On account of an inadvertent duplicate assignment, we were given free reign with an independent study. With this assignment I shot completely independent of a solid subject, most likely because shooting weeks of assignments on end can be a bit confining.
For 37 weeks prior to this assignment, there was a box that my shots had to fit into, at least loosely. I can't think of a box into which this shot would fit, but I find myself drawn to its disparate elements. Each one seems to come from a place independent from the rest, but as a whole it works.
I like the faded colors, the geometric shapes of the building, the Tetris shaped holes in the siding, the trailer with the bright green stripe that lines up with the car and leaves a gap for the tree to grow through. The car is the strongest element in the frame with its curves and color, and the tree in the foreground adds some life and depth to an otherwise flat scene.
I was happy with the chance to shoot unencumbered, and it was a perfectly timed break from the rigidity of the assignments.
On Taking Assignments
I frequently listen to the On Taking Pictures (OTP) podcast, which I highly recommend to anyone looking for good conversation about creativity, especially as it related to photography. In January 2014 the hosts, Bill Wadman and Jeffery Saddoris, began a new segment of weekly assignments that they gave to listeners. Results of the assignments are posted on the OTP Google Plus group. I decided that I would commit myself to the assignments for a year without interruption, and that I would complete each one before the next assignment was announced on the show each Tuesday morning. My 'On Taking Assignments' blog posts are the culmination of my year-long focus on these assignments.