“All aboard!” Part 2

Continuing on at our present location…when shooting on location it is important to keep in mind your objectives.

Here are two photos I took by way of illustration.

The image on the left is my attempt at creating a feel of an older train station set in unavoidable elements of our modern age. Something by which can recall memories of a by-gone era. On the right is an affect I have been working on for a little more than a year. This technique is unique because of intended motion blur on the photographer’s part. As this commuter train passed me I faced the direction it was headed and opened the shutter as I looked over my shoulder and panning with the train as it moved. This affect left everything a blur but the lights and number of the middle train car.

Lest I leave without a word on how these methods and principles can be used in all photography, I would like to point out that simplifying your objective to something achievable is the basic message. The second emphasis is learning how your imagination works and beginning to organize the pieces of the shot with the focal point and the elements. Yes, it can get complicated quickly, but it only has to be as complicated as you want.

Let me share a hint with you. I began in photography as a hobbyist who would look for “shots”. That means that if I saw something of beauty that I wanted to capture in photograph, I would bring out my camera and find a way that best captured what I saw in my mind’s eye. Take your camera with you everywhere you go and ask yourself questions; What attracts me to this scene or object? How can I express what I see in my mind in this picture?

Take one thing at a time and observe how it is used in other works of photography.

Until next week, take each photo opportunity as an adventure, exploring the ways of expressing yourself via photography!

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“All aboard!” Part 1

There are so many things that can be used  as a fresh “vein” in cultivating creativity, but I do not want to ware you out with all of the possibilities. There are literally a million and more options waiting for you!  So this will be the final post in the series of “Cultivating Creativity”.

Could it be possible that we give ourselves too many options in a photo shoot and therefore hinder our ability because we are not focused on the best two or three shots with any variation requested?

Shooting by location can be one of these “open ended” opportunities. On the other hand, there could be some “creative” ways of narrowing the probabilities to make the possible become reality.

Take a train station for an illustration: A train station contains so many possibilities that to use it as a portrait location would require some organization in order to come away with a profitable portrait set. In the same way it can be too much for one imagination to work in for stock photography.

Let me first define some terms: (Or at-least this is how I define these terms.)

• Portraiture – photography which centers on a person and generally includes a recognizable portion of the face.
• Stock – photography designed as art for any range of uses which may include the human figure for interest.

The basic issue comes down to this; portraiture is photography designed to sell because of emotional attachments, whereas stock sells because of the artistic value. I would sound rather cold if anyone were to hear me say it this way without this explanatory context. This by no means is a put down to portraiture! Portrait photography is one of the most recognized markets in the art world and a very good job done by all of my photography peers, professional and hobbyist alike!

Now let us consider some more ways to narrow our options of shots by location. Shooting some of the basics of composition, such as; leading lines, focal direction, rule of thirds and time lapse.

How about photographing components of an object, or vehicles that come and go from the location? Buildings on the grounds or doorways? You can even make it complicated if you wish; regarding physics, shoot the components of an object which create or absorb friction. …

 

Part 2 will come out this Friday. Stay tuned!