Does anyone else ever experience museum overload? After two visits to the British Museum, three to the National Gallery, two for the Victoria and Albert, and one each for the National Portrait Gallery, Tower of London, Royal Observatory and Maritime Museum (plenty of fun navigational pieces), and not to mention all the gardens, architecture, and street color— I think I’m needing a day in the flat to simply process and rest from so much stimulation.
Last year in Manhattan, I made a conscious effort to photograph what I could in museums in ways that aren’t available in books, and have been attempting to carry on with that here. For instance, with pieces that are so often reproduced in books and easily available for viewing without my own photos, I try to take detail shots, or in cases like sculpture, shoot from angles that are not face-on. Incidentally, I’ve thought it peculiar that the V&A allows flashes. Only museum I’ve ever encountered that goes for that.
I’ve also tried to take a cue from friends and family that are so perceptive about noticing interesting signage and people around town. Views that are sometimes not always typically beautiful, but are otherwise interesting. There are always those situations that are difficult to make a good shot, like in a crowded tube train when you see someone dressed fantastically odd that you just have to record it, if you could… and without being too intrusive in their space. Also, I think I had a few odd looks for taking pictures of the tiled floor of the V&A museum the other day. I seem to have a focus on patterns lately. Must be the designer side.
Oh yes, and of course I’ve been enjoying the artwork. The other day I was going for the exercise of sketching from paintings and sculptures. Something I ought be making a better habit of. I was also spending time the other day trying to re-interpret a painting into my own style, attempting to craft the same edges from the painting with my pencil technique.