Hi Ron,
Tabletop photography can be fun. Further, the challenge of making a photograph in an area smaller than an A4 sheet of paper is also a great exercise for almost any photographer wanting to improve their craft.
To understand why, think about the challenges involved: coming up with an original idea, styling it, lighting it, getting the composition right, finding the perfect shooting angle and, finally, getting the right moment. Regardless of whether you are a landscape photographer or a portrait photographer, being forced to scale everything down and take control is great practice.
When you work on such a small scale, each item within the scene can start to take on different representations. Here you are using two matchsticks to represent people who possibly have this burning love for each other. This is a metaphor, and while most photographers do not tend to give it much thought or realise any potential, metaphors can be an incredibly powerful tool in all levels of photography – including reportage and documentary photography.
Like any great work of art, including music, sculpture, painting or poetry, the literal message is often not as significant as the underlying messages. A classic example is a photograph that includes a dog or a cat. At it's simplest level it is just an animal, but it could also be a representation of animal instincts, temptation or maybe even hunger. Or perhaps the animal is a simple reminder of a pet from the past. The memories evoked are sometimes more powerful than the image itself.
A favourite piece of music is another example; it is not so much the music itself but rather the memories and emotions it stirs whenever you hear this music that makes it powerful.
So, to this picture; we have two matches that have this burning yearning for each other. Here is the question tough. Why are they not sitting next to each other then? What is the barrier keeping them apart? Answer: for the moment there is none. This is where I think you should have added in an additional metaphor. Question: What is the opposite of fire?
To make this photo even more interesting and enchanting, I would have added a spill of water in between these two matches. This does no have to be anything clever, but I think if you encouraged some water across this shiny surface to effectively divide the two matches, you would create more visual interest.
Now for the good news. You won't have to pack the car to revisit this idea!
Cheers,
Anthony
Indecent Proposal
