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Three of our contributing photographers chose their favorite spots to shoot and then snapped away.
Jeffry Konczal
Ohio Stadium
DAN TRITTSCHUH
Ohio Stadium is a fantastic place to photograph on game days, and as a photojournalist I have witnessed classic games and recorded incredible sights within this grand structure.
Visiting the stadium on days when it is virtually empty brings out an appreciation for the structure itself. You can roam freely and better focus on the lines, the depths and the skeletal magnitude of the place.
Technically, this photo essay is not that complex. I paid attention, of course, to the basics of shutter and aperture settings: large aperture to blur the background, small aperture to retain a greater depth of field. Meter the camera settings for proper exposure to the sky and the highlights because once they’re blown out, they’re gone. Darker areas in a photograph can be brought up to proper exposure in a darkroom or Photoshop.
In my view, Ohio Stadium is a remarkable park, and it is a place that I thoroughly enjoy visiting—with or without a camera, but usually with.
Franklin Park Conservatory
TIM JOHNSON
What more could a photographer want than lush colors, exotic shapes and a constantly changing subject illuminated by light streaming through tall windows?
Without fail, I have always lost myself on assignments at Franklin Park Conservatory. The juxtaposition of the flowers, leaves and artwork leads to endless arrays of compositions to explore photographically and causes me to be late to subsequent assignments.
The botanical gardens offer more than 400 species of plants from various global ecosystems that grow and bloom throughout the conservatory nestled in Franklin Park. Lavish Chihuly glass sculptures mingle with the succulent plants and drifting, brightly hued butterflies.
Plan on taking a telephoto and macro lens on photo trips to the conservatory. The telephoto lens will blur the background to pop out your subject. And the macro lens will allow you to explore all the small, hidden floral gems. Just take care not to touch or damage plants when photographing close up. A tripod can be useful for long exposures.
Flashes can be used to accentuate subjects, but I enjoy working with the whims of natural light coming through the multitude of windows to compose images.
The Ohio State Fair
JEFFRY KONCZAL
I chose to photograph the state fair because I have a photographic attraction to large crowds and the juxtaposition of having people from different geographic, economic and lifestyle backgrounds all together. You usually can find some pretty interesting folks in these kinds of places. I spent two days walking around looking for someone or something to catch my eye.
My composition of these photographs is close and tight. I am trying to focus on the individual and want him or her to fill the frame of the photo; this required me to work one and half to three feet from each person. This close proximity sometimes causes people to shy away from the camera a bit, but most are receptive to my approach.
Along with working close, I use the flash in the photographs to focus the viewer’s attention on the people I am photographing. What I hope the viewer gets in these photographs is to feel a proximity to the people and get a glimpse of their personality.
