Two Dozen

I chose to do the "Two Dozen" project at my favorite spot at Shenandoah University. I love going and sitting at Wilkins Lake and just watching people walk by. First, it is a really pretty place to just go and sit. In my opinion it is one of the prettier places on campus. I especially love to go at night when the moon and stars are out because it is a little escape from reality for me. There is something peaceful about being at a lake with children running around and people just enjoying one another's company and being outdoors. In today's society and age it is rare that people go outside and step away from electronics so it is nice to see families on walks and having fun together. Second, I wanted to try and capture strangers faces. My last picture project I photographed pictures of my friends and their cute little pups. This time I wanted it to be less personal and more about the pictures. I thought going to sit in my favorite spot at SU would be perfect for this project because its pretty scenery and there are a ton of strangers!

I decided to do this project on Sunday because the park is usually busy on Sundays. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and rainy all day so the scenery around the lake was not as visually esthetic as I hoped it would have been. I sat at my favorite bench and pretended to study the entire time I was creepily taking pictures of strangers. A lot of people made eye contact with me, smiled, and waved--so it was quite uncomfortable taking pictures of them. I think there are a lot of things that could have gone better with this project. First, I wish I had a better camera. I think if I would have had a nice Nikon camera with a good zoom on it my pictures would have turned out better. I did have to use the zoom on some of the pictures which I think takes away from the quality of the picture. Second, I think that if I was sitting at a different angle I would have been able to get a more frontward shot of their faces than their side angle. Third, I think if I would have gone to a place where people were not moving as much it would have been easier to get the pictures. Everyone I was photographing was either walking or on the move and that is pretty hard to capture and have the photo be 100% focused and not blurry.

Overall, I had a couple set backs then what I was envisioning--but I think some of the pictures I captured tell an interesting story. It took me around two and a half hours to just get around 30 useable photos. I am not the best photographer by any means. I tried to use the rule of thirds as best as I could for this exercise. I felt like the biggest creep in the world because I took pictures of strangers without consent. Is that illegal? I'm not quite sure, but it was really hard to look like you are texting while actually taking a picture of a stranger. I hope you enjoy my project Two Dozens Pictures "The People of Winchester: Wilkins Lake."