A Back and a Bench.
I have a small confession to make… Photographing people from behind when they are sitting on benches is something I do quite often! Looking through my camera roll and pausing for a moment to reflect and recall how many times I’ve done it before, I had to laugh at myself for being a repeat offender. As you probably know, there is a certain amount of voyeurism in photography and photographers…
But if the subject(s) never knew I snapped the shutter behind them, their faces out of view and their identities undisclosed and invisible, have I really offended them? Well, regardless of your answer to that question, here’s why I like shooting backs and benches from behind:
- They make an interesting composition,
- A faceless person can communicate feelings via body language of their back, neck, and head only,
- There is often a contemplative, pensive mood,
- Sometimes light renders the bench sitter(s) in silhouette to enhance the drama and mood,
- Or, as I often do when I observe people in public, I wonder, what are they thinking and feeling?
A few times when I photographed one or more backs on a bench from behind, when the mood and composition was compelling enough, I politely interrupted the bench sitter(s) to show them the photograph. Most of the time, they asked for a copy with a smile on their face…
Edits & Variations:
Here’s a back and a bench I posted a few days ago with LOVE:
My blog “header” image is a back-shot with a wall instead of a bench:
And, from a January post, here’s a set of back-views of a bench with birds instead of people, which has plenty of monochromatic moodiness:
You get the idea — backs and benches — it’s a thing!
Camera: iPhone 13 Pro Max
Editing: Hipstamatic app
Photographer: Russ Murray aka “remages”
Location: Cove Island Park, Stamford, CT
See you tomorrow…
russ murray 