Posted by Doyle Thomas on April 13, 2007 at 6:35 PM
Fine Art natural landscape and especially Fine Art Color natural landscape Photography is much maligned. There is a belief in the general population on seeing a well made natural landscape Photograph that they themselves could have done it had they been there. This is not true and that can only be learned by trying. When working in the landscape the normal practice is to seek out locations and plan your timing to be there when the light is good. The natural landscape is often busy and confused. The Photographer seeks a pristine subject that will fit into the film plain in a fashion that meets the traditional or other rules of composition and the constraints of their tools.
Is luck involved? Maybe…But then again, as Louie Pasture said, “CHANCE FAVORS THE PREPAIRED MIND” The real issue is not the composition, or the exposure, or even the light, but it is the focus. As in all Photography, it is the seeing, the vision and the ability to express it that are important.
It is easy to point out what may be perceived as technical flaws but do they subtract from the expression? All artists must start with a vision and the desire to express it. A Photographer uses cameras, lens, and film as the tools to express their vision and strives to master these tools. Finding your vision and learning to express it is another matter altogether.
The best advice I can give to a new Photographer on this site is to continue to post your work for whatever comments you can get. More importantly however, is to see (rather that look at) the work of others posted to this site. Seek out those that you find expressive of your own vision. These will be easy to find because they will be the images that have appeal to you, the images that you like. Studying these photographs to understand why you like them will help to clear your vision. When you vision is clear, you can start to express it. Remember though, as you seek out your vision that because a given image does not speak to you is not to say it does not speak.
Doyle
It is easier to gain enlightenment than to explain enlightenment.
Supreme Master Ching Hai
Thank you for the post, though my pictures are still a work in progress I have learned a lot from the things I have read from others on this site. I find myself thinking (as I compose) about comments that I have read and I find that invaluable.
Doyle, this is excellent advice. And your statement
There is a belief in the general population on seeing a well made natural landscape Photograph that they themselves could have done it had they been there.
is sadly, very true. In fact I have seen such an attitude carried to such a extreme that when Mr. Smartass was challenged to demonstrate that he could also do as well, he could not even see the flaws in his own snapshot after they were pointed out to him!!! He knew nothing of dynamic range/contrast, choosing his light, shutterspeed/aperture (DOF), or focal length characteristics. The only similarity was the compositional perspective and he didn't even use a tripod! His was at best a very contrasty, noisy, static snapshot of a New England stream shot at 2PM "because it was nice and sunny" and it exceeded the histogram by a long shot on both ends. He did not consider using a polarizer.
His original complaint about the photograph that he was contesting was that I had made it on a rainy day and "everybody knows that you don't shoot in the rain"!!!
He was so blinded by his perception of the "RULES" that he could not even see that our photograph was rich with color, detailed on both ends, lush and full of dynamic movement. He was very put out when our our picture won "Best of the Exibit" and became the door prize.
Bob
Posted by Mike Hoyle on April 21, 2007 at 11:01 PM
This isn't completely relevant to your original post, but I think this is one of the more appropriate forums to ask: How do I get started? I'm in the U.S. Navy stationed in Hawaii, and they'll be paying for all of my college classes. I recently decided that I want to take up the study and filming of wildlife as my vocation. I'm going to take Biology and Zoology classes, and I'm definately going to take Photography classes, but that's about as far as I've gotten into planning this. Everyone on this site seems to take photography very seriously, and I don't really know the first thing about it. I'm one of those people who can't see why it's so hard to take a good picture, and still have so much difficulty. I'm beginning to learn that it takes a lot of dicipline to be a photographer. Income is a factor, so I was hoping to get some tips on how I can make this interest into my career. My e-mail is hoylecannonball@gmail.com, any advice is greatly appreciated.
Discussion
3 repliesIs luck involved? Maybe…But then again, as Louie Pasture said, “CHANCE FAVORS THE PREPAIRED MIND” The real issue is not the composition, or the exposure, or even the light, but it is the focus. As in all Photography, it is the seeing, the vision and the ability to express it that are important.
It is easy to point out what may be perceived as technical flaws but do they subtract from the expression? All artists must start with a vision and the desire to express it. A Photographer uses cameras, lens, and film as the tools to express their vision and strives to master these tools. Finding your vision and learning to express it is another matter altogether.
The best advice I can give to a new Photographer on this site is to continue to post your work for whatever comments you can get. More importantly however, is to see (rather that look at) the work of others posted to this site. Seek out those that you find expressive of your own vision. These will be easy to find because they will be the images that have appeal to you, the images that you like. Studying these photographs to understand why you like them will help to clear your vision. When you vision is clear, you can start to express it. Remember though, as you seek out your vision that because a given image does not speak to you is not to say it does not speak.
Doyle
It is easier to gain enlightenment than to explain enlightenment.
Supreme Master Ching Hai
Thank you for the post, though my pictures are still a work in progress I have learned a lot from the things I have read from others on this site. I find myself thinking (as I compose) about comments that I have read and I find that invaluable.
His original complaint about the photograph that he was contesting was that I had made it on a rainy day and "everybody knows that you don't shoot in the rain"!!!
He was so blinded by his perception of the "RULES" that he could not even see that our photograph was rich with color, detailed on both ends, lush and full of dynamic movement. He was very put out when our our picture won "Best of the Exibit" and became the door prize.
Bob
-Mike