What a ‘Normal’ Person Sees vs. What a Photographer Sees
Photographer Manny Ortiz loves finding perfect portrait situations in everyday places — locations most people probably wouldn’t think of using for a photo shoot. Here’s a short video in which Ortiz compares how “normal” people see the world vs how photographers see it.
What a ‘Normal’ Person Sees
Here’s what an ordinary person sees when standing in front of a restaurant with ambient lighting and a bright sign.
What a Photographer Sees
A photographer, on the other hand, may notice that the sign can serve as the main light while the reddish mood lighting can work well in the background.
What a ‘Normal’ Person Sees
Outside of a hotel, an ordinary person may see this row of luggage carts and not think twice.
What a Photographer Sees
A photographer, however, may see the symmetry and leading lines of the carts as an interesting portrait background.
What a ‘Normal’ Person Sees
Ortiz found a narrow alleyway between two buildings. Most people probably would have no reason to venture into the gap.
What a Photographer Sees
What Ortiz noticed in the tucked-away spot was the foreground interest of the plant life and the strip of sunlight that was falling into the alley.
What a ‘Normal’ Person Sees
A location could have interesting light fixtures that people walk past all the time without a closer look.
What a Photographer Sees
When Ortiz noticed these lights, he saw that the cool vintage design would both illuminate and help make a portrait.
All the portraits in this video and article were captured with a Sony Alpha 1 mirrorless camera and a Sony 85mm f/1.4 lens.
You can find more of Ortiz’s work on his website and Instagram. You can also follow along with his videos by subscribing to his popular YouTube channel, which boasts around 600,000 subscribers at the time of this writing.
Image credits: Still frames and photographs by Manny Ortiz and used with permission
