Present it simple
Simplicity is all about presenting simple images – uncluttered, plain and downright, well, basic – lines, colors, shapes. Because as we’ve learned and presented in over 300 posts in this blog, photography is the art of simplification, elimination, cropping and focusing on the subject. It is all about presenting the point of interest in the most lucid and spot-on manner. Granted that the photographer sometimes use artistic license in his work, it shouldn’t however deprive him of presenting his pictures in the most understandable way – clear, precise and clarified. It should never be the photographer’s intention to present to viewers something they could hardly grasp or comprehend. Unless its abstract or a mish-mash of incomprehensible obscurity. Then maybe its art, not photography. In our photographic milieu we try to present things as clearly and plainly as possible even with some tinge of artistic license. We are allowed that. Anyway its always the photographer’s vision. One photographic technique we have learned is that we may not necessarily present our subject as a whole. We can use creative and selective focus, or crop out edges or recompose, always keeping in mind the art of simplicity and the technique of giving emphasis on our subject.
Appealing elements and alluring details
Article Excerpt: “When we look at a landscape, our eyes travel over it and selectively focus on the elements that we find appealing. Our field of vision encompasses a great deal of the scene, but our eyes and brains have the ability to ignore all except the most alluring details. Lenses and sensors or film cannot do this by themselves. They need help…Time is the most important investment you can make in getting good landscape pictures. When you arrive in a place you’ve never visited before, spend time scouting—driving or hiking to different locations, finding different vantage points.”~Robert Caputo from his article Landscape Photography Tips
Take advantage of height
The height advantage doesn’t only apply in basketball, it is also much sought after in photography. We call it the vantage point. It is the perspective of altitude giving you a sweeping, broad field of vision. Street level shots are, well, ordinary because that’s the person’s normal perspective. That is why you see photographers hold their cameras above their head to get an alternative shot. The difference may just be a matter of inches but that will drastically change the point of view, and the framing of the subject. We have taken shots of sunrises and sunsets as part of a landscape, and usually without vantage point since the sun is over the horizon almost at street level. Unless you’re watching the sunset from atop of a building or mountain then that’s quite a another view. Now imagine a sunrise over the clouds at 30,000 feet. No don’t imagine it, its in the photo I took from an airplane’s window on an early morning flight to the province. The scene is almost surreal and magical with the textured, cotton-like bed of clouds in the foreground and the sun peering through in the background complete with the morning atmospheric haze. We don’t often take pictures like this which makes it special. Vantage point from mere inches to thousands of feet will change the view of an image. Let’s put it this way – be a soaring eagle and look out into the world around you. Because the outlook is different from a regular person’s eye-level view, an image taken from an elevated position will come out fresh, unique and interesting. So whenever possible, take advantage of height or altitude. In other words, just get high for that shot. Now going low or under is another viewpoint. And that’s for another post.
Photo Quotes 110
Understanding grows as you allow the landscape to come into you. Passivity, not acquisition, is the key to this. A good photograph is a received photograph, an exchange between you and the landscape, in which – however unlikely this may seem – there is a dialogue between the two of you. It is simply courtesy to allow the landscape to speak.~Charlie Waite
Practice patience
Article Excerpt: “Like planning an expedition or using a camera, patience can be learned. In the past decade there has been something of a revolution around what it means to acquire skill. Neuroscientists figured out that when we repeat an action, the neurons involved become wrapped with myelin, a neural insulator. The result is that those neurons become neural superhighways. Signals on well wrapped neurons travel up to 400 times faster and stronger than unwrapped neurons. Who doesn’t want to be 400 times better? And it’s not just physical activity that gets better with practice. Thinking skills are also myelin based. Skill and habit are made of myelin. This is handy because it means that practicing patience yields a habit of patience.”~Bors Vesterby from his article Dynamic Patience: The Essential Photographic Skill
We perceive colors differently
That’s right. We pick up colors in various varieties and shades. What may be red to me can be amaranth, scarlet, crimson, ruby, flame, burgundy, cardinal, rose, terra cota and rust to another. And those are just a sampling of red varieties. That’s just one color. There are many other shades in other colors. How we see and receive color is unique to each individual. And how we interpret such color is different from person to person. Generally, the color red is active and dynamic, but others may perceive it as romantic, sensual and even playful. Others will see it as the personification of evil, blood, lust, greed, domination, among others. What am I getting at? In color photography, color defines an image. How we perceive colors in an image is how we understand the message of that image, or what it is trying to convey. Red as rust or age may describe a subject that has gone through the passage of time, such as the picture of the old house above. In his article Color Perception And How It Might Apply To Photography, Spencer Seastrom presents two unique ways of how we see the world. First is that the world is unique from the perception of others and, second, we can’t explain our own perception to others. He relates this to color and as I’ve made examples earlier on, we see colors differently. This is compounded by the fact that colors evoke emotions, and when emotions are involved we feel it in extreme sensations. Saying “I love you” is best with red roses, passionate and heartfelt, but it can also be with white roses, pure and meaningful. In other words, color photography is not mainly how the photographer sees it. It is as much as how others will see it, feel it and be moved by it. Parallel to satisfying the photographer with his capture is ensuring the contentment of the viewer.
What makes a great image?
Article Excerpt
Great images often:
– are eye catching.
– are strongly composed.
– have relatively few picture elements.
– have no elements surplus to requirements.
– use lighting and or surface reflections to achieve the best possible tonality.
– contain a limited colour palette which either contrasts or complements each other
– have a message, even if that message is only, “gee, isn’t this beautiful (ugly, old, scary etc.)”
– leave you wondering, while at the same time satisfying you that the image is complete – tricky, huh?
– inform by showing the unusual, the unnoticed or interesting juxtapositions.
– tell a story or trigger memories
– give you reasons to come back to the image again and again
– have some extra magical thing about them
The photographer and his story
A picture will always be a story, in a single shot. Without words, without explanations, without definitions, without captions, it is the aim of the photographer to tell the realism of the moment as he saw it, as he interpreted the scene from the time of capture. Unlike film or slideshows and moving pictures which, more or less, convey the gist of the story or a narrative of the story itself in elongated form, a single image tries to encapsulate it all, and attempts to give an account, a chronicle of the instance.
What does it mean for us photographers? It means we have to be definitive and conscious of the images we take. It may not be earth-shattering or headline-grabbing pictures, unless you’re a photojournalist. Images of everyday life, of nature and landscapes, or of common things must represent a visual narration, a chronicle, a record of the moment, a second of time as the photographer captured and envisioned it. It is the heart of the image, the story conveyed in that one shot. One becomes a photographer in the truest sense of the word when he can capture images that are narrations, commentaries and descriptions of themselves. The picture itself tells the story.
JJ Digital Magazine goes minimalist
Yup, Issue #7 of Junsjazz Digital Magazine will be all about the photographic art of minimalism. I will be showcasing images with the barest elements and subjects, highlighting the clean, simple look, and proving that the technique of “less is more”, can produce remarkable pictures. Of course, I get again to feature another set of talented photographers from the blogosphere. Watch out for the next issue coming out sometime this March. Meanwhile, if you haven’t done it yet, take a look at the past six issues of the Digital Magazine. Thanks! Have a wonderful, creative and colorful week ahead!
Photo Quotes 109
The basic material of photographs is not intrinsically beautiful. It’s not like ivory or tapestry or bronze or oil on canvas. You’re not supposed to look at the thing, you’re supposed to look through it. It’s a window.~John Szarkowski
A landscape of shades and shadows
Black and white is great for portraits, still life, minimalism, cityscapes, architecture and street photography. However, for landscapes there is a bit of a hesitation. Not every landscape scenery is meant for black and white. It’s a judgment call. We like the sky blue, the sea azure, the setting or rising sun yellow or orange, trees and vegetation verdant, and the earth brown. Nature and landscapes are best in full, living color, as they were meant to be. We can not blame the great Ansel Adams as he only had the tools of black and white during those days when he immortalized the sceneries of Yosemite National Park in his images. These would become the most well-known landscapes in black and white. But later on he also went into color to capture the grandeur of his favorite landscapes, as well as portraits and architecture. Your awareness and appreciation will come into fore when selecting landscapes for black and white.
A plain blue, cloudless sky is best left at that. But a sky with brooding, gloomy, menacing clouds in discordant formation will alert the senses of the keen photographer. He will frame the scenery from edge to edge, top to bottom. He will scan and sweep the vista. He will find his foreground, middle ground and background. He will set his horizon line either in the upper or lower portion of the frame. He will process all these in mere seconds. Then he will capture the scene in color. Why? That is the digital way of capture and control, so that later on in the digital darkroom when converting into black and white, the photographer has options to revert to color, just in case. Now he will apply his editing prowess. If captured in RAW, he can tone-map the image adjusting the levels of brightness, contrast, sharpness and tonal quality. These are the finishing touches. Landscapes as with other subjects will work well when you see patterns, textures, lines, shapes and light. It is a matter of perception brought about by a trained eye, and knowledge honed by experience, to know when a landscape will work best with only the basic ingredients of light, shades and shadows.
Photo Quotes 108
There’s something strange and powerful about black-and-white imagery.~Stefan Kanfer
Shoot in color then convert to B&W
Article Excerpt: “A word of advice, never shoot using the in camera black and white setting. Even though some cameras give you some control with different black and white types, it is better to take the photos in color and then convert them in an editing program. That way, you will have more control over the final result and you will always have a color version of the photo in case you changed your mind and decided the color version is better. So, shoot in color and convert to black and white later, and remember to get an exposure as accurate as possible in order to pass smoothly through the conversion stage…Whatever the thing you want to photograph, the first stage is always preparation and shooting. The human eye sees only in color which is, of course, absent in black and white photos. In this monochromatic reproduction of the world, it’s necessary to find other elements that would highlight the subject. You are only left with lighting, textures, lines and shapes to make the photo stand out.”~Yassine Hakimi from his article The Magic of Black and White Photography
Mediums of monotones
In the absence of color, you simplify, isolate and look to highlight other elements – light, shapes, lines and textures. You have creative options, you can go high key bathing the image in white space, or you can use low key monopolizing the image in black. You have the power of perspective, capturing the subject in another angle or view. Then you arrange all these elements and apply all these options in a harmonious interplay. A photographer goes for a balance of the creative and the technical to come up with a compositionally sound image. Why these hassles in monotones?
Simply because color is so ordinary. Don’t get me wrong. In art, color alone can provide the single biggest impact. It is that powerful. The same goes in photography. Using color with the techniques of contrast, isolation, color complementing, saturation and others, produces attention-grabbing images. Among the many elements, you notice color first. That is why color is ordinary because it is everywhere, ubiquitous and universal. Take away color and you work hard to give prominence to the other elements. To do just that, you carefully apply the tools and options mentioned in the first paragraph. Experts suggest we train our eyes to see in black and white – to perceive elemental forms and shapes and patterns, to be aware of shades and shadows, to appreciate light and darkness. Black and white images are classic, clean and precise, devoid of the clutter and distraction of color. They come across fresh, pure and absolute. Which gives us color photographers a respite, alternative and new artistic direction. Come to think of it, we can be masters of color, but when it comes to black and white, we elevate ourselves into visionaries – mediums of monotones.
Photo Quotes 107
From an artistic viewpoint; color depicts reality. Black and white is an interpretation of reality.~Andrew Gibson
Capturing the scale of nature
Article Excerpt:Â When considering nature images, one finds that most differ by the scale of scene captured. Three loosely defined categories to keep in mind are:
* Grand Scenic – covering large expanses of the landscape
* Intimate – perhaps the most elusive of all – isolating the “scene within a scene” – keeping only what’s important and giving the viewer a sense of being there.
* Close-up and/or macro – enlarging and drawing attention to elements often too small for most casual viewers to notice otherwise
Each of these requires a different way of examining and interpreting a scene. Surprisingly a given scene may yield successful images in any or even all these scales – standing in front of a grand mountain scene, you may discover interesting patterns that can be isolated, or a small flower at your feet.
Do not “lock” your vision to a given scale. At any opportunity, try to think about all possibilities. You may find interesting new and original compositions even in the most familiar places.~Guy Tal from his article Landscape Photography Composition Part 1
Polishing by post-processing
I post-process my photos. Professionals do it, why shouldn’t I, an enthusiast. Even they who capture near perfect shots still subject their images to editing. It’s their job to be perfectionists; nothing matters but the best outcome, output and result. And that’s one thing that differentiates professionals from us mere mortals, they put attention to details – from capture to presentation. From the moment they pressed the shutter, they have already envisioned the shot, to the time they review the image to tweak the color, adjust tones, improve brightness and contrast, sharpen edges and other host of details during image editing, they are just following their normal workflow.
I am no professional but I follow their standard workflow and have my own set of process. But unlike professionals, I am not working to satisfy clients; I work on my images to satisfy myself. Because in doing so I know I will satisfy my audience when I present the image to the world. And for me, every image I process is an activity of trying to outdo myself, to reach another level of improvement, to elevate my craftsmanship guided by all the accumulated knowledge from years of photographing. One lesson that I learned is that we don’t take perfect photos and, in fact, there are no perfect photos. Hence, we have the tools of image editing softwares to try to simulate perfection, even on a rudimentary level. A polished image is not possible during the moment of capture. We may praise to high heavens the exactness of our composition, creativity, exposure and technical prowess at the time we pressed the shutter. Yet a polished image will always be a result of our meticulous attention in providing the “oomph” and the “aah” during post-processing. In photography, it’s what we call the X factor.
Photo Quotes 106
The beauty of nature motivates and inspires my photography. It nourishes my artistic sensibility and restores my spiritual balance…These are landscapes of, and for, my spirit.~William Neill
Be a camera – see what it sees
Book Excerpt: Something else is lost when we make a photograph. When you’re outside taking pictures, all of your senses are working, taking in information and making you feel and respond in a certain, usually positive, way. Not only do you see the scene before you, you hear the wind in the trees, smell the sweet aromas of nature, feel the texture of the land and the breeze on your skin, and taste the air. But when you press the shutter, the camera only records what it sees and four out of the five senses that influence how you respond emotionally to the subject are lost
When you think about it, it’s little wonder that a two-dimensional, single-sense photograph might struggle to live up to the actual experience we had at the time of its taking. The real skill in photography that sets apart the great images from the snapshots is the ability to replace this missing/lost information using purely visual tools, to give the viewer a sense of what you felt by recording the image in such a way that it stimulates the imagination and stirs emotions.
It is a skill that can be learned and the starting point is to get into the habit of seeing what your camera sees.~Chris Weston from his book Photographing Nature
The element of luck
When you’re on a small motor boat cruising along the coastline, you don’t have much room to maneuver. You can not go around and find a vantage point. You have no choice of perspective. The only viewpoint you have is that of a passenger whiling away his time on a three-hour trip by pointing his camera here and there, and just casually snapping the scenery. You try to summon as much of your technical and creative skills in a cramp, immobile situation. Then you wish for luck.
As fate would have it, luck descended on some of my shots (like the one above) given the situation I was in. Though we have no control over it, luck or what photographers fondly call serendipity, is the third element in the triumvirate of arsenals. The other two I have mentioned in the first paragraph are creativity and technical skills. Serendipity is when you are out there in the field after a day of shoot, all packing up and satisfied with the shots you’ve taken, when suddenly a giant bird perched on a nearby tree, or a ray of light fell on the foliage, or a line of tree cast a calm reflection on the riverbank. Serendipity happens as a form of answered prayer, like when I solemnly requested that I get even just one good picture while I was on that small motor boat. I got half a dozen. Serendipity, though you don’t know when it will come, is aided when you are prepared, armed with the skills of how to capture, and ready with your knowledge of what and when to shoot. Serendipity will answer the why.
The most important tools
Article Excerpt: Possibly the biggest curse of the digital photography revolution is that it has excessively focused photographer’s attention on technology, rather than vision. We now have tools that allow us to take very sharp pictures indeed, but a sharp photograph of a fuzzy concept is of little interest or value to anyone…Why then do the majority of photographers, magazines and enthusiast web sites concentrate almost exclusively on gear, secondarily on technique, and hardly at all on how to see? The answer is simple – it’s easier…But, a good photograph isn’t measured in line pairs per millimeter, MTF functions, S/N calculations, or any of the other measurements that photography enthusiasts recite like religious mantras. The most important tools that are used to take good photographs are the human eye, the human brain, and the human heart.~Learning To See, an essay from Luminous Landscape
Photo Quotes 105
There is little room today for inspiration in most people’s lives. However, if your goal is to create artistic photographs, if your goal is to be an artist, in short if your goal is to create art, you must make room for the muses to visit you, or for when inspiration strikes, whenever that may be.~Alain Briot
Inspiration, creativity, vision and personal style
I adore this article Finding Inspiration by master photographer Alain Briot. In it he defines and differentiates the relation between four of the most important aspects of photography – inspiration, creativity, vision and personal style. Here’s his take on these four:
A. One can be inspired without being creative.
B. One can be extremely creative without being particularly inspired.
C. One can be inspired and creative without fulfilling a personal vision.
D. Finally, one can have a personal vision without having yet developed a personal style.
Each of the aforementioned has its own explanation and I was impressed how Briot connected and correlated them. I will not expound further but will strongly suggest that you again set aside some five minutes or so of your time to go over this very compelling and informative article. In the latter part of his piece, Briot adds:
“Finding inspiration is an engaging subject. As we just saw there are many ways to find inspiration. Yet, there is one way that I have not discussed yet, and that is where your own internal inspiration, your “secret flame” so to speak, resides…This flame, this spark of energy, this initial internal combustion burst, resides within you. It has been there for a long time, most likely since the day you were born, and it is for you to discover if you do not know about it yet.”
For me, photography has always been a process of discovery, both of the world and of myself. When I look back at the pictures I took early on, they were amateurish, unpolished – works of an inexperienced snap shooter. I don’t know why I kept these crude pictures in my hard disk. I should have deleted them long ago. But I did not. Probably to serve a purpose such as a reminder that I should never take pictures like those again. So I read up on techniques, on styles, on the wisdom of the masters. I looked at lots of fine photos from books and on the internet. I experimented with my shots, practiced and trained my eye to “see” despite being nearsighted (I wear glasses). I learned to find photographic inspiration even in the most menial subjects. And  learned to see the light such as in the picture above.  Briot is right, it is within you. You have to discover that spark, and express it in your images.
Junsjazz Images & Inspiration 