A huge part of your job as a photographer is to make people pause, and linger over a photograph. Sometimes it could be a stunningly lit portrait, or maybe an epic landscape. But, if you’re like me, more than likely you don’t live in an area that will provide you with daily majestic shots, and you likely don’t have a full studio set up. So, you need to find inspiration around you, in the day-to-day grind, which is not always obvious.
Albrect Dürer, the masterful Reformation period painter and engraver said, “Nature holds the beautiful, for the artist who has the insight to extract it. Thus, beauty lies even in humble, perhaps ugly things, and the ideal, which bypasses or improves on nature, may not be truly beautiful in the end.” His studies, such as The Great Piece of Turf, are great examples of this concept.
Even if you live in a concrete jungle, or the strip-mall suburbs, there is some sort of nature around you. And in nature lies the capability and potential for endless creativity. Nature may be trees, flowers and plants to you, but it’s also in the weeds, the decay, or in the ugly, neglected bits along the side of the road.
The other part to this truth of beauty in ugly is this – we are drawn to imperfection and fascinated by it, it’s human nature. Think about it – the last photo that captured your attention, was it a Photoshopped model with flawless skin in a magazine ad, or was it a side-lit portrait of an older man with a grizzled beard, and experience etched into his face? The more interesting things in life are usually the imperfect ones. We connect more to reality, not ideal perfection. So this search for interesting, compelling images in ugly, may turn you towards the neglected and forlorn places, where decay and rust run rampant.
In your search for beauty in ugliness, try to switch your mindset and look past the obvious subject matter.
A great way to start is to take a walk around where you live, or where you work. All the photos in this post were taken either on a 5-minute walk around the neighborhood, or a 15-minute walk around the campus where I teach. The goal is to stretch your mind on what could be an interesting photo. You could easily do this with your smartphone, as a way to actively work on photography at any time.
If you’re having difficulty getting started, think about these tactics:
Look down and look closely
Much of the decay and imperfection is at your feet, or at the edges of things. Peeling paint, rusting hinges, grass and leaves – all can make compelling images, equal or even more so than the roses or pretty blooms. You need to slow down, and look at the things you normally pass by quickly.
Shoot tight
Are you fortunate enough to have a macro lens? Use it. No such luck? Experiment with your lenses and find the minimal focal distance that works for you. Even without macro or close focus, think about shooting a quality image (ISO, resolution, etc.) that you can crop in on later. And if you’re doing this as a creative exercise, remember that your smartphone has an incredible macro on it–it’ll focus inches away from your subject. Ugly often works best as a subject in small details rather than big, wide shots.
Go for contrast
You’re not just looking for tonal contrast, but any contrast is a magical photo trick. Contrasting textures? Check. Contrasting colors? Check.
Texture, texture, texture. It’s really your best friend in the search for interesting shots in not-so-pretty settings.
Think deeper
Don’t underestimate the power of symbolism. You intuitively know that there are inherent themes of loneliness, isolation, or neglect in a powerful stark image of something ugly. There is a huge fascination in current society with photographing abandoned spaces, and areas that have been forgotten. These images resonate within people. Alternately, there is a hope that occurs when you see a small bloom emerging from a pile of rubble. Remember the power of a simple visual.
Remember the ultimate subject in photography – light.
Ordinary objects can be transformed through your use of light. When you find an object to shoot, circle around it and look to see if you have shafts of light streaming in, or if there’s misty diffused light to add a mood. Just remember that if you’re shooting at noon with a harsh direct sun, it’s a good time to head for the shaded areas.
In the end, you’ll find that by concentrating on finding interesting images in the weeds and gutters, it will actually help you in your other photography projects as well. By only documenting the ideal, perfect moments in life, you miss out on the whole story. Next time you’re shooting a wedding, or a child’s birthday party, you’ll be better prepared to capture the unplanned, imperfect moments. Those shots will be the ones that get talked about, and laughed over, for years to come.