Snippet – and warning – Be prepared for a no hold barred article here, then comment below with your thoughts. It might seem I’m labouring the point but there really needs to be a huge mindset shift here. If ever there was a genre that was the most misunderstood and badly done, this is it. It’s simply a matter of education and experience, but so many pros get it wrong too, so here’s something to consider afresh. What’s it…
Who are you – really? Do you (A) take a certain style of photo predominantly? Or do you (B) snap all over the place and don’t feel comfortable doing so and haven’t found your niche? A. If you can recognise what style of photos you tend to take or like looking at – why not focus on that style in earnest and make it your signature style. Find masters of that technique, subject or genre. Look, read, study, take notes,…
Why would you want to go? To help combine Head, Heart, Art and Craft (instead of just the technical) to create masterful images that attract, engage and move the viewer. If you’ve stretched your mind delving into technical stuff and techniques, and taking and displaying your work but feel it could be the same as almost everything else out there – and want to find who you are as a photographer, what is best to specialise in and finding…
Types of images can pretty much fall into 7 categories. Not talking genres here. A lot of people who’ve heard me talk on this subject have changed their shooting and displaying habits accordingly and found much better responses from their respective audiences. So please take the time to read, absorb, think about and work out how this may change your perspective. It’s a very good idea to know the different ways of taking and displaying photos, so as not…
Titles – to be or not to be? That is the controversial question. “Titles aren’t needed if the image is good enough. The viewer should be able to see what they can or want to see in the image.” “Titles help lead the viewer to my point, or it makes them think another way.” Two very good arguments, and indeed, in number 1, if the image shouts emotion, and/or obvious elements that help build the point, then it does…
SMART review and Critique Remember, this critique is to help explain how the mind works, to help in creating the right scene that satisfies sub conscious needs and wants. Any image that doesn’t satisfy those aspects, crunches several gears in our mind, so the image gets ignored, at best, or disliked at worst. These articles may be long but it’s meant as a “lesson”, not a quick club grading. Image by Ritesh Ghosh from Kolkata, India. If you haven’t…
The SMART approach to image creation and evaluation. (an overview) Or “How to go from Snap-shots to images that Crackle and Pop.” This is all about Why (Soul/Mind) and What (Art) and the photographer perceives and interprets about the subject, and How (Craft) Techniques are used to successfully extract that unique essence of the subject. The skill is to observe and realize the uniqueness of the subject and the skill to present the subject in a way that one’s subconscious mind has seen…
Make yourself a cuppa, sit back and read on. This is a list of Topics undergoing fine tuning for publication, that explain how various subconscious thought patterns affect WHAT, WHY and HOW we see the world around us. Understanding those subconscious processes allows us to identify key aspects of the scene/subject that are important for a particular purpose, so we can use particular techniques that get to the heart and mind of the viewers. They will linger longer on your…
Stuck for ideas on what to shoot and how? This little app I created that works from any browser on a PC or smartphone, and gives you selectable options, random or chosen, to combine subjects with various shooting parameters to give you a Shot List. You can change the options if they conflict, or pick ones you particularly want to try out – but eventually you’ll come up with a full list of challenging parameters that will surely make…