It’s time for a break for all the busy-ness of business, plus the chaos of the last while. If you haven’t heard the ‘Austrian Gorge‘ gets it face on the cover of Lenswork. I know I’ve being rabbiting on about it, just never thought it would happen. I was content getting something together and submitting the work as a goal to complete. Well a few people have now ask how do I get into Lenswork ? “Through the submission form silly 🙂 “, ok already it’s a bit more than that, a few tips to begin.
On composition
I think it was when listening to a photographer being interview on a podcast, the candid frame (I do recommend listening to podcasts concerning photography, they’re brilliant for development, insight, ideas and amazingly they’re free). Back to the story, he was asked what makes a good photograph, and one of the criteria was, a strong subject. Well I guess this is true I thought at the time, it would certainly make the process a bit easier. So once you have found your subject you wish to photograph, walk around it, see it in your mind’s eye, imagine how you want it to look as a finished work. The process of “seeing” takes time and training, but once it clicks and you are patience with yourself and camera, it’s well worth it. Do the technical bit, think about it and start the next step, the Eddie.
The Eddie
Eddie who? Edward Weston! who once said, or a paraphrase “composition is the strongest way of seeing”, being one of the greats, as a landscape photographer along with Ansel and Bullock, they made up West Coast trio. (‘Kids have no respect these days’, History of photography is crucial, for learning from the masters. Most definitely check out Jeff Curto’s podcasts). Practicing and developing composition is just like daily exercise it’s required if you want to stay trained. Don’t be afraid to try things out, but ultimately try and make an image that you’ve taken and that no one one else could. Also getting close to a subject guarantees a certain amount of success while it acts as a good safeguard for making the image. But that bit extra, is in choosing what’s not in the image is so important, to sharpen the viewer’s attention.
Premature a-shutter-lation
Maybe a funny way of saying it, often the first time you meet your subject all the excitement, ends up in lots of shutter presses to capture everything. I’ll be the first to admit it and the last one to notice it, and I think we’ve all done this, seeing something incredible and start firing without much thought. But if you don’t take care or at a least a moment to understand what you want do, you may miss it. Timing is so important along with the thing between your ears! and let your heart follow afterward.
So there you are (unless you were some place else), some pointers, at least, hope you enjoyed the ramble, feel free to comment, (I’m never sure if anyone read this, but the last piece might wake this blog up!)
So off to Ireland this Tuesday, I’ll meet up with Mono Neil you can catch him on his blog http://mononeil.wordpress.com/
Image: People’s Park, Dun Laoghaire, Ireland, Taken 24 Oct. 2009 Canon 5D 50mm 2.8 1/1600 ISO 100