06.23.09
Size does matter
One of the things that always fascinates me about photography is the ability to shrink, enlarge, and crop the image. Cropping can remove extraneous clutter to zoom in on the desired subject. Shrinking or enlarging the image can completely change our perception of an image and either diminish or magnify its impact.
When I think about the impact of size, I am reminded of the mural Guernica painted by Pablo Picasso. It expresses Picasso’s feelings about the bombing of the town Guernica, Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The mural is roughly 11 feet tall and 25 feet wide. I was first exposed to this mural in junior high school art class. Our teacher broke it down into pieces and talked about the significance of each fragment. However, in all the study and discussion, we were never able to perceive the actual scale of the work.
Just before the mural was returned to Spain, I was privileged to view it at MoMA in New York. I will never forget that experience.
I turned the corner and walked into the space where the mural was housed. My brain instantly recognized the shapes and colors. Intellectually, seeing it was like pulling on a pair of comfortable slippers.
The emotional impact was an entirely different experience. My breath was taken away and I was so overwhelmed by the mural that I was literally forced to take a step back. I spent a long time alternating between stepping forward to closely examine small sections and stepping back to take in the whole work. No matter how hard my teacher had tried to communicate the power of this work of art, the only way to understand it and the only way to feel it was to see it.
I love to capture and create large images. I worry that our world of miniaturization — a world where you can carry the Internet and broadcast media around in your pocket – will foster a lack of imagination. If an image is only viewed on a 3 x 5 inch screen or less, how can it have great impact? Will future artists and photographers be influenced to create only small, uncomplicated images that can be viewed in the palm of your hand instead of intricate sweeping murals that challenge our emotions?
06.02.09
Selection is the key
One thing Photoshop users know is that selection is an essential tool for image editing and compositing. I have always found that the best way for me to really learn something inside out is to teach it. When I wanted to upgrade my Photoshop skills, I decided to teach a variety of Photoshop seminars.
I began reviewing texts that I could recommend to my students as a supplemental reference. One of the best texts that I have found on selection techniques is Photoshop Masking & Compositing by Katrin Eismann.
Even though Photoshop selection tools have improved since 2005 when this book was first published, there is a lot of valuable information in this book. If you are struggling with selection, I definitely recommend this text.
05.12.09
Why do you like it?
Years ago I was struggling to find my style. After all, many photographers have a very distinctive vision. You can quite easily recognize the sweet infants of Anne Geddes, the haunting sea- and skyscapes of John Paul Capinegro, or the whimsical Weimaraners of William Wegman. I thought I needed to have a “hook” — something that would make my images instantly recognizable.
Every time I tried to find that hook, I found myself getting bored — been there, done that. I finally realized that my style was not going to consist of a single thread. I want to keep exploring, pushing my limits and trying new techniques.
However, along my path of discovery, I tried an exercise that I still do to this day. I began closely examining the images of other photographers. I would pick out an image that really spoke to me and asked myself, “Why do you like it?”
This kind of reflection caused me to go beyond an automatic emotional reaction and really analyze each image for elements that I wanted to be consciously aware of in my own image capture or composite making.
05.05.09
Inspiration vs. Perspiration
Some days it seems like images are everywhere, just waiting to be captured or image composites pop into my head just waiting to be executed. Other days, like today — the 5th straight day of rain in the northeast US — the world seems to be a very gray, flat place.
What to do? It’s time to grind it out. I invent visual exercises that will make me look at the world from a different perspective. Here are some of the assignments that I give myself to cope until the muse strikes. I do these exercises with or without a camera.
- Look for specific colors — Find every object in the room or are that is red, white, blue, green, etc.
- Look for specific shapes — Find rectangles, circles, etc.
- Look for specific textures — rough, smooth, metallic, etc.
- Imagine a different viewpoint — How would the space look to you as an ant? a giant? a child? a cat?
I exercise my creative image composite muscles, as well.
- Lug out the old Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary. Open it to a random page, With eyes closed point at the page until your finger lands on an adjective. Pick another random page and repeat the process to find a verb and another to find a noun. Peruse your clip art or search through stock photos and try to create an image described by the random adjective, verb, and noun.
- Page through a magazine and choose 2 or more different advertisement images and scan them in or mentally create a new composite image using elements that appear in the ad.
- Pull out the art books and browse through images produced by the masters. Use clip art and filters to mimic the composition of an image that strikes your fancy.
- Think of a favorite quote or adage. How could it be communicated using only an image?
04.30.09
Gearing up
One of the seminars that I teach for budding digital photographers is called Technology Consumer: Buying a Digital Camera. This session is fairly popular in early November when folks are thinking about Christmas gifts.
I am often asked what equipment I own — a mixture of Canon and Olympus — but what’s right for me is not necessarily what will work for other folks. I always advise my seminar attendees to do a little research and I have found two sites that are very helpful.
The first is the Digital Camera Advisor. This site walks the user through a series of question about the camera usage, features, and price range and offers suggested models.
The second is the Comparometer. This site allows the user to choose two different camera models and compare their image capture side by side, something that would be cost prohibitive for most folks.
Check out these sites. I think you’ll find them useful.
04.20.09
Everlasting Moments
I recently viewed the Swedish film Everlasting Moments. The movie is based on the life of wife, mother, and photographer Maria Larrson. The action occurs in the early 20th century, a time when photography was still very much in its infancy. Larrson will not be a well known name in photography circles, but the images she created that were shown in the movie were quite remarkable. Larrson had natural instincts for composition and supplemented her family’s meager income by taking pictures of familes in her neighborhood.
As I watched the film, I found myself pondering the role of still photography in our lives. We have easy access to full motion video with sound and yet still photography is something that we still value — freezing a monment in time, capturing a fleeting expression, memorializing an important event. Technology to create and share still images continues to evolve — greater resolution for cameras, digital picture frames, new print technologies for greater image fideltiy.
Still images haunt us. Still images warm our hearts. Still images bring tears to our eyes. Still images rend our emotions. Still images will always be with us.
04.12.09
The Light Stuff
In my last posting, I wrote briefly about Ansel Adams and the Zone system for improving accuracy in exposure settings. Another important aspect of Adams’ work was the notion of visualization. In other words, using your mind to capture the image before capturing it on film.
This idea of visualization is something that photographers need to consciously develop. As human beings, we are bombarded with a large variety sensory stimuli. For survival purposes, our brains learn to focus on the details that are important to us and to ignore the rest.
Don’t believe me? Read the text in the triangle below:
Did you catch the second “the”? If you are confused by my question go back and read the text again, slowly. Still don’t see it? Read the text out loud.
I learned this lesson the hard way in an image that I captured when I first became serious about photography. I was documenting the construction of my house. The construction contract dictated that I was not allowed inside the house without an escort. Since I was working during the day I was only able to check on progress in the evenings, so I took pictures from the outside.
As the construction progressed, I decided to take a picture of the family room. I was so intent on capturing the interior that I failed to notice what I was actually capturing. I rushed off to have the film developed. Imagine my surprise when I reviewed my pictures. I had a lovely picture of my reflection in the patio door. Had I thoroughly analyzed the scene, I would have changed the angle and/or used a polarizing filter.
So what does this have to do with light?
Our brains also make adjustments related to lighting. The brain will compensate for problems in lighting when we view a scene. As photographers, we have to sharpen our awareness of the differences between our perceptions and what will be captured on film.
Use a critical eye when viewing a scene. Practice this even when you don’t have a camera in your hands. Analyze the light sources. Note the shadows.
You can also practice refining your visualization skills online using the light cage at Photoworkshop.Com.
A word of warning — the model in the light cage is a virtual nude female head and torso. If nudity bothers you, you will not want to use this tool.
04.07.09
Are you in the zone?
I recently had a conversation with a young graphic designer who used Photoshop to edit photographs that appeared in her layouts. She did not have a photography background and wanted about “this zone business”. If you are self taught as a photographer or don’t have a photography background, the zone system is probably a foreign concept to you.
Ansel Adams, famed black and white nature photographer, developed the zone system to assure that his images would be correctly exposed. The system divides the monochrome spectrum from black to shades of gray to white into 10 zones. A gray card — Zone 5 — is used in conjunction with the camera’s light meter to set the proper exposure.
A digitial calibration target, is today’s version of the gray card. A target — containing a minimum of black, gray, and white areas — is used set exposures and white balance before an image is captured. It is also used for color correction when the image is later edited in Photoshop. Test shots under taken under the same lighting conditions provide a reference for setting shadows, midtones, and highlights.
04.03.09
The Photography of Joe McNally
Last month at Photshop World in Boston, I enjoyed attending seminars presented by dozens of top notch photographers and Photoshop professionals. The work of those I appreciate most will be featured in posts on this blog.
Today’s “victim” is Joe McNally. You can find a wealth of information about this highly respected photographer — his work and professional activities — at his web site http://www.joemcnally.com/portfolio/portfolio.html
His latest work with small flashes is documented in The Hot Shoe Diaries: Big Light From Small Flashes. McNally’s work style is old school. He does not use Photoshop, although he does have an assistant who uses Photoshop for post production touch ups. His goal — and the goal of all good photographers — is to capture the image as perfectly as possible with the first click. Although he eschews Photoshop, that doesn’t mean that he does not embrace new technology. As illustrated in his book, even single TTL wireless flash mounted on a GorillaPod can dramatically change the character of an image.
I’ve done most of my photography with available light, but wireless flash technology has really expanded my thoughts about what “available light” really means. A wireless TTL flash will be finding its way to my equipment bag in the very near future.
03.31.09
Welcome to Light Echoes
Light Echoes. This title might sound like a pair of mismatched terms. Light is visual. Echoes are aural. In this case, the echoes are referring to emotional resonance that is generated by an image and remains in our hearts and minds even after the image is no longer in view.
This blog will explore a variety of topics related to photography — whatever crosses my mind at the time. Topics will include:
- Image Analysis - how/why does an image evoke emotion?
- Visual Literacy
- Creativity challenges – playing with concepts and capturing the image
- Photoshop tips
- New hardware or software
- Legal issues
