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Thread summary:

Photography: composition, lighting, teacher, lens, creativity.

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Old 01-30-2009, 06:40 AM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,763 posts, read 40,880,036 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SYS View Post
Photography technique is one thing. Having creative "eyes" is another. Technique can be learned by anyone in a relative short time, but creativity takes time and experience - lots of experience. That's one of the meanings of Goethe's famous line, "life is short, art is long."

If I were to teach my kids the art of photography (and I'm planning on doing just that), I'll give them just one assignment: take 1,000 pictures of your own room, and all images must be different from one another. That WILL force them to see things very differently and come up with things that they haven't seen before although it's been in that small room all along. They'll see that they've taken their small space for granted. We take our world around us for granted, and that creates walls all around us and prevent us to see things from a fresh perspective. Creativity, I think, has to start by breaking down these walls so that things can be seen with fresh eyes... and hence the phrase, "thinking outside the box."
Ah, but this is composition not discovery. You've defined the parameters of the photos (their rooms). Using your example, my question would be, did your kids think of taking photos in their room/recognize that their rooms present a photo opportunity?
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Old 01-30-2009, 06:51 AM
 
Location: Moon Over Palmettos
5,978 posts, read 19,859,409 times
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Photography to me is an art, and IMO is talent based. One does not necessarily have to have a talent for photography in and of itself, but there has to be an underlying inclination, tendency or propensity for composition, color theory, balance and proportion to name a few, as well as a good sense of what appeals to human emotion outside of the physical aspects of the photograph. With this basic foundation, a good photographer hones his skills and his senses, understands theory, both of light and technology (camera and software) to take his photographs to the next level. Theory and technology takes a person far, but there is something innate in a person that makes one a great photographer. Much as people can naturally be good dancers, singers, or relational database programmers, the ones that stand out are those that have the fortune of having the knack for it from the beginning and do more to develop their talents.
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Old 01-30-2009, 06:53 AM
 
Location: Here and there
1,808 posts, read 4,029,578 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LauraC View Post
Ah, but this is composition not discovery. You've defined the parameters of the photos (their rooms). Using your example, my question would be, did your kids think of taking photos in their room/recognize that their rooms present a photo opportunity?
I see where you are coming from... but... after 1000 photos of a bedroom there would have to be discovery. That is truly a lot of photos. Whats that old saying? Experience is the key to knowledge? Or something like that. In the process of composing 1000 shots there would have to be some discovery, don't you think?
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Old 01-30-2009, 06:57 AM
 
Location: Here and there
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bibit612 View Post
Much as people can naturally be good relational database programmers....
I bet you are one crazy party animal. OK, just kidding!!

Well put, bibit612... I could have not said it better myself (of that, there is no doubt).
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Old 01-30-2009, 07:52 AM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,763 posts, read 40,880,036 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bulldawgfan View Post
I see where you are coming from... but... after 1000 photos of a bedroom there would have to be discovery. That is truly a lot of photos. Whats that old saying? Experience is the key to knowledge? Or something like that. In the process of composing 1000 shots there would have to be some discovery, don't you think?
Not really, unless while they were carefully setting up their position and composing the photo angle, choosing their lens and their camera settings and evocatively lighting the old teddy bear under their bed (while they skillfully eliminated their dirty underwear from the shot that would ruin the story for future photo viewers), they noticed a roach chewing on a piece of a ham sandwich over there near the bed leg, realized that was a great photo opportunity and got off a usable shot in seconds before the roach ran like heck.

While I realize the carefully lit and posed Teddy Bear photo would be more artistic, have the technical merit appreciated by contest judges/advertisers/magazine editors and would win the hearts of the audience, it was a calculated/manipulated photo of an object that wasn't going anywhere while they tried what they thought would work best based on their experience and knowledge. Presumably, the only variable would be how many shots it took junior to get the teddy bear photo right and I think that would be based on junior's experience and knowledge of how to take a photo.

I'd be more interested to know if junior realized the roach and the ham sandwich crumb was photo-worthy and took the shot in his very brief window of opportunity.

Neither photo is "wrong" but I'm not sure if stumbling upon and recognizing that the roach and ham sandwich crumb (realizing that two-second window of opportunity and a zero chance of setting anything up), was photo-worthy, is something that can be learned. I also think most photographers would be loathe to take the roach photo because they have no control in that scenario and I think many photographers only take photos where they have control. In other words, it's not the great photos they take but we'll never know the ones they didn't even consider.
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Old 01-30-2009, 08:17 AM
 
Location: Beautiful Buffalo :-)
2,972 posts, read 8,199,008 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LauraC View Post
The question is while someone is walking to the location where they will set up their tripod and artfully photograph ducks swimming in the water right before sunset for the latest "outdoors" contest or magazine cover, can they knowingly and easily stop walking, whip out their camera and adapt to that 3 second window of opportunity when a stray dog dives into the lake, chases the duck and much splashing, water diving and duck flight ensues --- a photo opportunity that they may never have again? The ducks swimming at sunset may be award winning artful-looking photography that makes people ooh and ahhh but wouldn't impress me as much as the unanticipated splish-splash photo capture of Fido versus Daffy.
Being ready for an unanticipated Fido is something that can't be taught. Learning the proper settings to adapt for that 3 second window is much different than having the instinct. Instinct is what something has to learn on their own.
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Old 01-30-2009, 08:26 AM
 
Location: Moon Over Palmettos
5,978 posts, read 19,859,409 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bulldawgfan View Post
I bet you are one crazy party animal. OK, just kidding!!

Well put, bibit612... I could have not said it better myself (of that, there is no doubt).

Ha ha ha Bulldawg! I only WISH my old body can still be a crazy party animal!

But back on topic...I always believed that people are born with something, and that while training and sheer persistence would often do the job, those that were born with it don't have to try as hard, and when they do come up with an outstanding product. I see this in my children as they grow up. My son I believe was sleeping when God doled out the Art talent. He could not cut a piece of paper with ordinary scissors in a straight line. At 12, he constantly needs guidance with any school project that involves any creativity or artistic endeavor at all! Conversely, my daughter hogged all the Art talent that God gave (while DS slept or played hooky that day!). As a second grader at 6, she can put together a diorama involving native Inuits on her own. She fashioned the box, the bed, even asked and hand quilted a cover, created cooking utensils that she felt Inuits used then out of foil, clay, whatever. Her tiny hands could make little teeny critters out of bark, grass, pebble, you name it. If she had to ask me for an idea, I would rattle of suggestions, drive her to Michael's and she would go around the aisle and pick out materials herself. She had an eye for color and color theory knowing value, hue, shade and tint without the scholastic background. She however, refuses to dabble in photography at the level I want her to be and is content with her P&S. On the other hand, she is an excellent movie-maker and can turn many photos into a great video, dubbed and all.

Like LauraC, I am very partial to photojournalism and hope I can grow up to be one sometime in my lifetime. There is something about photographs that are etched in my mind for a very long time. Some of the ones are immortalized in the Best Of LIFE collection, which I have, containing photos like the child whose village was bombed by napalm during the Tet offensive or MyLai massacre, the photo of the Vietcong about to be executed, a gun to his head or the photo of the fireman carrying dead little Bailey of the Oklahoma City bombing. Photos like these have achieved what they meant to achieve...immortality, which I think is the highest praise a photographer can ever earn!
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Old 01-30-2009, 10:43 AM
SYS
 
339 posts, read 1,169,535 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LauraC View Post
Not really, unless while they were carefully setting up their position and composing the photo angle, choosing their lens and their camera settings and evocatively lighting the old teddy bear under their bed (while they skillfully eliminated their dirty underwear from the shot that would ruin the story for future photo viewers), they noticed a roach chewing on a piece of a ham sandwich over there near the bed leg, realized that was a great photo opportunity and got off a usable shot in seconds before the roach ran like heck.

While I realize the carefully lit and posed Teddy Bear photo would be more artistic, have the technical merit appreciated by contest judges/advertisers/magazine editors and would win the hearts of the audience, it was a calculated/manipulated photo of an object that wasn't going anywhere while they tried what they thought would work best based on their experience and knowledge. Presumably, the only variable would be how many shots it took junior to get the teddy bear photo right and I think that would be based on junior's experience and knowledge of how to take a photo.

I'd be more interested to know if junior realized the roach and the ham sandwich crumb was photo-worthy and took the shot in his very brief window of opportunity.

Neither photo is "wrong" but I'm not sure if stumbling upon and recognizing that the roach and ham sandwich crumb (realizing that two-second window of opportunity and a zero chance of setting anything up), was photo-worthy, is something that can be learned. I also think most photographers would be loathe to take the roach photo because they have no control in that scenario and I think many photographers only take photos where they have control. In other words, it's not the great photos they take but we'll never know the ones they didn't even consider.
Given your wild imagination ("dirty underwear," "roaches" crawling under my children's bed with "ham sandwich crumb," etc.) you don't seem lacking in creativity while lacking civil sensitivity. While creativity demands imagination, though, it can get stifled for those who can't get themselves empty of their heads full of opinions. If you're full, it's not receptive for new. If you're empty, many new things can go in.
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Old 01-30-2009, 02:05 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,763 posts, read 40,880,036 times
Reputation: 62056
Quote:
Originally Posted by SYS View Post
Given your wild imagination ("dirty underwear," "roaches" crawling under my children's bed with "ham sandwich crumb," etc.) you don't seem lacking in creativity while lacking civil sensitivity. While creativity demands imagination, though, it can get stifled for those who can't get themselves empty of their heads full of opinions. If you're full, it's not receptive for new. If you're empty, many new things can go in.
I was exaggerating in the extreme which is why I put the smiley faced icon - to let you know I wasn't being serious about the scenario. I apologize if you were offended.
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