Shutter to Think: Bringing it all together

Dylan Hughes of Rock Falls does some skateboarding tricks Saturday, June 11, 2022 in downtown Dixon for Rosbrook Studio’s annual street fair. Skrapparks Skateboards hosted the skating demonstration.
Dylan Hughes of Rock Falls does some skateboarding tricks Saturday, June 11, 2022 in downtown Dixon for Rosbrook Studio’s annual street fair. Skrapparks Skateboards hosted the skating demonstration.

A lot is going right in this image, and that keeps me continuing to look and explore it further.

This was taken at Dixon’s Rosbrook street fair on June 11 during a skateboarding demonstration.

First, the skater’s balance is really good (which is exactly what one would want).

Second, there’s a lot of faces in this photo, which also is good.

The third thing was something I learned in a painting class, which is to avoid “localized color.”

By that, I mean, one should work to integrate shades and hues throughout the piece to bring the entire image together. That keeps the viewer’s eye from locking on to just one section.

The sky, the skateboarder’s shirt and the light posts’ banners bring together the blues. The stop sign, the orange fencing, the church and the roof to the right all share similar hues. And, at last, the subject’s body positioning is acrobatic and tense and frozen in midair.

Not the best photo, not even my favorite picture, but one that deserved to be appreciated for what it is.

– Alex T. Paschal, follow me on Instagram @svmphotogs or message me at apaschal@shawmedia.com.

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Alex Paschal

Alex T. Paschal

Photojournalist/columnist for Sauk Valley Media