I ride my bike every day hunting for photos for my 365 project. The idea is to get a photo every day for a year and create a body of work that will represent my year and hopefully be compelling enough to put together in a book. The process is a practice, as well as a creative endeavor – challenging, rewarding and a lesson in finding different ways of focusing on details and looking at the world. How to uncover new things in old places. How to engage with new environments. How to find the magical in the mundane. The images are varied, inconsistent and illuminating. The exercise keeps me engaged, forces me to be more mindful and enhances my appreciation of the nature of things. On some days it’s a struggle to find something worthy of being included in the project and on other days it’s virtually impossible to make a choice. Interestingly, the photos that are below par are as important to me as the jewels in the collection.
I usually ride my bicycle in the morning but on the day in question, I set out at end of day and when I arrived in Venice Beach, golden hour was in full swing. The light was fantastical and bouncing around with strong intent. I could feel the magic in the air. I positioned myself by one of favorite backdrops on the Boardwalk and waited for something to happen. I noticed that the shadow of me and my bike would appear in the frame and decided I liked the look of that. I shot a couple of dozen images and then I heard a skateboard approaching. I didn’t even have time to see the guy because he was right in front of me and was out of frame in an instant. Instinct kicked in, and I hit the button. I knew unequivocally that I had frozen time and captured the decisive moment. Boom!
What do you think are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!
For me, what’s most interesting is that the shadow of the skateboarder is the subject of the photo. There’s such a sense of movement in that projection on the wall. And then there’s the voyeuristic intent of my own shadow looking on and instigating the capture.
If you would be able to make this photo once again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?
I would want to lose the runner behind the skateboarder’s right arm.
Alon Goldsmith shared this photograph in the FRAMES Facebook Group.
Photographer
Alon Goldsmith, Los Angeles, USA
Equipment and settings
iPhone 12 Pro Max
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