SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE – 

From the moment I stepped inside Scottsdale Fashion Square, my senses were activated. Architecture, light, reflections, movement and people performed together, creating a visual symphony that changed as I moved through the space.

The challenge wasn’t finding something to photograph; it was deciding which instrument I wanted to listen to. Every storefront competed for my attention… until I saw this one.

And I stopped…

THE STORY BEHIND THE GLASS  –

From the moment I walked up to this storefront and saw an athlete clearing the Arc de Triomphe head-first and backward, I knew Omega watches were not the only story here. The photograph was only the beginning. I wanted to understand the story behind this extraordinary visual metaphor.

My smartphone went from camera to research tool. A merchandising storefront at Scottsdale Fashion Square connected me to the Paralympic Movement – a rehabilitation sport that evolved into an international competition featuring 661 athletes from 55 countries.

Suddenly, the storefront had a voice.

BOARDING PASS Lesson 1: Sometimes taking a photograph merely establishes a moment in time, leaving it to the viewer to interpret. In this case, interpretation led to research. Learn to look for meaning beyond the image…

SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED  – 

It’s been said the color yellow is the most visible color to the human eye. Associated with joy, optimism and warmth. Seeing a little girl in a vivid yellow tutu riding an escalator with her mom caught in a ray of light against a dark background was the best of all scenes. Everything had already been done for me. My responsibility was to frame the shot, manually focus and be faster than the escalator.

BOARDING PASS Lesson 2: The ballerina teaches PATIENCE. Sometimes the photograph comes to you.

You just have to be ‘present’ when it arrives.

WHEN ESCALATORS BECOME THEATER  – 

One of the hidden benefits of Travel photography is it rewards curiosity. Every location has its own nuances, discoverable only when curiosity becomes part of your mindset. The big payoff comes when you frame a scene and emotion joins the party. You welcome it, refine it and open the shutter to capture it. During my visit, the parallel design of the Harkins Theaters escalator became one of those nuances.

Shooting between the up and down single escalators at a low angle with an inverted camera transformed this scene inside my smartphone. This ‘walk on by’ escalator was still an escalator—but it didn’t feel like one anymore as the hand rails carried my eye toward the theater above.

The Fashion Square Rollercoaster was born…

BOARDING PASS Lesson 3: The rollercoaster teaches IMAGINATION. Sometimes wait for the story to enter your frame; other times, change your point of view until you create one.

This time I didn’t wait for the photograph to come to me.

THE MERCHANDISING RUNWAY  –

My favorite viewing location was the upper level east balcony with the sun chasing down the patrons. From this vantage point, the mall became an active theatrical background.

The more I shot storefronts, the more interesting reflections became. Everyone in the mall was being reflected somewhere, whether they knew it or not.

I tried in vain to get shots of people unwittingly shooting their own reflections. One day I will find that strategic solution when visitors see themselves standing inside the store. Sometimes the best travel photographs aren’t about one subject. They’re about everything else happening around you.

BOARDING PASS Lesson 4: Photographs that give the viewer’s eye a path to travel through the frame create visual depth through Composition. Foreground, middle ground and background. Intentional 3D…

Where architecture, people and light perform together all day long.

THE MORNING REVEAL  –

Natural light can find its way inside buildings many different ways. The mall itself used rows of skylights to build its ambiance. However, the Apple Store redefined the skylight using large panels with circular perforations. I discovered them one morning just after sunrise and named them the ‘Donut Holes,’ which quickly became an obsession of mine. Whether inside or outside, they stayed in disciplined rows and were respectfully unstoppable.

BOARDING PASS Lesson 5: Photographs that cause viewers to ‘lean in’ usually require sacrifice. You will never regret missing the morning sleep-in.

An unforgettable way to begin…

• Which photograph made you lean in the most? 
• Which moment would you have photographed differently?
• Would you have waited for the ballerina or even noticed her?
• Will you now look at escalators differently?
• Did Elegance by design… make you want to experience it for yourself? 
• If I handed you a smartphone and gave you one hour inside Fashion Square, where would you begin?

1  Control FOCUS and EXPOSURE: This is a smartphone skill I use with every exposure. Referred to as ’Tap & Swipe’ it is a touch screen gesture. First, tap on the screen where you want the camera to lock focus. (A yellow box with a sun icon will appear.) Second, tap and hold on the small sun icon while sliding your finger up and down on the screen to adjust  exposure. With practice, Tap & Swipe gives you greater control over where your camera focuses and how light or dark your image appears.

2  Study COMPOSITION: If you haven’t already, open your Settings App> Camera> Activate ‘Grid’ and ‘Level’. The Grid places a 3×3 grid over your camera screen to use the Rule of Thirds. Locating the subject of your image at a grid intersection improves composition. The ‘Level’ is a horizontal line that helps keep your horizons perfectly horizontal. Experiment with each and add another level to your technical skills.

3  Seek out REFLECTIONS: No matter where you travel, find and capture them. On water, windows and everywhere on cars. After the rain, find puddles, move around them and find the artistic reflections. Rain storms become photographic opportunities…

4  Experiment with BLACK and WHITE:  For the Travel photographer, make a Duplicate of your native image file, select Filters from your Editing menu, scroll all the way to the right, and select the Noir filter. Practice often. Send BW Travel photos to your friends. They will never stop talking about them…