Advice to grow/self-workshop...

kwalsh

This didn't seem like a job for the Refinery, so I decided to post here. I'm looking for any advice on improvement. I'm going to be in the northwest of Death Valley for about 10 days at the start of November, entirely by myself in the middle of nowhere, and looking to do a bit of a self run workshop for myself. Here are some shots from a four day trip I took the end of last year for reference:











I'm pretty happy with my technique, not too shabby at post-processing. I'm getting reasonably good at pre-visualization (e.g. that salt flats shot was "composed" 3 hours earlier and 50 miles away when I suspected I'd get cirrus clouds on the western horizon to provide pink side-light and started driving like mad, good thing I was setup an hour early - that magic light lasted less than 45 seconds - and no, I hardly touched the saturation slider, it really was that magic). I've gotten pretty good at slowing down and treating every camera like it is a 4x5 view camera, that has certainly improved my compositions. I'm also typically composing without the camera at all, only taking it out when I've found the shot, I find that helps me as well.

I'm feeling though that not many of my shots are very original, they are pretty but I don't sense they'd really grab a viewer for more than a few moments glance.
They/I seem to lack a "vision" I guess. I'm hoping to improve that. I've read and enjoyed the following books focused more on creativity and compostion than technique recently:

Alain Briot, "Mastering Photographic Composition, Creativity, and Style"
David Ward, "Landscape Beyond: A Journey into Photograpy"
David DuChemin, "Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision"

I've also finally decided to take the oft repeated advice of learning to draw as a way to improve ones vision and am working through the frequently recommended "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain". I think this is going to have merit.

So - anyway - I'm going to be by myself for 10 days with my camera in what I consider for me the most inspiring landscape in the world and I'm looking for any ideas/advice/books/excercises or whatever anyone has that they might feel help me improve. Help me create a self-workshop as it were. Oh, and critique, even harsh, is of course very welcome.

Thanks for taking the time!

Ken

schmoo

Hi Ken, and what an awesome idea!

First of all, I can't help but just say be careful out there. It's a rough world and of course we wouldn't want you to perish for your art.

That said, that's a great idea and I think finding solace in absolute seclusion in a beautiful place is a good way to really work on yourself and forge new discoveries.

I'm not really helpful in providing references for feedback on the books as I have a shelf-full of guides that have just not (yet) been read. But you're certainly not alone in some of the things youv'e already learned - mostly that pre-visualization is a really good way to get "The Shot," even though keeping the mind open for serendipity has merit, too.

And yes, the more you learn, the pickier about good light you tend to be. And you end up taking the camera out a lot less, too! But the level of frustration can increase proportionately.

You've obviously got a really good grip on not only yourself and your equipment, but on post-processing as well. Of the shots you posted I think #3 does it for me. It has the best combination of light and composition, and together it turns a fairly ordinary subject into an extraordinary one.

Good luck and I hope other photographers chip in on this too before you leave!

Rob Zijlstra

Hello Ken,

Enjoyed the pictures, very nice. For me (as a European I suppose) the colors of the landscapes are not real. I think that's because we don't have these kinds of landscapes and therefore are not used to these colors.
Shot #2 and the last one are more 'real' in my eyes. Especially #2: somehow it says something about the 'West' to me.

As you can see from my comments, art is purely in the eyes of the beholder!

About the books: I own also 'Within the frame' and enjoyed it. Another one you might consider is: 'Creative Landscape Photography' by Niall Benvie. It gives a bit of advice about your equipment and things like the effects of DOF etc, but mostly you learn a lot about comp. and when to do what in certain kinds of weather and time of day. I can recommend it.

Have a nice stay and looking forward to your pictures!

kwalsh

Thanks for the feedback Rob & schmoo!

Yeah, I always go out there well prepared with plenty of food, water, spare tires, extraction tools - loved ones have my intinerary and I have means to ask for rescue if the very worst should happen (hurray for satellites). I'll be out longer this time, and with more direct focus on trying to improve my photography.

Photo #3 was a relatively mundane spot near the back end of a campground, not the spot one would expect to find a good photo op - the right light will do wonders (assuming you can avoid ruining it in post!).

Rob I completely understand your take on the colors, I'm always perplexed by the best way to handle the rocks and soils in Death Valley. They can quickly change from subtle pastels to unreal with both the light and how your eye interprets the scene - trying to replicate that with the camera and post-processing is just fraught with trouble. I've seen other photographers run the gamut as it were with their interpretations.

Thanks for the comment on #2, that is a photo I would have skipped in the past - I have a growing apprecitation for detail shots these days. I really should have set up a tripod in retrospect for that one - that salt brush in the background just touching the bottom of the wagon bugs me everytime I see the shot and that error is something slowing down and taking more time would have fixed.

And thanks for the book recommendation, from the few Amazon reviews it looks like a large part of it is what I'm interested in reading these days. Not in my local library, looks like there are some inexpensive used copies to be had.

Anyway, thanks both of you for taking the time to read and respond.

Ken