Old and New

When shooting on location, pair old buildings or old décor with something new. A modern couple posing alongside an old building would be ideal. Hotels often decorate their lobbies or libraries consistent with a specific time era. The old décor gives these public areas charm and gives you the opportunity to create an old-new contrast.

In a brochure at Donegal, Ireland’s visitor center, I saw an old abandoned town with houses build out of basic materials. This was a perfect place to take an old and new contrast photograph (13.1). This pose is typical for that era, just a man and his wife standing next to each other looking straight at the camera for their portrait. The couple’s arms are straight down and there is not much of an expression in their eyes. But obviously the bride is wearing a strapless dress and the groom is wearing a tie with a clip, both modern elements. I focused on the wheelbarrow to throw the bride and groom slightly out of focus. Early cameras required that people stand still for long exposures, often resulting in slightly out-of-focus images. So in image 13.1, I played along with the old and emphasized it with the pose.