Angles and Symmetry

With vaccinations on the rise, infections falling and spring upon us, something that I suspect many of us are trying to do is get back into things, find a flow, a kickstart for that which has been dormant for far too long.  I feel the same. 

For most the spring, I settled for the familiar as I waited for the chance to seek new subjects via travel or for the rare special moment passing through places I knew well.  It is well founded to fear the proverbial “rut” or lack of motivation. 

When I feel this way, I find it constructive to get back out into the ordinary and focus some basic exercises of composition.  The past few times I have been out, I have focused on symmetry and angles.  Looking for lines from all corners that lead the eye to the center of the image, lines that divide the image into halves.  Spend some time with the details in camera – are the lines at exactly the angle you want them to be?  Are there patterns within the image crossing in a way that is pleasing? 

Details.  Spend enough time with them, you might make an image on a mundane day that you might well be pleased to show people.