photography .

In a limited world, I think that photography is the only thing that is absolutely and truly limitless. There will never be a lack of subject matter, there will never be the same exact shot, there will never be the same opportunity for a photo that you have right this second. In the same way that no two snowflakes are the same, no single photo will ever be exactly the same.

I am no expert at Photoshop and probably never will be. It's on my list of things to really work to get better at, because with the architectural world moving ever steadily towards sole photorealistic renderings it is imperative that I learn how to be able to digitally replicate at least some of the things seen in real life in a photorealistic rendering. Believe me it's not easy, and some of my friends are absolute masters at it... One of the problems is that I don't really enjoy the rendering process. It is a tedious, time-consuming process where little normally unnoticeable  tweaks make the difference between pure shit and pure gold. BUT. And that's a big but, photography is completely different.


I think what I need to do is start making photography be the main driver behind my renderings. I can use photography as a starting point -- use my own photos to use as samples and maybe even create my own seamless textures (though that would be quite hard I think...). As I said earlier, there are no limits, and the thing that really made me see that was this blog called Open Eye Photography. They feature photography from all different kinds of people and while I'm not entirely sure of the reasons behind choosing certain works of art and others, everything they put up their is visually and mentally stimulating.

The latest post features photos in pure black and white. Empty dark space and pure stark whites, with very little gray involved. I really like this style, because it almost reminds me of the way pen & ink drawings are, or the way that charcoal comes out on the page. The opposites just clash with each other in the same way that Othello pieces fight for ground on the board.

Admittedly a lot of photography is just having an eye for composition when you see them. That, and having your camera at the ready at all times... I don't have a super expensive DSLR or multiple lenses or anything like that -- I just have the digital camera my parents bought me a few years ago. But the thing is, I don't feel like I need anything more. I have the ability to capture that moment, in that place, at that time -- and it can be completely and totally perfect with just one click of a button.

[some photos I took during my time abroad; unedited]

der Kölner Dom, Köln, Deutschland

sunset over a church, Köln, Deutschland

morning at the kindergarten school, Oslo, Norway 

looking over the city of Oslo from the Holmenkollen Mountain, Oslo, Norway