What's the "Wedge?" An Intro.

It all started with a book.  

I was enjoying an afternoon of downtime, and had some time to look through a couple of books specializing in trolley photos from the 1930's to the 1960's.  Both of these books I had scanned completely through many times before, but it had been a couple of years since I'd had the opportunity to scan through them.  I had remembered how captivating the images were, and after the hiatus, I was having one of those sweet opportunities to practically enjoy them anew once again.  

On looking at the photos in these two excellent books: PCC - From Coast to Coast, and Streetcar Scenes of the 1950's in Color, I had something of an epiphany of sorts in relation to so much the transit photography I see being done these days...

Ok, maybe it wasn't quite like that, as I had certainly been doing my best to keep my transit shots to include a wide variety of backdrops.  Still, I could think back and admit to taking trips to other cities and spending excessive time at high volume locations, and coming away with a good quantity of technically sound but otherwise ho-hum photos that oftentimes did not readily embody the feeling of the cities in which they were shot.  

Moreover, I could admit to fighting back yawns when looking at the volumes of present day photos posted around the internet using modern equipment and digital technology, and I could even admit that this rising trend was actually diminishing my enthusiasm for a hobby I'd been involved in for nearly 25 years.

So what's a wedge?

The "wedge" is a term used for a standard composition photo of a transit vehicle, typically taken to show the front of the vehicle and a perspective view of the right (or left) side.  The "perfect wedge" typically involves the vehicle being fully sunlit when possible so as to make a bright and colorful image.  

The typical wedge will have the vehicle occupying at least 50% of the frame.  The prevalence of fast focusing zoom cameras has made it easier to zoom in to where one can fill more than 80% of the frame with the vehicle.  

Given these ratios, the overwhelmingly dominant part of the emphasis in these photos is the vehicle itself.  A "skilled" wedge photographer can create an image that is entirely about the vehicle itself.  

So why break the wedge?

Don't get me wrong; wedges have their place.  They are the best composition to highlight construction details or variances on a transit vehicle, and paint schemes.  However, they are increasingly overused in my opinion.  

A big role of photography is to tell a story.  I have seen some transit photographs tell an amazing amount of story in one scene.  A wedge on the other hand only tells a frustratingly limited tidbit of information.  To paraphrase the old adage, a photo should be worth a thousand words.

I'm starting this blog as a resource specifically tailored to transit photographers willing to collaborate to broaden the spectrum of what can be a very creative and rewarding hobby. Topics will range from technical issues to composition related items to creative aspects that are possible with current technology.  

Feel free to follow and join in the conversation.

Adam Paul