In my opinion, almost any subject I can find is material for creative photographs.
So when my friend Jo noticed an advertisement for the Van Gogh exhibition being presented in Vancouver and suggested we go, I thought what the heck. I have always liked Van Gogh’s work and the unusual and extravagant exhibition was only a short drive away and we were all packed up to leave anyway. It would make the trip home a couple of hours later, but we both thought it would be fun to see and photograph.
The exhibition was called, “Immersive Van Gogh exhibition in Vancouver.”
What exactly did that mean? Well, the ad said, “During a visit to ‘Imagine Van Gogh’ guests will wander through a series of larger-than-life projections of the artist’s most famed masterpieces, painted between 1888 and 1890. The experience, created by French artistic directors Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron and large projections that are accompanied by immersive music that helps create an ‘emotional depth to each image,’ so visitors can ‘feel the creative energy of the artist.’”
“Original canvasses are expanded and fragmented, then projected into unusual shapes to emphasize Van Gogh’s work.”
Off we went to the Vancouver Convention Centre with our cameras ready. Like all other indoor spaces, people met us at the entrance, reminding us to keep our masks on and observe social distancing.
Soon as I went in I thought, ‘what a great place to take photographs in.’ Most people - actually everyone with the exception of me and Jo, were in that arms extended position that has become the typical approach for one to do cell phone photography.
It was a very interesting place to make pictures.
I turned my camera’s ISO to 2000 and varied my aperture, depending on the lighting, and how I wanted to use the lighting. Some people were using their tiny flashes. I doubt they were actually lighting the images, but even if they could, the illumination from a flash would have ruined the colourful paintings.
It was fun including the silhouettes of people in the foreground and changing the camera’s settings to go with the mood of the projected Van Gogh paintings. I tried to be creative with the perspective I chose and I chose my exposure to make the colours as vibrant as I could.
As I wrote, in my opinion, almost any subject I can find is material for creative photographs. The exhibition was great to attend and there were many photo opportunities inside and out that added to the event. The weekend had coastal street photography, a fun-packed camera show and the unique Van Gogh exhibition.
What a perfect photo adventure we had.
Stay safe and be creative. These are my thoughts for this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net.
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