How to see photographically

[deirdre]

I found that reading the web site Presentation Zen affected my thinking about composition and design and, therefore, photography. The site criticizes particular speakers' presentations, but largely it focuses on the visual media presentations rather than rhetoric or oration skills.

 

[BAKatz]

3 months and you don't have a Pulitzer yet? seriously, i started shooting medium format 6 months ago,and at $15 a roll to develop you become particular in your subjects. I bought my EPL1 a month ago and now i'm free to shoot as much as i like and delete the shots i don't care for. I tend to shoot architecture, lines and shapes. someone told me to look not at the whole, but the parts...this works for me, especially in NYC..never be afraid to ask questions, and have fun...practice will make us better (I don't know about perfect)...enjoy....BAK

 

[sinpig]

3 months and you don't have a Pulitzer yet? seriously, i started shooting medium format 6 months ago,and at $15 a roll to develop you become particular in your subjects. I bought my EPL1 a month ago and now i'm free to shoot as much as i like and delete the shots i don't care for. I tend to shoot architecture, lines and shapes. someone told me to look not at the whole, but the parts...this works for me, especially in NYC..never be afraid to ask questions, and have fun...practice will make us better (I don't know about perfect)...enjoy....BAK

I know, it's hard not to be tough with oneself, but when I see the pictures you guys upload it's a real whattheheck!!
I take too many pictures at least that's what my family thinks, so I think I will follow the advice here and focus on still, inanimated objects that like Ray mentions can't complain.

 

[Michael]

An enjoyable series of posts with lots of good suggestions and ideas! My thoughts on this matter maybe a bit away from the mainstream of suggestions but I have found that when perception and inspiration fail one, a way to return my minds eye to seeing images is to draw.
Drawing forces the concentration to firstly see details and aspects of interest then view the whole scene in context. Henri Cartier Bresson in his later years did a lot of drawing...
If you say I can't draw read this for starters, Betty Edwards - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Its all about visual literacy and once understood your photography will go from strength to strength and the resulting satisfaction is worth all the hard work.

 

[JoeFriday]

I take too many pictures at least that's what my family thinks, so I think I will follow the advice here and focus on still, inanimated objects that like Ray mentions can't complain.

Nah! Just keep pointing the camera at your relatives and eventually they won't even notice. For example, Brian Sweeney's daughter, Nikki, probably thinks her dad has a camera instead of a right hand. Doesn't seem to bother her now.

 

[Gwendal]

Loads of great advice above, and since I am in a comparable situation (started shooting about 6 months ago), a few things to add:
- the "black & white photography" book I've recently read begins by some good advice about what makes a great photo : look for directing lines, patterns, contrasts etc for instance ;
- I began by framing stuff much like everybody does - get your subject within the frame, center, shoot ; then moved on to "let the subject breathe", ie leave a lot of vacant areas around ; currently the shots that satisfy me the most are close-ups, details ;
- also try shooting very wide, and using/abusing the Crop tool to experiment with various framings...

 

[Ray Sachs]

Don't forget to look at a lot of great photographs. The great photographers all have a unique way of looking at everyday things that most of us miss. When I was a kid, the photographs of Edward Weston (and then his two sons, Cole and Brett), really turned my head around and made me start looking at the world differently. I think I saw a show of their work when I was first getting into photography in the '70s and it changed my perception about photography as art. Whenever I feel stale, I try to look at some of their work. They tended to shoot a lot of simple, everyday stuff with incredible beauty. Looking at their work really reinforces that its all about the image - the subject matter is almost secondary. There are iconic photographs of bell peppers, artichokes, seashells, nudes, and some landscapes and streetscapes and the like and the simple stuff is the best of it.

I recognize my best stuff will never come close this level of seeing, but its nice to be inspired nonetheless. There are a lot of great photographers out there, but the Westons had an approach to it that I found uncommonly inspirational when I was trying to learn to 'see'.

Here's a starting point:

http://www.edward-weston.com/index.htm

-Ray

 

[red]

Another approach I used (and still using...): take a theme e.g. the left side on your home street, take about 100 pictures in a short time and select 5 of them. Look at the selection like you would look to the pictures by a famous photographer - enjoy your talent.
Do the same with a manual old camera (best with an old range finder camera like the Argus C-3 or a FED 5B). Be surprised how nice it looks on paper...

 

[sinpig]

Nah! Just keep pointing the camera at your relatives and eventually they won't even notice. For example, Brian Sweeney's daughter, Nikki, probably thinks her dad has a camera instead of a right hand. Doesn't seem to bother her now.

It's funny you say that, because my twins who are 2 1/2 are asking Santa for cameras and guess what, they're getting them.

the "black & white photography" book I've recently read begins by some good advice about what makes a great photo : look for directing lines, patterns, contrasts etc for instance...

Don't forget to look at a lot of great photographs. The great photographers all have a unique way of looking at everyday things that most of us miss. There are iconic photographs of bell peppers, artichokes, seashells, nudes, and some landscapes and streetscapes and the like and the simple stuff is the best of it.
Here's a starting point:

http://www.edward-weston.com/index.htm

-Ray

Exactly what I want, I am looking to see ordinary things under a new light, seeing everyday items or situations from different angles and perspectives.

I notice myself feeling like the opportunities are not as high in the very ordinary street where I live, while many of you live in "picture ready Europe", (maybe I'm a travel photographer), but I think if I can see beauty I should be able to see shooting chances.

Without a question I'm hitting the book store and the library...TODAY!!

 

[Gwendal]

Without a question I'm hitting the book store and the library...TODAY!!

Oh and if you hit the library - I heartily recommend the Phaidon 55 series - cheap but good quality and a nice way to discover the "classic" photographers, from Nadar to Fontcuberta, with a heavy emphasis on B&W.

 

[hanzo]

Another book

That might interest you is
Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision by David DuChemin (Amazon link here).
I'm currently reading it, and its not so much about technical stuff but more to the thought process behind it.

 

[BBW]

Another because there are some thoughtful posts in this one, as well.

 

[texascbx]

I always keep the rule of thirds in mind when taking a photo. It's true that a super sharp well exposed photograph that has an uninteresting composition is not as good as a slightly off image that has a great interesting composition.

 

[scotth]

For photography books, I think Bryan Peterson's Understanding exposure is invaluable for someone fairly new to photography, and I really like Freeman Patterson when it comes to the creative side.

 

[MajorMagee]

It's been said that you can have the craft without the art, but you can't have the art without the craft. Take plenty of time to learn all there is about your equipment and how it behaves and responds to different conditions. The direct objective of this practice time is to reach the point where you don't have to stop and think about how to do something, it should just flow naturally from the equipment.

The indirect result will be that as you review what you've captured, both good and bad, you'll start to "see" as a photographer. Except for carefully set up scenes most art is not created, it's just the result of recognizing what moves you when you see it.

For example this one's good but doesn't move me.

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This one gets me feeling ready to climb aboard and head off to some place dangerous.

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[BBW]

Great observations - both in your written words and your photographic examples, MajorMagee. Many thanks.

 

[Jimboh]

How to see....

You'll find you really only need two things for a compelling photo: good composition of an interesting subject and acceptable focus. Even focus can be bad if the other components can carry the photo. Combat photography is an extreme example.

I'm gonna let you off the hook on the technical part of photography. For now forget f-stops, focal lengths etc. Put the camera into Program AE or Auto mode. Everything auto. Why? This simplifies the problem, all you have to do is worry about composition. Once you get composition down, then feel free to twiddle the knobs all you want... but composition skills are paramount.

We are pattern seeking animals. When your photos highlight these patters, they'll be more interesting. To do this, use leading lines, isolation of subject, compare/contrast techniques. e.g. railroad tracks leading back to the train; Juxtaposition of light and dark; elderly hand holding baby's hand.

The remarkable thing about photography is it's the lingua franca of the world. A compelling photo can resonate as well in Singapore as in the UK or Nigeria. I'm not sure why, maybe because Hollywood teaches us the rules subliminally, but I also think it's our DNA and one of the threads of our common humanity. Thus I believe the best photos are the ones that evoke emotion. Just be realistic and know these are somewhat rare events.

Echoing others: learn rule of thirds. must know the rules of composition to know when it's also appropriate to break them.

A National Geographic staff shooter I met told me he may shoot 2500-5000 photos on a 10-day assignment, cull it down to 200 and his editors reduce that to perhaps 50, of which 6-15 make it into the magazine. Lesson? Shoot a lot, edit ruthlessly. You'll be surprised how reviewing your work makes you realize mistakes made.

Finally, You'd also be surprised how many mediocre photos become rather interesting once you go back home and apply some crops to them. Sometimes we don't see in the field what we might have wished, but it's in the photo all along, just lost in the clutter. I think some is serendipity, but also subliminal.
Hope this helps.

PS The Nat Geo guy told me most photos are shot in Program AE. His colleagues, he said, will privately admit the same thing. He uses other modes only if he wants an effect such as shallow DOF, or to overcome something the camera can't handle, like strong back-light. He said cameras are so good these days he really can't improve on the exposure that much.

 

[WalkAmongWolves]

When it comes down to it, if you go out to take pictures just for the sake of taking pictures, you're going to end up with a lot of forced looking images. I take pictures as a result of connecting with an environment. I have always loved just putting on my headphones and walking around the city or a park or wherever and going down the alleys and streets that most other people wouldn't have a reason to travel down. It's amazing what you find sometimes in these little forgotten spaces. Treat your environment like you would a new home or a new car...explore every little nook and cranny and take in the history of it and the evidence and scars of humanity left in it...those are the things that make good photos. Use your eyes to understand the city by exploring the evidence of its history. Once you start to make a mental connection with an environment you wont be able to stop hitting the shutter button. Don't go out to take photos, go out and befriend the city...the camera is only there to document that friendship, or love affair, or hatred, or whatever mental connection you build.

Sometimes you may not even have to move around much...find a busy area and just sit for a long time and watch what unfolds.... watch how people interact with the environment, tune in to how people seem to feel towards the area... are they in a hurry? stressed? afraid? dismissive? Don't look for something to take a picture of, just look, watch, feel, and connect...when that moment strikes you THEN snap a picture.

Cheat tip: headphones and some thoughtful music are a really great way to help turn your brain off and engage your emotions.

 

[sprinke]

Three months is not enough time unless maybe you're doing it full-time every day. I took on a photo-a-day project where I took a photo ... you guessed it ... every day for an entire year. By the end of that time, my photographer's eye had much improved, because I had to find different ways of looking at the things around me, in order to keep it interesting. Also, during that time, I was very active on Flickr and I looked at thousands upon thousands of photographs. That was also very helpful. I didn't even bother trying to analyze what made a picture "good" or "bad" ... just seeing enough of the good ones will imprint in your retina and brain a sense of what good photographs look like, and then you start carrying that around with you as you look for your own shots.

Finding different points of view is critical. Get down on the ground. Climb up on that bench. Maybe you won't like what you see there but learn how it changes the feeling of your image. Photograph children at their eye level.

 

[RT_Panther]

I've heard of film shooters that would carry a slide frame in their pocket in order to visualize the shot :smile: