and has changed hands a number of times. It was fixed back up in the early 2000s, and well, that’s it! It’s a cute little boathouse that, sort of like the Kardashians, is famous simply for being famous. When my buddy Nico and I showed up, we had to wait our turn as another photographer was there doing a session, and then as I was shooting, another few people stopped by to snap a photo as well!
–Dan Thompson