KEEP IT SIMPLE
LESSON ONE
Here are some of the ideas I employ when I photograph. They represent my vision of photography. Many of the concepts that follow were used when I taught photography at Northern Arizona University.
Much of what follows is written in first person because the ideas work for me, but may not agree with the same tools or ideas used by other photographers.
Many of these ideas have worked well for my students and perhaps some will resonate with you as well.
Questions? Write me at pschwepker@gmail.com or call me at 719-424-9418 and we will set up a FaceTime or phone chat!
• I try to dedicate my photographic eye to KEEP VISUAL SIMPLICITY IN A COMPLEX SCENE.
More simply stated, I try to pull CLARITY OUT OF CLUTTER!
That starts in the viewfinder: I feel no rush to push the shutter until I have FILLED MY VIEWFINDER with the image I want to publish. That means I see my photo in the viewfinder like it would appear in a huge print. I look side to side and top to bottom of my viewfinder to eliminate interfering objects.
• I work hard at excluding distracting details—
remembering that exclusion is just as important as inclusion.
• I try to be bold in my vision, and be courageous enough to push limits. I try to adjust my height, placement and perspective and by all means, I try to be original. I wander and explore a lot. I always make myself turn around to make sure I am not missing something behind my back (like a changing sky).
I try to remind myself to always get
THE shot, not just A shot.
• I try to go back to a scene when the LIGHT and CONDITIONS improve. I try not to publish every scene I shoot when I know it could be better at some point in the future with a better sky or light (or season).
The introductory photo above is an example. Balanced Rock is photographed by everyone! Still, it remains one of my favorite places to photograph (and close to home!!!!).
I found this little ridge in the rock not far from Balanced Rock that framed the rock nicely, and then waited months for the right sky and it finally fell together.
In building this photo, I had to EXCLUDE a parking area, wait for a time when there were no people, and make sure that a small bush on the left was not blending with the rock and then photograph only when there was an awesome sky (I don’t do sky replacements). Four months of returning to the scene! EXCLUSION in the viewfinder is critical.
Examining the viewfinder TOP TO BOTTOM, SIDE TO SIDE
saves heartache in processing.
Reviewing your digital images in real time helps you
eliminate distractions in real time!
• When I am at a scene that is very detailed and very busy, I don’t photograph it until I have started to PULL CLARITY OUT OF CLUTTER. This is my mantra for personal photographic composition!
COMPOSITION COMPONENTS
Dominant foreground
1. One way of pulling clarity out of clutter is the use of a dominant foreground object. The photo below had too much competing information before including the tree in the foreground.
The tree tied the scene together vertically as it linked the sky to the ground. The foreground object tends to catch the eye and encourages the viewer to explore deeper into the photo detail without getting lost. This is organization, a key to good composition which draws the viewer into the photo but also keeps them in the frame.
NEXT UP, KEEP EXPLORING. BE BOLD!
TECH STUFF ABOUT FSTOPS AND SHUTTER SPEEDS. I ALWAYS SHOOT ON MANUAL EXPOSURE;
The above photo is the second view of the scene which uses the tree in a different and more profound perspective. It gives a better view of tree texture while allowing the viewer to see the beauty beyond.
I try never to assume I have the perfect shot! I feel the kiss of death in photography is when I or someone says "I just took a GREAT shot." I never stop building on my last "good" shot because I want to get the maximum out of the maximum.
I also like to get the maximum out of the minimum. I try to work in such a way that even if someone took the same shot at sometime in the future, my choice of sky, light, perspective, and composition would continue to hold up over time.
I also remind myself that just because it came out of MY camera does not make it a "great" shot. In fact, I am still looking for the perfect photograph.
GREAT photos are the ones where the result is unique and unexpected and...of course...beautifully photographed!
I remind myself--seeing the above photo--that greatnesss is caused by the unexpected. For instance--the above photo with tree could have been STRONGER IF a Pronghorn went galloping across the frame at sunset!
So when I am in the presence of something good, I wear it out. I hope--but seldom get--that Pronghorn galloping in an already beautiful scene.
Dominant objects draw the viewer like a headline does a story in a newspaper or magazine. (By the way, a dominant object really helps when when people see it in a small format, like a phone.
COMPOSITION COMPONENTS
Leading Lines
The concept of Leading Lines is a great way to walk a viewer through a busy scene and add a feeling of depth and dimension to your photograph. A leading line can organize your composition and help pull clarity out of clutter.
COMPOSITION COMPONENTS
Spotlighting, shadows and silhouettes
Many times light produces dominance, clarity, drama and depth to your photographs. I prefer natural spotlighting, although in some night photos, I will paint an object to get the preferred effect.
It may seem that this concept should be included under the topic of light, but I feel strongly that the way light works with the landscape is a major factor of how one composes a photograph.
Any tool that brings the viewer to the center of the photo is--in my opinion--a compositional concept. I think that bringing the viewer to the center and holding them there is a key to a successful photo.
Natural spotlighting is exciting, but painful if you are not patient. Intermittent sun and cloudy days work best. Here, the clouds darken the mountain peaks while the sun sweeps across the valley onto a row of spring aspen. Wait was one hour.
These photographs above show how leading lines help organize a busy or cluttered scene. A leading line parts the sea of confusion and helps organize it so you can walk through and enjoy the adventure!
I find that leading lines are improved with elevation. In the green fern photo, I was not happy with the leading line at camera level. By placing my camera on remote and elevating the camera on an extended tripod, I was able to get a better feeling of depth in the road. I sometimes take a ladder with me to get above the scene to improve the composition.
To state the well-used expression in photography, a major key to success is patience and persistence!
The above photo also has another composition component I call REPETITION OF FORM. Both the trees and the mountains show a moderate repetition that enhances the clarity of the photo.
Here's a bit different form of spotlighting with the sun glow piercing the fog and clouds to silhouette a wiindmill. Without the sun forming a spotlight, the photo would lose drama and clarity. AND it draws the viewer to the center or center-third of the photograph.
In this photograph taken at Kebler Pass, Colorado, a spray of light shimmered across a band of autumn aspen and gave drama and depth to the scene despite the fact that it was a telephoto frame. The placement of the sun draws the viewer to the center of the photo.
I dread light on the edges of a photograph. It draws the viewer AWAY from the center and off the edge. So I work very hard at composing a photo in such a way that there are not distracting details on the edge of a photo--especially light!
Here is a photograph that employs the use of a flashlight painting a tree in a single-frame exposure at Black Canyon of the Gunnsion.
I love lighting from angles as
it adds more dimension to the spotlighted subject. Both the Milky Way and the tree draw the viewer into the center of the photograph and--hopefully--keeps them there for a study of detail.
I believe that the more compositional tools used in a photograph often makes for a better effort. Notice how nicely the star photo above works in Rule Of Thirds (discussed in Lesson 2)
Thank you for joining me on Lesson One.
More composition and the thoughts in Lesson 2.
Want better digital processing results?
Classes by Daniel Forster