Philosophizing on how to approach an image

[opus]

First of all, this may be in the wrong forum, as it's more about technique than "art", but I think it's the best category anyway because I'm going to talk about how to approach an image to make it say what you want it to say, which is more about art than about technique.

Secondly, this may be basic and very unprofound. But I've never read it or heard it stated, so I'm going to post my thoughts. "Good" photographers have mastered this, either consciously or subconsciously. But this might be something for the rest of us "aspiring to greatness" to think about, since maybe we haven't.

Thirdly, I've had no formal training in photography, so if this is College Photography 101 stuff, please go easy on me.

Here goes:

I've been thinking lately about the difference between photos as "art", and photos that simply record a scene. I think it's all in the way you approach the image before you take the picture, the questions you ask yourself, that make the difference. I've seen so many images of places people have been, or flowers, nature, architecture, etc. and I say to myself, "okay, now I see where you've been," but I'm uninspired by the scene photographically, even if the person has perhaps a technically sharp image or is otherwise flawless.

So many people (myself included) see something neat and say, "hey, that'd make a picture!" and then put the camera to our eye and *snap* (of course trying to compose the image as best as possible). And then later we look at it and wonder why we didn't manage to capture the emotion we felt at the moment we decided to take the picture.

I think there's a critical question to ask of oneself before taking any picture, and that is, "What is it about this scene that impels me to make it a photograph?" And then, when we've answered that question, then ask oneself, "What technique should I use to capture and enhance that particular quality to convey it to others?"

Perhaps a flower has a particular milky white color that I'd like to convey. So maybe I'll choose to overexpose it just a tad, to bring out the whiteness. Maybe there's a foreboding nature to a place. So maybe the shadows should be enhanced to give it mystery. Maybe a bridge seems heavy and imposing. So I'll choose an angle to emphasize that feature. Is what I like about this scene dependent on its three-dimensionality? Maybe I should think about trying HDR, set up my tripod and bracket so that I can at least give it a shot later. Maybe a field seems particularly endless. I'll choose a wide angle, down low, or whatever.

So my point is, I think it's critical to engage the mind BEFORE the shot, actively analyzing what you want to achieve, and then making conscious choices as to how to achieve it. I know that's extremely basic, but it's not something I really spent time thinking about in the past. I thought pointing a good camera at an interesting scene and making a good composition were enough. I never really engaged my mind to a deep enough level, though. I'd get a few really good images, but I now consider them to be accidents.

I've often heard the advice that a good photographer has endless patience. I know I'm guilty of impatience, and I'm working on slowing down, THINKING first, and then spending the time needed to get what I want. And I think I'm seeing my pictures improving, at least in the way that my end product is matching more closely to my initial intentions. I still love following my gut reaction, but I hope that by spending more time in the practice of thinking first, that I'll speed up my thinking and someday be able to seamlessly incorporate it into shooting from the hip. That's my ultimate goal.

[Asylum Steve]

Boy Kelly, you really did drink a lot of coffee today, didn't you? This is a handful to discuss, so I'm not going to even try to go into great detail. FWIW, I think this is the right forum for this, as for a photo artist (or any artist IMO), you can't seperate technique from the meaning or content of your work.

When you are trying to be expressive or interpretive with visual imagery, knowing your technique becomes even more important...

Let me start by saying what you describe is known as "previsualization". Thinking about the image before you go about creating the image. And no, it is not "College Photography 101" by any means. It is an advanced concept.

Some photographers will never truly understand the idea, and will always just react to what they see. Some "get it" intuitively right from the start, and so are given a much broader and more satisfying palette with which to work.

Still others have sort of an epithany at some point, and finally realize that your control over your photos can begin long before the moment you actually press the shutter, if you want it to. I'm guessing you're in this third group...

To be continued...

[CaraRose]

There are a lot of levels to photography, but in the end, the camera is just a tool. The best camera in the world can't make a great photographer.

I have different levels of what I want sometimes. Lately I've been trying to capture a bee in flight. That's pretty much the entire goal, is to get a sharp capture of a bee in flight that's properly exposed. If I can master that, I'll move on to trying to get a composed shot of a bee in flight, which seems fairly impossible, but what the heck.

Sometimes I do take shots just to see what it will look like if I do this or that. 80% of the time, these are pretty bad. Sometimes they're bad but I see something in them and go back with a new view and try again with a new perspective. I do sometimes only half see what I want when I'm actually seeing a shot before I take it. These are hit and miss, but probably come out good half of the time, great occasionally. I find these tend to be weaker in composure and balance than times when I really see in my mind the shot I want.

I do find when I see what I want, my main limitation is my skills with the camera. Sometimes I can get what I want, sometimes I can't. There was a carpenter bee resting on an iris leaf. I saw what I wanted in the composure, in the dof. I took about six shots before he took off again. When I opened them later, went through the first five and I missed the focus on the bee. Disappointing... then opened the last shot and GOT IT!



Made my day. That was exactly what I saw in my head when I went to try and take the pictures.

[Asylum Steve]

Well, this is the flip side of the coin. Previsualization is not simply planning a photo ahead of time and anticipating the best way to shoot it. It's a skill gained mostly from the experience of shooting a lot and analyzing the results of different shooting situations and scenes.

You gain the critical connection between how you see a scene (composition, lighting), the technical way you shoot (settings), and the results. Eventually you can sense and plan the way all these things need to be to give you the best shot at a successfully image the way you imagined it.

[jetrim]

Let me start by saying what you describe is known as "previsualization". Thinking about the image before you go about creating the image. And no, it is not "College Photography 101" by any means. It is an advanced concept.

This is exactly what I was thinking when I read the original post. Ansel Adams had talked about this technique and I have struggled with coming to understand the technical end that supports the technique for a while now. It seems that if both disciplines are not in sync the result falls short of the mark, but I try to remain confident that with more practical experience, I'll get there eventually...

[Loupey]

...but I hope that by spending more time in the practice of thinking first, that I'll speed up my thinking and someday be able to seamlessly incorporate it into shooting from the hip. That's my ultimate goal.

I'm glad you brought this part up. I've often heard the "advice" that some things should be thought through slowly and methodically in order to do it "properly" - landscapes, film, and B&W's for example. As if doing things slower automatically makes one do it righter.

I think a good understanding of the basic photographic principles and an even better understanding of one's equipment should make the technical aspects of photography second-nature, a no-brainer, so that the actual shooting need not occur at a snail's pace.

Quick reflexes and a keen eye can't wait for methodical when shooting candids, street scenes, sports, nature, and the like.

As for previsualization, we all do that to some degree. We know roughly what we'll encounter so we take the appropriate equipment. But getting great photographs require very specific visualization of key components - a visual prediction of what will likely occur. For example, in shooting nature and wildlife I have to consider things like the time of year, time of day, weather conditions, and wind direction before I can select a suitable subject to shoot. And then I have to determine where to go to find that subject in the best scene. Lastly, I rely on patience and luck to put that subject in that right place at that right time doing the right thing. It's a probability thing.

I still have dozens of mental images that have yet to be shot. A few get crossed off the list every year, but a few more get added

[Grandpaw]

Some very valid points have been made. Sometimes I go out with a certain type of shot in mind like Loupey mentioned. I plan the time, place, mood and subject I want and load up the equipment to hopefully pull it off. Sometimes it works out great and other times several trips are required to get the result I am looking for. Other times it is a spur of the moment, do the best you can with the equipment in hand and the few seconds of opportunity that presents itself.

One of the things I find that happens to me with shooting digital now as opposed to shooting film is that I know I can take many times the pictures as I did before knowing the ones that are good will be kept and the bad ones deleted. This is a big advantage but also find at times that having the ability to take so many shots and not having to pay for the bad ones to be developed and printed gets me sloppy in my approach to taking pictures

When I was young and my dad took me out for the first time to learn how to shoot a gun he insisted on using a bolt action, single shot 22 rifle for me to learn on. He told me this would get me in the mindset to make each shot count due to not immediately having the option of a second shot to get another chance. Back when I was using my Nikon F film cameras and knew each and every shot would cost me money I think I concentrated more on each individual shot. I still try and keep this in mind with my digital DSLR but sometimes knowing I can just click away at no cost, gets in the way of getting the best shot. Last night I took a bunch of pictures of my grandson and ended up deleting all but a few of them. That would have never happened if I knew there would be a cost associated to each and every click of the shutter. I like digital's many advantages and prefer digital to film but sometimes I think it has it's downside also, Jeff

[Frog]

I hope everyone reads this, especially those new to photography.
People that are just starting have a hunger to show others what they see in the world and it takes time, patience, and perseverance to accomplish.
The above comments have told me to keep trying. I have some decent photos but have not yet achieved what I really want to show except in a couple of cases.

[Asylum Steve]

Back when I was using my Nikon F film cameras and knew each and every shot would cost me money I think I concentrated more on each individual shot. I still try and keep this in mind with my digital DSLR but sometimes knowing I can just click away at no cost, gets in the way of getting the best shot...

That's interesting. I understand how you feel, but for me the exact opposite is true...

I find thinking too much about each individual shot inhibits my creativity, and certainly makes "happy accidents" much less likely. With digital storage not a cost factor at all, I now shoot much much more than I did with film, and that is always a good thing.

Many more angles to shots, much more exposure bracketing, trying more flash/ambient light ideas, etc., etc., etc.

Being stuck to a film budget constrained me big time. Now there's a greater freedom to my shooting...

[Grandpaw]

I agree with you Steve that being able to take a lot of photos at no extra expense is an advantage. The point I was trying to make is sometimes we tend to get lazy and just shoot away knowing we can later pick a few good pictures out of the bunch and delete the rest at no extra cost, Jeff

[Asylum Steve]

sometimes we tend to get lazy and just shoot away knowing we can later pick a few good pictures out of the bunch and delete the rest at no extra cost...

Hey, I make a living doing that! Oh, except I never delete anything...

[Lady Camille]

Hi Opus. I just wanted to say... I really got into everything you were saying. It made so much sense, and brought to my attention another thing I can be doing to really bring out the feel I'm hoping to achieve in the picture (in lieu of just snapping what I see). I especially could dig what you were saying (pardon the groovy lingo) like, if you're looking at a seemingly endless meadow for instance, to not just capture the meadow, but to think... what is it about this scene that I want to convey in the photo-art of what I'm seeing. In this case, it would be the vastness of this meadow... and to take steps to be sure that in the scene, it's done at an angle or brightness or whatever to accentuate this vastness. That makes total sense, thank you, so much. I'm going to incorportate this into all future photo-taking. This kind of advice is exactly what I'm looking for to get my eye/mind and my final-product-photo to be one in the same. I want the viewer to experience the photo, from a distance, in the way that I did: with awe, with wonder, with... whatever I was feeling to some extent, even though they weren't there. Not just a 'this is where I was' kind of thing. I've participated in art in many a form, but I'm more or less new to photography as art, and I'm just blissfully diving into it head-first, it's so exciting. I can totally relate to your lack of patience sometimes with getting the intended feel in a shot. I often take about 20 or more snaps in an effort to get just what I was looking for... and often, like you once had, when you get that "just right" photo, it's by sheer luck. But I'm going to make a point of really doing the thinking part prior to the photographing, perhaps I'll attain what I'm looking for a lot sooner than the 'ole way' LOL

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write your feelings on this subject.

[Lady Camille]

There are a lot of levels to photography, but in the end, the camera is just a tool. The best camera in the world can't make a great photographer.

I have different levels of what I want sometimes. Lately I've been trying to capture a bee in flight. That's pretty much the entire goal, is to get a sharp capture of a bee in flight that's properly exposed. If I can master that, I'll move on to trying to get a composed shot of a bee in flight, which seems fairly impossible, but what the heck.

Sometimes I do take shots just to see what it will look like if I do this or that. 80% of the time, these are pretty bad. Sometimes they're bad but I see something in them and go back with a new view and try again with a new perspective. I do sometimes only half see what I want when I'm actually seeing a shot before I take it. These are hit and miss, but probably come out good half of the time, great occasionally. I find these tend to be weaker in composure and balance than times when I really see in my mind the shot I want.

I do find when I see what I want, my main limitation is my skills with the camera. Sometimes I can get what I want, sometimes I can't. There was a carpenter bee resting on an iris leaf. I saw what I wanted in the composure, in the dof. I took about six shots before he took off again. When I opened them later, went through the first five and I missed the focus on the bee. Disappointing... then opened the last shot and GOT IT!

Made my day. That was exactly what I saw in my head when I went to try and take the pictures.

I think you must be my long lost twin I was reading this and thinking I myself could have written it. Even funnier was that less than a week ago I myself was doing that very thing, trying like heck to catch a bee DURING flight, just snapping away, chasing this bee around my garden, hoping just ONE photo would have caught him, to no avail. I lost control of what was in the background (as evidenced by my house and garbage can! LMAO) See some of what I ended with:

[pauling]

Nice flower!