Relatively Small People

People are so important to the "life" of an image.
Even when a person plays a relatively small part in the overall scene our eye is drawn there first.

This time exposure was done at the Cathedral in Chartres, France.  Every Friday afternoon the chairs and pews are moved aside to reveal the labyrinth pattern on the stone floor.  People of  many faiths and denominations come from around the world to walk this ancient pilgrim path in quiet meditation and prayer, many barefoot on the cold stone for a tactile sense of where they are.  This engages the memory of the place in a unique and lasting way.  This link http://www.labyrinthonline.com/chartres.html gives an informative and unique perspective on the practice which is experiencing a revival of interest and popularity in the Western world.

In spite of all the clutter the eye is drawn immediately to the leaning figure.  There is a sense that everything is happening around him even though it is apparent that nothing is happening because of him.  I find that, although he is not moving, there is a sense that movement is imminent.

How interesting would this beach scene be without the blue umbrella?  Now... Imagine this scene without the person underneath the umbrella?  Your mind would presuppose a person belonging to the scene.  Your eye would seek them out. 

I love that real life is happening in this shot.  Housekeeping brings a sense of the mundane to the romance of  Naples, Italy.  Such scenes inspire me to always seek out the romance in the mundane in my own hometown as well.  Don't save the photographer's eye for special occassions and locations.  Allow every place and time to captivate you.

These lions outside the opera house in Palermo should dominate the photgraph but, again, the eye is drawn immediately to the couple reading the mapbook.  I found myself thinking for them.  "OK.  We're here.  Where to next?"