Where is the discussion about being creative. Colours. Shapes

alaios

Dear all,
I am looking for the discussion about
1.how to see creatively
2. how to crop images, to make better compositions (this or that crop?)
3. how to combine colors in composition
4. how to select the right light source

typically everyone is dying to discuss about gear, bodies and lenses. Lets assume that we all have the best gear in the world (or 100.000 dollars to buy what you want).. What comes next?

I am also intrested for books and tutorials videos on these issues

Cheers
Alex

pathfinder

Hi Alex,

I am with you. Once one has been photographing for a while, and collected a bit of gear ( or a closet full ), one eventually realizes that equipment is rarely the limiting factor in creating great images. One needs a better "eye"

The real secret, I think, is being able to imagine great pictures in one's mind, and then planning on realizing those images in one's camera. After all, a camera is just a black box that shields one's film or sensor from ambient light.

In answer to your questions, I find going to museums - whether art or photographic - is helpful to let one see how masterpieces were created, and how great photos actually look up close. I read and look at a lot of books of art and photography, since i think if they were published, they must have appealed to an editor somewhere along the line. A list of these types of books would literally be dozens, and dozens of pages long. My most recent acquisition was "Edward Curtis = The Master Prints" which is a collection of large scale platinum prints he exhibited around 1905. I do watch some videos on the web. And I attend numerous photographic workshops, where I learn from the Pro leading the workshop, and from the other people attending the workshop as well. Join a good photographic club, if you have one in your area.

Cropping is a skill that can be learned, but there are no final answers, as this is art, not science. Rule of thirds, leading lines, placement of subjects and light and shadow all play a role. Bruce Barnbaum's "The Art of Photography" can be quite helpful

The study of color, is something that artists spend years doing, so it is fitting that photographers spend a little time working at it also. Start by paying attention to complimentary colors, and then branch out from there. I once noted that many of my images that people like the most, contain complimentary colors, orange and blue, red and green, or purple and yellow for example.

Light sources do not always allow themselves to be chosen, like clouds, fog, snow etcetera, but it is always good to be aware of them and take advantage of them. I always try to get out during fog, or recent snow because they provide great opportunities to shoot fresh images.

The questions you asked, Alex, are not easy to answer succinctly, as whole courses in college are offered about each of your questions, I suspect. Keep reading, studying, watching videos, and take a workshop if you can with great pros. Learning is a lifelong process, not something done in a few hours, for me, at least.

Another book I like is George Barr's "Why Photographs Work"

The fine art magazine "Lens Work" is another great resource not to be missed. \


Post an image for discussion here, if you have questions about cropping or other questions about improving your image. I am sure that other readers will offer more answers to your very important questions. I look forward to their answers as well.

alaios

Hi and thanks for the nice resources shared. I will look those carefully over the weekend. Intresting though to me is that none other people wanted to join the discussion, perhaps there is a new super -duper-ultra-hyper-high great zoom lense coming, with 0% distortion at full moon when over-underxposing the noise of the bumped iso causing half diffraction with fill in flash which of course is gonna ruin the composition.

A.

pathfinder

Lots of folks hope that better hardware will result in better pictures.

After we acquire some good hardware, we finally come to realize that good imagery is not usually hardware dependent, but dependent on the perceptive eye and skill of the photographer.

I am quite content to participate in these discussions, but they tend to wax philosophical, and are not always easy to put to paper, or screen as the case may be.

Complimentary colors at work here….

lifeinfocus

Check out the book "The Photographer's Eye" by Michael Freeman, or look at photos from websites like http://www.1x.com I check out that website everyday to see what I like and what I don't.

Join a camera club and enter competitions. Entering competitions has encouraged me to be more critical of my images and what I should edit and not edit.

The above has helped me, and I still have a long way to go. To me that is the fun of it.

Phil

pathfinder

Thanks, Phil, I was not familiar with 1x.com. Very interesting images.

ian408

It's a sort of game. We all see things differently so learning how to manipulate a vision into something that's pleasing to others is the real key.

I agree that studying the works of others can help in that regard but learning a few of the rules of composition and color go a long way in both understanding and conveyance. So too does the understanding relationships between shutter speed and aperture and focal length of lenses. If you learn even a bit about that, whether you are working with a camera or editor, you can figure out what to do.

pathfinder

One of the unspoken truths about photographic images seen today, like many of them on 1x, is that they are not as they came out of the camera, but have been heavily edited in Photoshop, Lightroom, or some other image editing program. Today, it is not just how do I take photographs that are captivating and composed well, but how do I edit them to bring out their very best appearance.

I know, I know, everyone says their image is straight out of the camera.

I believe that is rarely true of images in print or on line today. Certainly, some images are indeed, SOOC, but very few used in print or advertising, or even fine art, I submit.

I am not saying I disagree with image editing, I support it wholeheartedly, but it does mean that newcomers to photography have many skills to learn, not just exposure and composition, even though they are fundamental.

But this was true 75 years ago, as well, as few printed images were straight darkroom prints, but had been modified by skilled darkroom technicians with dodging and burning at the very least.

I think of progressing in photography as a life long endeavor. One never stops learning new skill and techniques, hopefully.

As to how to see creatively….. I think some images are visualized in the mind of the photographer, who then goes about setting up the image with props, models, lights etc to create the image that is then captured on film or sensor. Gregory Crewdson is this kind of photographer - more like a movie director setting up a scene. Other images are captured as the photographer wanders about without a preconceived notion about what image they want, but are open to grabbing scenes that surprise them or catch their eye as they wander through the world. Think Henri Cartier-Bresson, or other street shooters.

Both techniques can provide fascinating images, but not everyone can create with both techniques easily. Then, there is the middle ground where you have an idea of what you want, but do not create it, so much as try to capture it in the wild, so to speak.

ian408

I think the 'seeing' part comes more easily once you understand a few of the rules of composition & practice, practice, practice.

I agree with the processing techniques. Whole different ball of wax these days.