It's Not What You Look At - It's What You See That is Important

Great photographers are the ones who know how to see photographically. They have an uncanny ability to observe well past the ordinary outward appearance of a subject to visualize the potential of what is there. They do not look at just the physical elements, they see what others fail to notice and then they apply their technical skill to capture that vision.

Many beginning and novice picture takers rely primarily on the ability of their camera to create a technically good photograph. They often will mistakenly equate creating a technically good photograph with being a good photographer. Sometimes they get it right, but most times they do not always understand what it takes to separate themselves from being an ordinary picture taker of things.

You see an ordinary picture taker takes pictures of what they are looking at, and that is where it usually ends. A photographer who has mastered the art of seeing, will look beyond the physical nature of a subject and visualize how that subject can be captured in an artistic way. In short, they understand how to use light to bring out the hidden qualities of what is presented to them. They rarely take photos, they make and create expressions of art.

They will look into the future to grasp the potential of what can be captured. They sense how a change of seasons, time of day, weather, angles of light, lens selection, exposure values, perspective all come into play when taking a photograph that stands apart from the ordinary. A picture taker will look at something, think it looks good, take a quick snap shot, then walk away probably never to return to that moment or location again. The Cell phone phenomena cameras contribute to this photo ideology as much as anything else. I see it all the time; a quick raise of the hand, flip of the thumb, another selfie, another snap shot of whatever with no or little consideration of composition, light, or quality of moment. It's just a fun picture that will most likely be deleted before too long. Cell phone technology has progressed a great deal in recent years and the potential to create amazing images does exist, but it takes more than technology, it requires a visual commitment.

Someone who places a greater importance on how to see photographically, will observe and remember. They recognize what is possible and return sometimes multiple times until they capture what they have visualized in the best possible light using quality equipment to it's fullest.

This approach is as much a feeling as it is a visual sense. What they photograph becomes a part of who they are. Their images tell the story of how they see the world, of how the world impacts them. They are constantly seeking new opportunities and they lock onto moments like radar locks onto and tracks a moving object.

Looking at the world simply identifies interesting subjects. Being able to see beyond what you are looking at requires the use of emotion to identify what is truly important to us as photographers.

Vanishing Point - Add Depth and Perspective to Your Images

A good number of years ago I had an art teacher who taught the class about an artistic technique called Vanishing Point. Simply stated Vanishing Point (VP) is a way to create a 3-dimensional look on a flat plane. It is accomplished by having all of the 'Lines' pointing to a distant point in such a way to make them appear to converge at that point.

In photography applying this technique is an effective way to provide added depth and perspective to your images. The nature of a photograph already uses VP to a degree simply because you already capture a 3-D scene onto a flat plane. What I am referring to is to purposefully use light and angles to generate a greater sense of perspective and depth to our images. There are a great number of ways to do this, but we are going to look at a few specific examples to illustrate the concept.

Take the image of the canola field above. As a panoramic it offers a good example of how to use VP to good effect. The image was created using 4 or 5 images stitched together. The clouds are streaming inline and appear to be converging to a single point in the distance. The road on the left provides a classic example of a converging point. The overall look of the image provides a tremendous sense of perspective. It would be difficult to obtain this look with a single image except possibly by using a very wide angle lens.

On the right we have another image of a Kentucky back road. It offers a classic look of converging lines and VP along with a sense of mystery and nostalgia. Sometimes by changing the angle of the camera you can enhance the appearance of converging lines like this one did. As a portrait frame is works quite well, however if shot as a landscape, the VP effect would have been reduced in this situation. It is the long straight line of the road that provides the VP and when coupled with the rows of trees on either side, it provides a nice sense of depth.

Vanishing Point does not always need to be demonstrated using straight lines. Sometimes, curved lines are effective. The image of the back road provides a small sense of how that works, but the next image is a better example.

Here is another Kentucky back road that effectively uses the curve of the road and fence row to provided a great deal of depth. The VP is easily detected as your eye is drawn deep into the image by the use of those curved lines. Fences are especially good at providing a depth perspective. The key is have it anchored near the front of the image and then allow it to extend across and into the scene without actually exiting the landscape.

A great way create VP is to use artificial lights like speedlights. Two things make the next image of an F-4 Phantom effective: use of color, and use of Vanishing Point. The placement of the lights generated a forward movement of the shadows. The placement of the camera positioned the aircraft in such a way as to point the hardware attached to the wings toward a vanishing point behind the aircraft. Also by centering the nose of the aircraft near the central point of the image, everything else by default moves behind it and follows the VP lines. The Vanishing Point of the lines generated by the wing hardware converges almost exactly where the nose point is if you extend the lines backward. In this case, the alignment was a happy accident, but one that helped make the image as powerful as it turned out. The aircraft provides a powerful appearance of moving toward you.

Using Vanishing Point to provide a sense of depth and perspective to your images is an effective way to generate unique and exciting photographs. It also connects you as an artists to the master artists of old who discovered how to use Vanishing Point to create realistic looking works of art.

The Symphony of Flowing Waters - Exactly What I Need

Inside most of us, including myself, there resides a restless nature, a feeling or desire to describe it more accurately, but a need none the less to step away from our everyday existence and reconnect with what is natural. Few are the outlets we realistically have that will allow us to do such a thing, but the desire to do so never fully subsides from its normal dormant status. One of the best and most relaxing of those outlets is to simply sit beside a flowing stream and listen to its musical waters.

As a photographer, I am constantly seeking out natural beauty. From time to time I will often lay my camera aside and allow the simple beauty of nature to soothe what ills rust inside of me. There are times I leave my camera at home and venture out simply because I need to get away, often replacing the camera with a fishing rod. There is a hypnotic aura that accompanies the sound of the fishing line as it whirls off the spool and when the small spinner lands with a soft splash a few yards away. I relish the familiar clink of the bail, the soft purr of the gears as you turn the handle to retrieve the lure, then the anticipated strike along with the fight of a noble fish, which in my case, I always return to freedom after admiring its fighting spirit.

After a short while, I will often place the rod to one side and pause to simply listen to the wind as it searches for the tops of the trees and to hear the rushing of water as it tumbles over and through a spit of rocks. It is sounds, music, such as these, this symphony of flowing water and searching wind, that quiets the soul. Sometimes, most times, it is exactly what I need.