Flambient vs HDR
/Referring to a proven and functional process with a new stupid name does not make the process either new, or unique. Or the person writing about how it changes everything remotely approaching intelligent.
Read MoreWelcome to The Photo Video Guy. I share training, ideas, opinions and tips to help you make better photographs and videos.
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Referring to a proven and functional process with a new stupid name does not make the process either new, or unique. Or the person writing about how it changes everything remotely approaching intelligent.
Read MorePatterns and repetitions are two very different approaches to telling your story, despite sounding the same. Join me to learn the differences and challenge yourself to find them both.
Read MoreWhen photographing motion, we MUST provide a space for the moving subject to move into.
Read MoreIn this development assignment, I am encouraging you to build skills and images in your personal development work around the topic of capturing motion.
Read MoreThis very specific exercise is a boon to learn to see how light works to help facilitate your story and turn a two dimensional image into something more compelling. It should be an integral part of your personal development process and reference toolkit.
Read MoreIn keeping with the idea of getting things right in camera, I want to propose an assignment for personal development using a technique first made evident in the Renaissance and the Baroque periods using the technique called chiaroscuro
Read MoreBuilding your skill library to seek out and include lines of sight in your images, makes you a more communicative photographer and helps tighten up your storytelling.
Read MoreThe use of natural frames enhances the story of your image. Learn how to use frames effectively and why on their own, they aren’t enough.
Read MoreClaude Monet - all rights reserved, used solely for editorial purposes
I must thank my friend Rick Sammon for this phrase and all credit for it goes to him. That said, this basic principle is ignored more than any of us should approve.
Obviously I am not talking about the disposable snapshot or selfie, I refer only to a created image. It’s imperative that as creatives, should we choose to make our images available to others, but more importantly to ourselves, that what we make creates a connection to the viewer in one second or less.
Does that seem fast? It’s a short time but longer than the average human’s visual attention span when viewing still images. As an artist, never assume that any viewer other than yourself is going to spend time looking at, let along observing your work. You want to catch them fast.
Filling the frame with your ONE subject helps achieve this. Of course your subject must be interesting, your composition well structured, your processing effective, but avoiding useless clutter is paramount.
yousef karsh - all rights reserved - used for editorial purposes only
If in creating an image, you place equal weight on your subject and the background, it is going to fail. The purpose of a background is to push attention to the subject. Humans in this decade are visually lazy, moreso with video than stills but in any case lazy. Much more so than even ten years ago. It is a natural response to the stunning amount of utter dreck foisted upon humanity by inane posters on social media and numbskulls who think that their work is so good that everyone should fall over in supplication.
It doesn’t happen.
By filling the frame you communicate your intent, your goal and provide a framework for the viewer to create his or her story from your image.
lee miller - all rights reserved - used for editorial purposes only
A good place to look is at the paintings of the Old Masters. Their strongest work is very complete and fills the frame. It provides sufficient context and everything that is not the subject supports the subject. So look at this work.
Filling the frame does not have to mean that the subject is the only entity the viewer sees, although that really does help with the attention deficit crowd.
We can also look at images made by famous photographers, who are famous BECAUSE of their work, not for being well liked or well known
If we look at the Claude Monet painting at the top of the article, the subject is immediately clear to the viewer and everything else in the painting contributes to the subject and helps the viewer create his or her own story.
The photograph made by Yousef Karsh in 1949 of Albert Einstein is not the one seen most often, but personally I like it better. The frame is filled but not so much that the viewer with no knowledge of Einstein cannot get a sense of the greatness of the man.
The photograph made towards the end of World War II by one time model and later wartime photographer Lee Miller fills the frame just enough to communicate intent and story, but no more.
It’s work. It is planful. Artists are planful, snapshooters are not. You tell your stories your way and by actively engaging to fill the frame, you literally create the framework for your creation.
This is not an exercise or assignment because it is required for every image that matters to you. We already know that there are many things that we as creatives can do. This one however, could be considered non-optional.
Please become a member on Patreon to help support this channel. A big thanks to all the existing Patreon members! Send in comments or questions, I read and respond to all. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page as it pays me a small commission and does not cost you anything to do so. Thanks again and we will see each other again soon.
Conveying scale is a professional technique in photography, but many fail to do so, and some actively work not to have scale indicators. This assignment helps you to build this important skill
Read MoreThe placement of the horizon is a simple yet powerful experiment as where the horizon is placed tells the viewer what is important. This personal development exercise helps the committed photographer to learn to see what horizon placement does.
Read MoreHey everyone. I’ve been posting articles on topics that encourage the committed photographer to try new approaches and thereby build skills and options. What I failed to do was to indicate that in the title, although many of you figured it out immediately regardless. But in trying to make things easier, I’m going to try to remember to indicate these things as Personal Development Assignments.
This time, I want to discuss a topic called Dynamic Angles. We’ve all seen images that exhibit this technique and they are memorable because they cause some level of viewer discomfort.
The look is simple, Vertical subject lines are composed to not be parallel to the vertical edges of the frame and horizontal lines are composed to not be parallel to the horizontal edges of the frame.
To be clear, I don’t mean being out a bit due to a compositional error, but an intential composition that creates this effect.
Cinematographers have used this effect for decades, often in the thriller and horror genres but it can be used anytime you want to create the sense of something “not quite right” to quote my friends in the UK. In cinema, this approach is called “Dutch Angle”.
The most obvious subject type for this assignment is architecture because that’s where we see this technique used most often. I would emphasize that this is technique to be “made in camera” not done in post. You have to observe what you see to make great photographs.
However, your subject does not have to be a building although they are relatively easy to find. Try as well for humans or animals. Take a look at the next image to see how this approach creates tension and viewer interest.
Another good use of this technique involves humans, but also chooses a position to create dynamic angles and to empower the subject. Consider this following image.
The combination of a low shooting position and dynamic angles of the paramedics makes this photo more interesting.
For your own use, whether for your own pleasure, your online presence or simply as a learning tool make five images that use Dynamic Angle. Keep them in a collection for reference. You can of course combine other techniques if it helps you make a more compelling image.
I hope that you engage in and enjoy this assignment. I wish you great success.
Please become a member on Patreon to help support this channel. A big thanks to all the existing Patreon members! Send in comments or questions, I read and respond to all. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page as it pays me a small commission and does not cost you anything to do so. Thanks again and we will see each other again soon.
Our pets are members of our families and making images of our loved pets is both fun and the ability to create memories. Making great pet photographs is not hard and these tips will help you achieve those goals producing photos that will make great prints, wallpapers and for sharing.
Read MoreOBServe where the eyes are looking and show it
Hello folks. When actually observing a photograph to learn from what the creator has seen, see beyond the subject. Where is the subject going? What is the subject looking at?
In a perfect world, all photographic stories would be completely evident and while simple for the lazy to understand, such photographic stories turn into “see Dick run, see Jane run” pretty darn quick and can get boring unless extremely well done.
Let’s start with the question of where the subject is going.
A subject in motion needs a place to move into. Thus you as the photographer must leave plenty of space for your moving subject to move into. If there is no space, the image creates the mental impact of a pending crash and that’s going to negatively impact all but the dullest viewer.
there is plenty of space for the rider to move into
If it’s possible show the target of the movement. Consider a water skier in motion, towards a ski jump. Show the target. The same example could be translated to a ski jumper and the ramp. Or the gates in a slalom race. Or the barrels in barrel racing. Or the soccer ball at the kid’s game. The concept here is of the subject and the object of the subject’s focus.
All the girls are focused on the ball
So let’s move onto focus. You want to show the subject’s eyes and be able to show where the subject is looking. The object of the focus may not be in the frame, in which case the gesture and the expression need to convey enough to the viewer that he or she can create a story in their mind. For example, a fencer in a lunge, doesn’t need to show the opponent because our mind will fill in that blank. The same would be true for the grandkid taking their first jump or dive off the high board.
the image tells the story of the gate but the skier’s eyes are looking downhill at the next gate
However, if the intent of the subject is not clear, or the eyes are leading out of frame, your image needs to create in the viewer’s mind a sense of what the subject is looking at. Sometimes you can record the target of their attention, which simplifies the viewing and can hone the story into one of concentration, or commitment. Consider a photo of a bride and groom. The most powerful of such photos is when they are looking into each other’s eyes. There is no guessing required on the part of the viewer.
no guessing of intent required
The concept of showing where your subject is looking, or moving into is a simple one, but getting the image requires planning on your part, including research, prepping yourself by being in the right place to make the image and timing to get the image that compellingly tells the story. By making this part of your learning and practice regimen, you will become a better observing photographer and will generate better images.
Please become a member on Patreon to help support this channel. A big thanks to all the existing Patreon members! Send in comments or questions, I read and respond to all. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page as it pays me a small commission and does not cost you anything to do so. Thanks again and we will see each other again soon.
Hello folks. There is a surprisingly high level of misinformation and lack of clarity around your original images that you copy or download from your camera memory card.
Some people believe that it’s different for RAW and for JPEG files. That’s wrong. From an original integrity perspective the situation is identical unless the user does something foolish.
Read MoreHi folks. I saw an article that proposed that we as committed digital photographers could do everything we could possibly need to do using only a tablet or a smartphone. This struck me as so incredibly inane, that I had to look more closely.
Read MoreThe f/8 and Be There training has been around for a long time, but many current photographers have never heard of it, let alone used it as a skills development tool.
Read MoreWe understand the value proposition of a crutch when our mobility is challenged. But if you have ever been relegated to using a crutch for an extended period of time, you’ve also realized that while it can be beneficial, it’s also often a hindrance. What happens when you allow your gear to become a crutch?
Read MoreYour assignment this time is you. Self portraits that tell your story, told by you. Scary? Shouldn’t be. Challenging? Perhaps. An awesome project? Absolutely.
Read MoreThis time I want to introduce the Time After Time Project. It’s very simple but has a long duration.
It definitely requires planning in advance and a commitment to stick with things. Your end result could be an Express presentation, a slide show, a collage or some kind of montage.
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