Weekly photo challenge – Converge

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When I went looking this morning for a contribution to this Daily Post challenge, I looked with this quote from Ben in mind:

“What I like about geometrically-rich photos, though, is that they bring together distinct forms into one visual surface. Along the way, they also force the concrete and the abstract to converge: objects and landscapes are still themselves, yet already a little more (and a little less) than what I’d initially seen in them.”

This photo was taken from the upper deck of a tourist bus.  The plan, hastily prepared, was to take a photo directly to the side of the bus whenever it stopped.  No framing.  No thinking.  Just turn, focus, click; the contents of each shot dictated by the location of the bus when the brakes were fully engaged.

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The Daily Press challenge has encouraged me to look with a fresh eye.  I now see in this shot the converging lines directing our attention to the patrons in the cafe, who are themselves gathering, converging, in one place.

Previously, I had seen it only in terms of planes – the solid white support poles occupying the foreground and the glass wall in the background.

This meaningful flattening of perspective was unexpected.  The last time I put some thought into a photo about converging lines, the aim was instead to install perspective into what is essentially a two-dimensional object, a bit of flat paper.

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When responding to a challenge …  sometimes, our intention is to restore the status quo; sometimes, to change the status quo.  And sometimes, if we’ve a mind to, ideas converge in a way that opens up surprisingly wonderful opportunities we would never have otherwise dreamed possible.

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Related post

♦  The rest of the Upper Deck photos.