Dentist Inspiration

I went to my dentist appointment in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday and was pleasantly surprised that they offered valet parking all day long. So I headed there early and just walked around snapping some pictures of the city before my appointment. This is what my dentist indirectly inspired.

Layer cake Fine prints available

10:00am is not the best time for interesting light but it doesn't mean you can't get any shots. I knew that the colors would come out dull and that I'd probably convert most of the shots to black and white. This allowed me to focus more on basic shapes just like that layered cake above. This structure is the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power building. It is known for its beautifully lit fountains and 1,250,000 gallons of water held in the reflecting pool that surrounds the DWP headquarters, which I think is somewhat ironic.

Building reflections Fine prints available

The nice thing about downtown LA is that you can just look in any direction and find some inspiration. It's best to have time on your hands of course. I felt rushed as I wanted to get all the way to the DWP building and back before my dentist torture. Just slow down a little and you can always find details, like this building checking itself out in the mirror.

Lonely bench in the street Fine prints available

Some subjects are worth keeping in colors. The contrast between the bright pink bench and the gray ground was interesting. I had to hold the camera way up over my head and guesstimate the framing to compose this one. I wanted the bench in the corner and to eliminate any distraction from the background such as stairs with people walking around. Those benches are located in Grand Park.

Lonely bench in the park Fine prints available

The same idea was applied to this bench in the park a little futher down.

Stairway to not much Fine prints available

As you walk down Hill St, you come accross some apartment structures. With this shot, the idea was to get an angle that would show repetitive patterns and hide distracting details. This picture contrasts the complexity of the building facade with the simplicity of the parking stairway.

Construction umbilical cord Fine prints available

Interestingly enough, I was really hoping to get a color shot out of this picture of the worker. The surface he is walking on was dark brown/orange, he was dressed in super bright neon yellow and orange and the hose going around was bright blue. I framed the shot to try to get as much brown surface as possible but cutting everything else out since it was distracting. It turns out the colors weren't quite what I expected them to be. I converted the picture to black and white where Lightroom offers good control over the influence of colors. I darkened everything but the blue pipe and the worker. This was shot right next to the Disney Concert Hall.

All the pictures were taken in Auto mode (Program mode) on my Fuji X100S. The fixed lens of the camera boosted creativity and simplified the picture taking process. I didn't have to fiddle around changing lenses, carry a huge and heavy DSLR or figure out what all the buttons do. Heck, on a simple blog post like this, most of those pictures would have looked very similar whether you used the latest Canon/Nikon or your iPhone.

Bottom line is don't worry too much about having the latest lens, just go out and shoot. Oh and get your teeth checked every 6 months!

On a side not, have you ever tried conversing with a dentist... while the dentist and their assistant shove all sorts of torture instruments in your mouth? Well technically, I wasn't trying to converse but the dentist was. Try responding with your mouth wide open, a drill on a tooth and a vacuum cleaner sucking any moisture in there. Now don't complain about your hairdresser wanting to exchange a few words!