Thoughts on Photography

Diamond in the Rough - Piotr Czechowski

The greatest tool in photography is one's ability to see.   Truly great photography is done by those who can "see" a potentially great image and then use photographic tools to translate their vision into a compelling photograph.  The more I engage myself in this hobby of photography, the more I realize that "seeing" is more a gift than it is something to be learned.  It is more art, than science.  With this in mind, I want to share the work of another photographer that, upon coming across his galleries, was like finding a diamond in the rough. 

I first came across these galleries a couple of years ago on Pbase.  I saved them to my favorites and have been excited to see them growing with images recently.   

When viewing these galleries you will see a film photographer who has moved to digital equipment while seamlessly keeping the look and feel of his original work.  You will see echoes of great photographers from the past interspersed with uniquely timeless images from today.   You will see strong moods and emotions captured in a way only a photograph can. 

I encourage you to take some time and visit galleries of Piotr Czechowski. 

Depression and the Artist

Over the last two years, my immersion in online photography communities has resulted in a group of photographers/friends that I feel very fortunate to know and associate with.  Through in-depth discussions about photography and the creative process, a realization has come over me that each photographer has their own motivation for creativity.    For some, photography is a method of anxiety relief, an excuse to "stop and smell the roses."  For others, it fulfills a personal need to set goals and challenge themselves to achieve recognition and even income.  Some photographers just like to express the beauty they find in the world in their own personal way.  In other cases, photography fulfills a need for communicating something personal about themselves. 

The list of motivations goes on.  What's interesting is that the more you get to know a person's motivation for creating images, the more you see that reflected in their work.  Not only in the choice of subject, but they way they create their images of that subject. 

So that brings me to the title of this blog, which is a pure explanation of my own creative motivation and how it impacts what I shoot, when I shoot, and how I see.  I write this, because I feel a need to.  I need to for myself.  Partly to share why I can be an active communicator at times and seem to have gone into hibernation at other times.  Also, by writing this, I am at the same time confirming for myself why I do what I do.  But I also share this process of exploring my own creative motivations with the hope that it may help others to better understand their own motivations.  Because I believe that if you can have a true understanding of this element of yourself, you have the potential for truly personal and unique creativity.

So back to the title of the blog.   I suffer from depression.  I have for 10 years, maybe more.  I have managed it without medication (although I tried meds and quickly didn't like the side affects).  I think I do so very well, given that I run my own successful business and haven't completely closed myself off from the world.  It's definitely a genetic issue, given that my parents and grandparents suffer(ed) from it as well. 

This post is not about the clinical aspects of depression, treatment or any of that.  I intend this writing to be about how depression affects me creatively.  And let me tell you, it definitely does.  The good news is, according to historical precedent, I have a good chance at becoming one hell of a photographer.  I'm typing this with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.  But for those who have time, take a few minutes to google the phrase "depression and the artist".   I'm in good company (depending on how you look at it).

So what role does depression play for me when it comes to photography?  For those who already know me, you probably just chuckled at the obviousness of the answer.  In the interest of brevity let me list the obvious symptoms:

• My first real photo project is titled "Urban Melancholy"
• My description of that project includes the phrase : "subject matter that seems very natural and recurring to me"
• I almost refuse to take my camera out on sunny days.  If it isn't overcast and gloomy, I have a hard time finding things to shoot.  (unfortunately, I'm not joking on this point)
• My second photo project, "so help me god" begins with a photo of a man passed out from drinking in the middle of the day
• I have been known to totally dismiss other photography as shallow if it includes a pretty sunset
• I often close my galleries and dismiss my prior work as worthless
• I go for long periods of time not creating anything (the gap between Phase One and Phase Two of the Urban Melancholy project was one year)
• I shun recognition and praise of my work because I don't know how to handle it.  When Urban Melancholy hit the front page of Pbase's "Popular Galleries" I quit shooting images altogether for two months

Irrationality, withdrawal, and feelings of worthlessness are all symptoms of depression.   A depressed mind does not function in a normal and expected manner.  For those who haven't dealt with it, it really doesn't make any sense.  And being blessed with a high-achiever gene myself, I find it easy to look upon those symptoms as excuses, and cop-outs.  "Just get over it" is what I would say.  I wish it were so easy. 

Depression, for me, has a paradoxical upside (one I would gladly trade away for being rid of the disease).  It can be, and has been my greatest source of creative motivation.   I find an odd sort of comfort by being able to produce images that reflect my sense of mood or the way my depressed mind sees the world.   For me then, photography becomes almost therapeutic.  It doesn't make it better, but rather gives me a way to step outside of my depression and look back in at it and better understand how it is affecting me.

A depressed mind easily sees loneliness, despair and isolation.  Subject matter like that leaps out.  It asks to be photographed.  Even with inanimate objects.  Resulting in images such as these:

A normal mind creates images like these; which I created when my depression symptoms were subdued:

Notice the obvious difference of subject matter, color and mood of the images.  I take pride in the first two images; because, for me, they are so much a part of the way I exist in the world.  They were created in reflection of emotions that I experience but I don't often talk about.  They represent a window unto a place that often serves as "home" for me. 

The latter two images have won photo contests; but I don't particularly take pride in either of them.  For me, they are superficial.  They were created with a thought process found at "surface level".   

As a result of typing this post, I've gained some clarity about why I respond to certain types of photography while easily dismissing other types.  If an image reaches past my "surface level" emotionally, I respond to it.  If it doesn't, I lose interest quickly.  This translates directly into why I choose to shoot what I shoot, when I shoot it, and how I shoot it.  Understanding this creative motivation is my key to continuing to create images that are personal and uniquely my own.  I hereby forgive myself for the sporadic nature of my creative productivity, as this is a natural byproduct of my motivating force. 

Glad I got that off my chest.  ;)

Take Two - Double Your Chances for a Successful Image

Here's a quick tip to double your chances for getting a great photograph.  Whenever you finish a shot, rotate the camera 1/4 turn and shoot the scene again.   Make a habit of shooting your subjects in both horizontal and vertical formats.  Professional photographer Bryan Peterson has been quoted as saying "the best time to shoot a scene vertically is right after you've shot the scene horizontally."

After doing this for awhile, I'm a big believer.  Horizontal and vertical compositions can bring completely different feelings to the same scene.  In general, a horizontal composition will give a calmer, more expansive feel to an image.  Vertical compositions work well at giving a subject more stature and tend to feel more dynamic. 

When switching between formats, you often need to recompose the scene a bit.  Sometimes, you will even find yourself switching lens focal lengths.  To be sure, you will leave the scene with more images to choose from and a better understanding of the strengths that each orientation brings to your compositions.  In the end, you will have doubled your chances of getting the shot you envisioned. 

A couple of my own images to illustrate the point (click the images for the full-size version):

Notice in the images above how the horizontal image gives a different feeling than the vertical.  The trees have much more stature and impact in the vertical composition.  The horizontal image emphasizes the lengthly shaded pathway and feels a bit calmer. 

In the cityscapes above, I recomposed with a shorter focal length for the horizontal image.  Both shots were taken within 30 minutes of each other with the tripod located in the same spot.  Unfortunately, I lost the beautiful sky in that time on the horizontal image, but that's a topic for another blog.  Which image do you think presents a more vibrant interpretation of the city?  Which image gives the city a more expansive feel?  Which image gives the buildings downtown more stature? 

The simple choice of camera orientation has great impact on how an image is interpreted.  When working a subject, double your chances of getting just the shot you are hoping for by remembering to shoot both horizontally and vertically before moving on. 

"Exposing to the Right" with Spot Metering

Any b&w film photographer who studied even a little about the craft is familiar with the zone system.  Well today's equivalent in the digital photography world is to "expose to the right" of the histogram.  If you aren't familiar with the concept, read the Luminous Landscape article above for a much better description than I could ever hope to give. 

Exposing to the right is often tricky business because of a digital camera's propensity to blow the highlights.  So about four months ago, I read a post on dpreview.com from photographer Tim Wilson on how to "expose to the right" easily and consistently while preserving the highlights.  You will use your camera's spot metering function to do this.  (if you don't have one, then you are probably out of luck with this technique). 

Step one.  Set your camera's metering mode to spot metering.  Step two, set the exposure compensation to +2EV.  Step three, find the brightest part of the scene which you have composed and use the spot meter on that part to lock your exposure.  Step four, recompose and take the shot. 

What you have just done is told the camera to put the brightest part of the scene at +2EV. This preserves your highlights, while pushing everything as far to the right on the histogram as possible. 

This technique takes a little practice, but works like a charm.  On my 5D, I've created this set-up this as the custom "Camera User Setting" on the exposure mode dial, so I always have these settings at the ready. 

Poor Man's Image Stabilization

Lazy photographers all around have benefited from the technological wonder of Image Stabilization.  It's that little miracle we find built into lenses (and some camera bodies) nowadays.  Photographers like me now have yet another excuse not to lug around a tripod.  With the current generation of IS technology promising a 3-stop advantage, who wouldn't want it? 

The trouble is, it's expensive.  In addition, it isn't available on most lenses.  And for prime shooters like me, it's really a rare thing to find.  So, I want to share my alternative for when you just don't have IS available (VR for the Nikon shooters).  I call it "Poor Man's Image Stabilization."  Now, granted, if you are shooting with any of today's digital SLRs, you are far from being a "poor man".  Just humor me on that point.

So here's the trick.  To get a sharp image while hand-holding at slower shutter speeds, you just need to do a couple of things.  First, set your camera's shooting mode to "continuous" so that you can fire off shots in rapid succession.  My 5D shoots 3 frames per second, which is plenty fast enough for this technique to work. 

Second, after focusing and composing your shot, gently depress and hold the shutter release button while firing off 3 quick images.  My experience shows that at least one of the three images will be sharp.  For me it's usually the 2nd image, but sometimes the third.  What is happening is that you are eliminating that subtle camera movement caused by depressing the shutter release button.  On the 2nd and 3rd frames, your hands tend to be more steady. 

Now this is not a cure all and won't work for every situation, but I find it works just as much as actual IS technology does for me.  How many stops will you gain with this technique?  You'll have to figure that out for yourself.  I find I'm easily picking up 3 to 4 stops.  What's really cool, is you can also do this on an IS lens and gain even more than the 3-stops the technology is already giving you. 

Here are a couple of (incredibly boring) photos I shot at the zoo today to demonstrate the point.  I had the 200 f2.8 prime lens on my 5D.  I stopped it down to f/16 to get the alligator sharp from front to back.  This left me with a 1/50 second shutter speed;  WAY too slow to handhold my 200mm lens and expect anything really sharp.  So I just rapidly fired off three images in continuous mode.  Below you will find the first image (blurry) and the second image (sharp).  The third image looks like the second image so I'm not posting it. 

Shot #1

Shot # 2

When you find yourself wishing you had IS or a tripod, give this technique a try.  I think you'll be pleased with the results.   

Telling Stories with Photographs

I like images that tell a story. Even better, I like images that only begin a story, or tell the middle of a story, but leave the ending open to interpretation. Images that force me to use my imagination stay with me much longer after viewing them than those that don't. It may be that the image is mysterious, or curious or even a bit absurd. No matter what the storyline is, if it is unfinished, then the image to me is almost always stronger because of it. To me, this is the difference between art and a snapshot.

Key to this concept of storytelling is keeping an image simple. An image should only be telling one story. It is tempting as a photographer to tell as much of the story as possible by including many elements in the image. Usually this creates multiple storylines that compete with each other and dilute the real impact of the image. What I am finding is that the image is much stronger, the less of the story it tells.

A few images of my own to illustrate the point:

Frankly this image is just a snapshot from a trip I took to Kuala Lumpur. The subject is chinatown but there is just way too much going on here for the image to even begin to tell a story. It's only use is to serve as a documentation of the place itself and what it looks like.

This image was taken a few minutes later and has eliminated many of the unnecessary elements/distractions. Doing so allows it to really begin telling the story of this place. The limited (albiet still too much) information in this image puts the imagination to work filling in the gaps of the story. This to me is a much better representation of chinatown than the first image.

This is one of my favorite images of all time for the very reason that it is all about storytelling. We arrive here, not necessarily at the beginning of a story, but in the middle. And the end of the story is completely left to the imagination.

By deliberating framing this image to include only the men's bodies, the imagination is forced to look at all the other details for clues.  We tend to do this naturally, without thinking that we are doing it.  Who are these men?  How old are they?  What kind of relationship do they have?

One final note about creating storytelling images.  The key to success lies in choosing to include only enough content to tell ONE story.   Always remember when composing your image:  Less is More. 

The Emotional Power of the Photograph

I had a very moving experience about a month ago that I have shared with a few people since.  It really deserves to be shared with more.

The story is simple.  I stumbled across a gallery on Pbase that stirred such deep emotions inside of me that I had never felt before while looking at photographs.  I don't want to project my experience onto your viewing of this gallery.  I think it's better if you just experience it as I did.

BEFORE CLICKING ON THE GALLERY LINK BELOW:
Here is my suggestion.  Find a time when you will have 7-8 minutes of uninterrupted time and then visit the gallery using the link below.   When you get there, click on the "slideshow" link in the upper right hand corner.   When the slideshow starts, set the "delay" to 5 Seconds.

Finally, if you feel inclined, please take the time to share your response to this experience in the comment section of this blog.   And don't forget to share the same with Jeff Horner, who created this wonderful gallery. 

Follow this link to the gallery of Betty Horner. 

My Pursuit of Excellence

In response to Lawrence's comment/request on my last post, here are my answers to the questions posed in examining my own pursuit of photographic excellence (thanks, Lawrence for making me write this long boring post about myself):

Have I identified what I am trying to achieve with my photography?

I'm interested in photography being an enjoyable and challenging hobby for the rest of my life. More specifically, at the moment, I enjoy creating images that involve a capturing a social commentary.  I particularly want to create images that cause us to examine ourselves, our identities and our purpose (or lack of purpose) in the world. 

To define the scope of my aspiration, I pulled this from the Bio on my website: 
"I am a hobbyist.  I haven't a pure interest in exhibiting or selling images.  For me, this hobby will remain a hobby. For the joy, I find, is in the creation of the images themselves. Each offering a personal creative challenge to communicate a vision or story. My passion is the pursuit of mastery with this craft. Thankfully, a lifetime won't be enough time to get this done. The journey will be a fun one nonetheless."

Do I have a mentor or format for receiving mentoring from photographers better than me?

I am doing two things at the moment.  First, I am taking my ninth on-line photography course.  Second, I'm involved with two small communities of photographers that provide a forum for critiques, feedback, and idea-sharing among the members.  The talent level of these photographers ranges widely, but the ideas shared collectively is much more than I could discover on my own. 

Are there photographers whose work I admire for a specific reason and have I studied them in depth?

Currently you will find around 30 photography books on the shelves in my office.  Much of this collection was acquired within the last two years, since my interest in photography has blossomed. 

My admiration of these photographers and study of their work is material for future blog posts.  But let me give a  very brief synopsis on just one. 

Garry Winogrand is a definite influence for me.  His method of working bordered on obsessive and his reason for making images - "photographing to see what things look like photographed" - gives freedom to experiment beyond the rules.  For me, this has developed into my style of shooting well over 50% of my images without looking through the viewfinder.  It's OK to shoot 1000 frames to get one good one.   Plenty more to discuss in a future post. 

Have I surrounded myself with other photographers who are also committed to excellence?

As previously mentioned, I belong to two organized groups of photographers.  All have different interests and styles, but we also share a common thread - that of wanting to get better.  This is educational and motivational at the same time.  If you only do one thing on this list, this is the one I think will make all the difference.  Make sure, however, that the people you associate with are as committed to growing and learning as you are. 

Have I written specific goals that I want to achieve with my photography?

I have to admit that I fall short on this particular item.  I have two ongoing projects but haven't written down goals beyond that.  I have them in my head and just need to put them on paper.  This is what I will be doing next and sharing in a post over the coming week.  

Do I personally have high standards for what I define as excellence with my work (be very honest yourself here)?

My goal is to produce images worthy of being published.  And by this, I set as a standard the more quality photography magazines like Lenswork.  However, I do not have a goal to actually be published.  It is more of a benchmark for judging my own competence with the craft of photography.

If anything, I've taken this quality standard to the extreme of it becoming a personal fault.  After recently closing my galleries on Pbase, I decided to pull out only my best images and keep them in one gallery.   The result...of over 1800 images, only eight made the final cut.  However, I am very proud of these images.  And I can say, without reservation, that they live up to my personal standard. 

Am I committed to life-long learning (versus deceiving myself that I have "arrived")?

This blog will stand as an ongoing testament to my attitude on this point. 

Have I started a photo journal for capturing my ideas, thoughts, techniques, etc. to reinforce my learning?

Yes, and it's filling up with plenty of ideas for future photo projects.  A useful exercise is seeing something new and creative someone else has done and then considering how I might use that idea for the type of images I prefer to create.  It's not to copy others work as much as to learn new ways of looking at something.   For example, if I see someone using slow shutter speeds with a flash in an interesting way, I'll consider using a variation of that technique in a future project.  

Have I eliminated all of the things that are allowing me to accept mediocrity with my photography?

Yep! And damn it's liberating!  

Pursuing Photographic Excellence

"Excellence breeds excellence"....we've all heard this before in one form or another.  Flip this coin over and examine what is on the other side.  Acceptance of mediocrity guarantees mediocrity. 

Which camp do you find yourself in?   Are you pursuing excellence or are you destined for mediocrity?  For a hint, you can examine few areas of your life for an answer.   Since this is a photography blog, let's explore this question from that point of view.  A few questions you might ask yourself:

• Have I identified what I am trying to achieve with my photography?
• Do I have a mentor or format for receiving mentoring from photographers better than me?
• Are there photographers whose work I admire for a specific reason and have I studied them in depth?
• Have I surrounded myself with other photographers who are also committed to excellence?
• Have I written specific goals that I want to achieve with my photography?
• Do I personally have high standards for what I define as excellence with my work (be very honest yourself here)?
• Am I committed to life-long learning (versus deceiving myself that I have "arrived")?
• Have I started a photo journal for capturing my ideas, thoughts, techniques, etc. to reinforce my learning?
• Have I eliminated all of the things that are allowing me to accept mediocrity with my photography?

For me, that last item is really the most important indication of your commitment to excellence.  Because mediocrity is so pervasive, it's easy to find acceptance and reward there.  This sounds harsh, but it is true - mediocre people don't like excellence.  Excellence is threatening to them;  otherwise, they would be pursuing it themselves.  So even though the mediocre seem sincere, they have absolutely zero interest in encouraging anyone to leave their ranks and enter the world of excellence. 

Until you leave this group behind, you haven't really made a commitment to excellence for yourself.  Excellence is a choice.   And it begins with a complete rejection of all that is mediocre. 

Photography as Art: Form and Subject

An image is a portrayal of both FORM and SUBJECT with one usually dominating the other. For me, the most memorable images balance the two in an interesting way. One dimensional images that emphasize FORM become cliché very quickly because the cleverness wears off and there is nothing of interest then left. Those images that emphasize only SUBJECT have a better chance of being memorable if the subject is unique, but more often become repetitions of work already seen (take the ubiquitous look-a-like sunset images one sees in nearly every photo album).

So it is the image that blends form and subject in an interesting way that really becomes a work of art. It this kind of image that forces the creator of the image to think beyond just capturing what is there or being clever in composition. When it is done well, the emphasis of both subject and form in an image offers an open canvas for deeper expression and interpretation...it becomes thought provoking art.

Furthering these thoughts, two types of photography come to mind that serve as examples of singulalry focused imagery.  By this, I mean they emphasize Form or Subject almost exclusively. 

First, minimalist photography is all about form. It's at first very attractive and fun to look at because it does one job very well....forces a photographer to simplify an image (which pays big dividends in making an image effective). But upon living with minimilist photos for a time, the cleverness wears off and there really isn't anything else left to ponder or interpret. So a minimilist image fulfills it's objective of making FORM interesting, but falls short soon after that. 

Second, nature photography is predominantly about subject. Again the beautiful sunsets and changing leaves make for some truly stunning images, but at the end of the day, these are mere recordings of beautiful places and times. It's easy to become saturated and bored with these images after a short while because of the simliarity and "expectedness" of the subjects. A few nature photographers' work beyond this, and their work really bucks this trend (see Steven Jusczyk's galleries). But for the most part, nature photography for me is more documentary than it is artistic.

Here are a few of my own images to illustrate the point:

FORM
Although this is at first interesting for it's pattern (form); there isn't anything here to keep the interest long or offer a canvas for contemplation or interpretation.

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SUBJECT

I like to call this kind of image "bathroom art". It's nice to look at, but not entirely interesting beyond just what is in the picture.

 

 

 

 

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BLEND OF FORM & SUBJECT

Here is where I think the blending of form and subject are really at work in unison...I have titled this image "exclusivity" and based upon the feedback I've gotten from different viewers of the image, it has been interpreted in multiple ways - each comment revealed as much about the viewer as it did about the image. That's where we cross the line into photography being a form of thought-provoking art...where an image becomes more about the interpretation of the image than the image itself.

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For me, really good photographic art is going to make me stop and think, not just about what I am seeing or how clever it may look, but about the story, message or idea that an image is communicating.  Further, what does my interpretation of that message say about me, about society, about whatever thought process the image sparks?  For me, if there is no idea, then there is nothing to hold my interest, and in the end, there is no meaningful art.