You, In The Doorway!

Their geometric design (usually rectangular) makes doors ideal for framing you within your pictures. They offer a great variety of designs, textures, colors. Some are single while other are double. A few rotate and fancy ones slide. They’re tall and some almost appear be too small for practical use. Indeed, there is much for our creativity to explore when incorporating doors into your pictures.

I’ve discovered that some people have a fascination with doors. I do and so does my fiancée, Lupe López. We’ll walk or drive past a building and one of us will say, “Look at that door!” Now that I think of it, it’s always a metal or wooden door. It may be modern or old. What fascinates me is not only the design or color, for example. I wonder what goes on behind that door or who has gone through this other door.

What if it Were You, In The Doorway

Do you have a type of door that appeal to you in particular? Perhaps one of those from a European castle or one on the outskirts of town scribbled with graffiti? And that’s the thing, there are so many different looks in doors. Have them in mind the next time you’re about town. To help you imagine yourself in front of one, below, you’ll see five pictures in which I used doors as the main background for models and clients. See which door you like most…

Don’t you love that green? I absolutely do! I had these doors in mind for this outfit. Alyssa wore it for an ad campaign shoot for Bebe O’s Vintage Boutique. The building is The Big Red Church in Fresno’s Tower District.

This pose took about a dozen attempts before we got this picture. It’s quite a challenge as the hips must remain as elevated as possible while one leg extends and the chin drops back. All the while you only have three points of support. Of course, that heel is not conducive for easy balance. Alyssa was determined to get it and so we worked it out with my laying flat on the sidewalk at some 40 feet away. I called out instructions while sprawling on the cement. We came away with such a dynamic pose and I love the three dominant colors: green, red, white. Alyssa looks fantastic and those doors are simply awesome!

I don’t recall the name of this church in Santa Barbara but I love its doors! It was a Sunday morning in 2019. This is an example of a great find while walking about town, exploring where our next picture would be. Usually, I plan out locations but sometimes, Lupe and I will explore while shooting.

Lupe’s black shimmery dress was perfect for the setting. It’s the the darkest part of the image and the lightest. Red always looks great with black and her skin tone is perfect for rest of the picture’s color palette. I was not able to capture the top of the arch above the door because there was a delivery truck just behind me. Still, I very much like this picture for it’s colors, Lupe’s pose and those beautiful red doors.

I had this building in mind going into the shoot. It was going through a complete renovation so it’s look was temporary. I wanted to capture the various textures of those dark and light green panels around the door. Plus, I really like its dirty white color as well as its weathered look. Altogether, the colors of the structure (off-white & green) created a wonderful compliment with Denise’s orange dress. Also, the wardrobe’s chic style made a poignant contrast with the rustic look of the door and walls.

Selena had never posed before. The purpose of the session was for her to pose with her sister, Denise (pictured above). At the end of the shoot, I directed a few poses just for Selena. I aimed at accentuating her curves while conveying her naturally strong gaze. The powder blue of the door is good for helping Selena “pop” in the picture. In photography, this is called having a strong figure to ground. Selena did a marvelous job in her first ever shoot.

It was Lupe’s inspiration to shoot on the lot of silos off of H Street in Fresno. This outfit went perfect with the industrial look of the place, which is dominated by gray metal structures that resemble long giant funnels. On this side of the lot, however, we found a wall whose origin must be the 1960s. A metal door is stuck in the middle of the wall with bars added across it. The patina and rust colors made such a great compliment to the chic Mad Max-like wardrobe that Lupe wore. This door was a great find!

Conclusion

As I mentioned above, doors can make such wonderful backgrounds. Sometimes, I plan on a specific door if it works well with the concept of a shoot. Other times, they are fantastic discovering during a session. However one finds them, doors are an element greatly varied in design, color, and texture, adding another form of interesting looks to your pictures.

Which door do you like most from above? Does a door from your past come to mind for a picture (even if that door no longer exists)? Share below and feel free to pose a question that you may have.