I plan on continuing this photo project for a full year... which is exreemly intimidating. I started this project because I think it will force me to learn a bunch of things along the way. Technical things like becoming more comfortable with the camera controls, practicing my composition, developing a shooting routine, defining a style, learning to edit my shots. However, there are a few other things I'm learning in the process that I didn't really expect.
One of those lessons is learning to see things for the first time again. When looking for a shot, you need to become hyper aware of your environment. You need to seek out details, and patterns and pay attention to the quality of light. All too often I walk around in a haze... distracted by life, work and lost in my cell phone. This project has forced me to turn off all those distractions for a little while each day, and pay more attention to the world around me. I think its a nice side-effect!
So today, it's about details. There are 3 storefronts near my house that have tiled numbers on the floor outside the entrence. Every other store has a concrete pad. These tiles caught my eye and I realized they are special. I really appreciated that someone took the time to lay these tiles and It was clear there was a craftsman at work. Over time these tiles have cracked and faded a bit, but they all have great character. I know I've walked by these tiled doorways hundreds of times, but never stopped to take a closer look, until today.
The designer in me appreciates the use of typography here.
This is a side by side. On the bottom is what you will typically see at the store entrance. It's newer, but it's so boring... it's embarrassing really! :) The top one is older and beat up, but it's one of a kind!
Get in really close and see even more coolness. See how they fit all these tiles together to make the type look like it does? Ahh, the details keep coming!