Photography has always been a means of visual communication. Just as we see computers being used for correspondence, or scientific research, design and art, so a camera (digital/ analogue-film) can be used for anything from objective documentation to fantasy.
The question that circles my mind for these workshops is:
How do you learn to make better pictures?
When thinking about this question another question arises:
What makes a good picture.
Once you know the technical basics, such as shutter and aperture control where do you go from there? Generally speaking you begin to examine in terms of content (that part of the picture process that focuses on meaning and value to the two-dimensional picture plain). Every time you make an exposure you make choices, either deliberately or accidentally. Do you show the whole scene or just a detail? Do you make everything sharp from foreground to background or have only part of the scene in focus? Do you use a fast shutter speed to freeze motion sharply or a slow shutter speed to blur it? These are only some of your choices, and you can't expect to get immediate control over all of them. Photography is an exciting and sometimes frustrating medium just because there are so many ways to deal with a subject.
Edward Weston (Artistic Photographer/USA 1900s) said, 'Good composition is only the strongest way of seeing the subject. It cannot be taught because, like all creative effort, it is a matter of personal growth.' It cannot be taught, but as Barbara London Upton and John Upton write in 'Photography - fourth edition', it can be learned by looking at photographs, responding to them, asking questions, looking at a scene, trying something, seeing how it looks - and trying again.
To begin with, the point of taking a photograph, and those first thoughts of the 'scene' and 'detail'. Beginners or amateur photographers are usually reluctant to show anything less than the whole thing. You might have noticed that with many snapshots the photographer has taken the subject in their entirety. The person, be it a young boy, is shown from head to toe even though this might make the boy's face so small that the viewer can no longer see who it might be. It is this point which is so over looked in the moment as it was probably the boy's face that attracted the photographer in the first place and now that 'detail' is lost, or not clear and therefore the image has lost its hold over the viewer. Robert Capa, a war photographer known for the intensity and immediacy of his images states, ' If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough'.
As we clearly understand the camera's viewfinder frames or isolates part of a larger scene. Choices have to be made through the camera's eyepiece as to the framing of the image, in regards to it being horizontal or vertical? Portrait photographers recommend that you do not crop a person at a joint, such as a wrist or knee, because that part of the body will look unnaturally amputated or will seem to protrude into the picture without connection. Cropping with a purpose can add impact to a picture.
When we look at a scene we tend to focus our attention on whatever is of interest to us and ignore the rest, but the lens includes everything within its angle of view. To most of you this point will seem obvious but what's amazing is that more often than not the photographs that you will make display some contrast with the background and into weakens the image, e.g.; a large building coming out of the subjects head or tree brunch. So as you look through the viewfinder image the finished image and its flatness, then change or point of view, perspective to allow for that background.
Spot/Line
Working quickly is seen as the typical practice for most photographers, selecting the best views possible in the 'moment'. Understanding basic design principals and concepts such as spot, line, shape, pattern, emphasis and balance helps the photographer direct a viewer's attention. A single element or 'spot' can be a strong design tool, allowing for control of the viewer's eye. A single element of design seldom occurs in isolation. The word spotlight is a clue to the effect of a single spot against a neutral or contrasting background: it draws attention to itself and away from the surrounding area. In contrast to the spot, paths or linear shapes that can be labelled 'lines' are another visual tool which can be incorporated into the photographic image. Lines give direction by moving the eye across the picture.
Shape/Pattern
In a photograph, a shape is always two-dimensional, but tonal changes across an object can give the illusion of depth. A silhouette on the other hand can be a photographers choice in how they wish to exhibit an object. Silhouettes are those objects/shapes that have become reduced to a singular tone. The repetition of spots, lines or shapes in a pattern can add interest and unite the elements in a scene.
Emphasis/Balance
Emphasis on an element will direct attention to it. If too many parts of a photograph demand equal attention, a viewer won't be sure what to look at first. Contrast attracts attention. The eye quickly notices differences such as sharp versus unsharp, light versus dark, large versus small. If you want to emphasise a subject, try to show it in a setting against which it stands out. People know when a picture is in balance even if they can't explain why. A picture that is balanced does not call attention to that fact, but an unbalanced one can feel uncomfortably off center or top-heavy. Visually, dark is heavier than light, an object at the edge has more weight than at the center.
Having just read these last two pages you can begin to form a simple understanding of the many hidden or non-mechanical tools which apply to photography. An example such as line which can have psychological overtones: horizontal line meaning calm or stability, where as vertical lines within the image frame might be stature or strength.
A important and final point especially for those who will be working with others within the medium of photograph, speak with the person who produced the image, and ask them to break it down for you. Tell the story that sits on either side of the frozen moment, as it's true that there are a thousand words to each image - so to save time, lets focus on what's being told as oppose to not!
Upton, Barbara and Upton, John (1989), Photography 4th ed., Library of Congress - United States, London
Shore, Stephen (1998), The Nature of Photographs, The Johns Hospkins Uni Press, Baltimore
Wells, Liz (1996), Photography: A Critical Introduction, 2nd ed., Routledge, London, UK
Langford, Michael (1980), The Story of Photography, Focal Press, London, UK
Newton, Gael (1988), Shades of Light - Photography and Australia 1839-1988 , Collins and Australian National Gallery, Canberra.
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