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Whether
you classify yourself as a landscape, architectural, wildlife,
portrait, wedding, commercial or other category of photographer, drawing
out a few sketches can go a long way towards capturing photographs with
a purpose. It’s all about honing a creative vision that can take your
images from average to inspiring.
If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in a rut, wandering around a
local park or street asking yourself, “What am I going to shoot now?”
then you need to start planning and sketching out some ideas. It’s part
of my philosophy to stop taking pictures and start creating images.
I know what you may be thinking, “I’m a photographer, not a sketch
artist. I can’t draw.” Guess what, neither can I. As you can clearly see
below, my sketches look more like the casual drawings of your
4-year-old son or daughter. They’re horrendous pieces of work shaming to
the whole art community. But they work, and here’s why.
Sketches establish a vision
The
first thing sketches will add to your photography is to help answer the
questions, “What am I trying to convey?” and “Why take this photo?”
When you sit down to plan out what it is you are looking for, you’re
creating a vision. You’re forcing yourself to think about what might
interest viewers, instead of just mindlessly snapping away and hoping to
get a good photo in the process. I like to put together an editorial
progression in my images, to tell a story. I always work to create a
beginning, middle and end to the shoot. I find it helpful because it
keeps me on a time table and let’s me convey something more than a
casual snapshot could.
We are visual thinkers
There’s a good chance that most of you are visual thinkers. Most
photographers are. We put together images in our brain when people
describe something to us; we remember exactly what roads to take to get
home, but couldn’t tell anyone their names; we never forget a face.
Recognize and cultivate if you are this type of thinker. Sketching helps
activate your spatial thinking. Instead of just saying, “I’d like to
show my model running around a snowman,” actually draw it out. It might
just help you recall the mental image you had when first considering the
shot.
Putting together a vision
So where do you start putting together ideas for a concept? I have a
collection of photos or URL bookmarks to photos I keep on my computer in
my “Vision Folder.” Whenever I’m browsing the work of other great
photographers, if I see something I really love, I add it to my folder.
The key here is to let the image inspire you, and create your own
concept from it. While copying another’s work may be the highest form of
flattery, it’s also cheap and doesn’t help fuel your own creative
vision. Simply, don’t copy. Instead, create from inspiration.
What
I particularly like to do is take the single image and ask myself what
the story is behind it. What is the person doing or thinking? What did
they do before the photo, and after it? What is it that I really like
about it? It’s how I create my own editorial story, or often become
inspired to create a totally different concept by discovering it’s
actually the angle of the light or some other factor that captured my
interest in a particular photo. Once I know that, I’ll begin furiously
sketching and writing the wording to go along with it.
How this applies to wildlife and landscape
Some of you landscape and wildlife photographers might be a bit
skeptical about how a sketch is going to help you out, when often a
great capture comes down to being in the right place at the right time.
Admittedly, these sketches are far more helpful to the commercial,
portrait and wedding photographers. What they will add to your own
photography though is the constant thought about composition. If you’ve
drawn out how you’d like to photograph a deer in the lower left corner
of your frame with a grass field stretching to the right (and you are
familiar with a similar location), the sketch helps as a
constant reminder of composition.
Compare and review
After a successful photo shoot, compare your sketches with the photos
you captured. Did you get all the shots you wanted? How closely do they
compare? Did they inspire you to try a new idea, angle or perspective?
Even if I never end up referencing my own sketches during a photo shoot,
the act of having drawn my ideas down will often make me remember them
when I would have otherwise forgotten. Ultimately, they lend a greater
vision and purpose to my photography. Prepare your thoughts, grab a pen
or pencil and a pad of paper, and you’ll be on your way to creating and
capturing images with a vision.
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Blurring the lines between comrade and competition
Collaborate with one another: These are the result of a collaboration with photographer Shipra Panosian. She shot, I edited.
As far as I can tell, there are two types of photographers. The
business people (A) and the arty people (B). It’s rare to meet a
photographer where the two worlds intersect.
As a member of Group B, it can be quite hard to establish your
business in the first place. When you have a passion as big as mine, you
have to be strict on yourself to not basically work for free every
chance you get. The moment where you have to ask for the cash can be a
tense one which takes time to get used to. More on that in another post.
Photographers with a hobby-turned-business are often guilty of doing
things which aren’t, well, ‘good for business’ simply because we think
with our passion, not always with our brain. Although I recognise those
faults, I wouldn’t change them because the day my business becomes
nothing more than a j-o-b is the day I lay down my camera.
Having begun to interact with other photographers, I have sometimes
noticed a shocking amount of competition, slandering and suspicion
coming from others in the field. The ever present “oooh you shoot Canon.
I’ll just go over there and stand in my own corner with my Nikon”
attitude or the sharp breath in when a photographer finds out that you
share all of your photos online. “Aren’t you worried about theft?” I
know that you probably came to this website for a grand tutorial or
camera review and I don’t usually blog essays, but I really feel that
you can have all the technique, talent or business brains in the world,
but if you aren’t a nice person – if a photographer is stuck too far up
his own…well…butt to enjoy the rich fulfilment that sharing with other
artists has to offer, technique will only get him so far.
Here are some ways I think we can blur the lines between comrades and competition and make the world a better place:
I am a new Flickr convert. I have only just in the past year
discovered the joy and artistic fulfilment of Flickr but I am completely
infatuated. Having never taken a single class about photography, I can
honestly say that there are only two places I have received any sort of
photographic training, help, enlightenment or support. They are here at
DPS (honestly!) and Flickr. Flickr is sooo much more than a dumping
ground for ‘pics’. It is a community of photographers – hobby and
professional – who share their art with each other, give away their
textures, presets and actions and even give detailed ‘post production
recipes’ for exactly how they achieved the look of a photo. They are not
in competition, catty or mean. They don’t worry about losing money or
clients. I can actually attest that one month of Flickr made me a better
photographer than any other years I put into it. Why? Because the
number one way any artist can learn more is simply to look at other art. Give
where you see a need. I’ve gotten so much better about charging for my
services. But I still sometimes recognise the times when I should use my
talent for the greater good. I’ve (sadly) fallen into the habit of
knowing people who are facing the end of their lives and I give them the
gift of lasting family photos. This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned
it, but I think it’s so important that we use our gift to help people
or our gift won’t help us back.
Share your mistakes and don’t be afraid to make them. I do. And then I
tell you all about it! 🙂 I’m not going to let my shortcomings be in
vain. We should be able to learn from each other.
Help a beginner. I sometimes have beginners in the studio to watch me
do a session or take on a work experience kid for a week. And, yes,
I’ve said no to people who want to observe my studio who live in very
close proximity to myself. It wouldn’t be wise to train up a competing
studio. But this doesn’t always apply just because someone lives near
me.
Most of all, stop viewing every other photographer as your
competition. Every photographer has a style unique unto himself. None of
us is like the other. You can only get an Elizabeth Halford portrait
from Elizabeth Halford. Simple as that. If a bride wants my style, they
can only get it from me. If they want your style, they should hire you.
There is plenty of work to go around.
I fully understand the need to be savvy in business and protective if
photography is your bread and butter. But sometimes, this can become a
bit overkill and do more harm than good, most of all to yourself. After
all, just look at this website. What a shining example of Group A and
Group B working together to help enlighten the masses in the ways of
photography. Let’s see what we can do about blurring the lines between
comrade and competition.
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Documentary Photography – Six Tips for Creating a Legacy
We’ve all gone through times in our lives where we’ve lost loved
ones. As a portrait photographer I would get calls all the time for
“Urgent” family photos where one family member was terminally ill, and
yet others that have photos done after the loss of a loved one.
Why do we wait until it’s too late, or almost too late to capture the lives of those most important to us?
As photographers (and before you argue that you aren’t a
“professional” or you aren’t a photographer, I’m here to tell you that
you are! If you take photographs you are a photographer, and this
applies to you!) it is almost our duty to record the lives and times of
those closest to us, family and friends. I’m not just talking about
birthday parties and weddings, which are both important, but how about
everyday life?
Last fall/winter my husband and I lost our two cats who were 18 and
19. He had them for 18 years, they lived with me for five. It hit me
hard and I wrote this: “Do What’s Important Photograph Your Loved Ones”.
I vowed to go and photograph my grandmother who is now 92. I finally
did that and I have some tips for you on how to go and photograph and
document the lives of your loved ones both young and old. So this article comes with both tips and a challenge, for you to go do the same.
Documentary means as it happens naturally, in their environment.
Capture the person’s essence, their real personality
Remember to capture the details and scene setters
Think big picture, take shots for the background of a collage or potential photobook or album
Not every photo needs to show their face. Facing away from camera, hands and body are important too.
Create a story with images, leave a legacy
Unfortunately
Uncle Ward has now passed on, but his legacy does live on in these
images, now treasured by family. They sure did love their instant
coffee. He even took a spoonful of the grounds and ate it!
#1 DOCUMENTARY MEANS IT OCCURS NATURALLY
Documentary photography
usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle
significant and historical events. It is typically covered in
professional photojournalism, or real life reportage, but it may also be
an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit. The photographer attempts to
produce truthful, objective, and usually candid photography of a
particular subject, most often pictures of people. – Wikipedia
Get into their day to day life. Plan to go spend a few hours chatting with the person,
listen to their stories, capture what comes naturally and what just
happens. Don’t create something that isn’t part of them, just be there
to grab moments in time that will mean so much down the road.
The afternoon “soaps” among all her family photos that plaster the walls.
Neil going to feed the cattle
#2 CAPTURE THEIR TRUE ESSENCE
This is not too far off from #1 but let’s take it a bit deeper. Just
being in their home, using their environment doesn’t guarantee you’re
getting into their heart and soul. If this is someone close to you, as
in my grandmother, what is it about them you want to capture? What part
of their personality do you want to shine through in the photos:
wisdom, a gentleness; intelligence, caring, a sense of fun, or all of
the above? Is there something quirky about them that makes them unique,
how can you show that in your images?
For my grandmother, she is a social butterfly so I photographed her
with some friends and playing cards (see above). My husband’s uncles
are farmers and storytellers. We got out the old family photo albums and
listened to them for hours while they showed us old photos from the
1940’s. They came alive as they recounted tales of their younger days
and when they had a TV delivered “a couple years ago” which we later
learned to be around 1975!
We found out my husband’s grandmother was a hobby photographer during the 20’s and she had some really great images and albums!
The key here is to get emotional. I don’t want to see a studio
portrait or even a lovely window light portrait for this type of
project, I go for real, raw, emotion.
#3 REMEMBER TO CAPTURE THE DETAILS
When photographing a person with the intent of documenting, make sure
you think in terms of these three views: overall, medium range, and
close-up or details. What that means is don’t forget to get in close on
some things, and not just have the whole face or person in every image.
Details like how they hold their spoon as they stir their tea (so get in
close on the hands or maybe even just the tea cup) can add a lot of
impact.
Tea and cookies at Grammy’s. For as long as I can remember she’s been feeding us. “Do you want a cookie dear?”
She does love her Bingo
Tea at the Uncles’
#4 THINK BIG PICTURE AND SET THE SCENE
Things around them in their daily life set the scene, so remember to
capture some of those things too. If they live in a house make sure to
get an exterior shot, some of the gardens, and maybe even a close-up of
the wall you can use later as a textured background. Does she have a
favorite dress, one you always think of when you think of her? If so
then photograph it, or a section of the material. Is he a craftsman,
then, by all means, photograph his tools.
The most important thing in my grandmother’s life is her family and
in her small living room, the walls are literally plastered corner to
corner with family photos. Weddings, graduations, new great
grandchildren, and even the pets are all there. Every shelf and
horizontal surface have photos on them. You can bet I captured that
(even though I’d taken make of those photos over the years, seeing them
all up in one places speaks volumes to anyone that enters that room and
you instantly know what she’s all about. She also collects angels and
always has one pinned on her blouse. She has hundreds of them in her
house everywhere.
For the uncles that all consuming thing for them was farming and
their animals. So I got lots of images of the barn, farm buildings, and
old retired machinery. Do all that without their assistance, let them go
about their day while you just shoot background stuff. Think about how
those images may work together making a photo album or even a digital
book.
The Cooper Homestead farmhouse
#5 NOT EVERY SHOT NEEDS TO SHOW THE FACE
Similar to get in and show the details, think outside the box. Not
every image needs to show the face or even hands. How about feet? Use a
slower shutter speed and add some motion if applicable. Shoot for
something different here that the “norm”. Think about how to represent
them, and their life without showing their face.
With her youngest great grandchild, young and old.
#6 CREATE A STORY WITH IMAGES
Every other point in this article leads directly into this one, telling a story.
By following all the tips above you pretty much can’t help but create
images that do just that so the only thing I will add here is to do it
consciously. Go in knowing you’rl./e creating a story. Intention is a
powerful thing. When you show up planning to create a story, your
subconscious will naturally kick in and go to work for you, if you
aren’t aware (hint: that’s why it’s your subconscious).
One other thing you can do it go look at other photo stories,
specifically some of the great photographers, masters of the photo
essay. W. Eugene Smith comes to my mind, go study some of his stories for LIFE magazine. Anything by Cartier-Bresson but especially The Decisive Moment.
Or some of my favorites Dorothea Lange, Margaret-Bourke White and
Walkers Evans who all documented the Great Depression. Find out what
draws you in to their images. How do they use scene setters and detail
shots? Learn from the masters.
ACTION PLAN
If you read my articles regularly you’ll know what I’m going to say –
get out there and go photograph someone important to you. That’s the
first step! Then DO something with the images that will create a family
heirloom. A book is ideal as you can make copies for the whole family.
To see the full book I made of The Uncles
for an example of how to put it all together. Blurb.com is a great way
to make books that are high quality that don’t break the bank. I’ve made
several copies of this one for family and have done other volumes for
special occasions and family events as well as clients.
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Thursday, February 20, 2020
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The way your son wraps his little arms around your leg to hug you.
The way your daughter leaves little notes for you around the house. How
it feels to snuggle, dance, and play. His crooked smile. Her knobby
knees. Eyelashes. Elbows. Ankles sticking out from socks.
As parents, these are the little moments that we live for, the ones
that make our hearts swell, the ones that reflect the spirit of the
people we hold most dear.
And yet, as photographers, these are the very moments that we tend to gloss over in their familiarity.
We’re drawn to that moment that makes us feel something. It’s often
what leads us to pursue photography in the first place. Reminding
ourselves why we love this art form so much, how it connects us to the
world around us and brings our experiences to life, places it into a
larger context. Enter the family photo essay!
The family photo essay puts your technical know-how to work in service of telling an emotional and meaningful story.
You see articles on family life in parenting magazines, but in them
everything and everyone looks so perfect and polished. And yet, you know
that real life looks nothing like that. Your kids go to school with
un-brushed hair, mismatched socks, and cream cheese on their faces. Your
floors need sweeping, your dishes need washing, and your laundry needs
folding.
And that’s ok. That’s real. That’s true. That’s you. You don’t need
to vacuum the carpet in order to find beauty in your everyday life. In
many ways, the most important story is the perfectly imperfect one you
live every day.
Turning your lens toward home to create a photo essay of your family
allows you to capture not only what you look like, but also what it
feels like to be you, belonging to your family, at this moment in time.
And in this way, you can literally show your loved ones just how much
they mean to you.
There are three stages to creating an effective photo essay:
photography, selection, and structure. Here’s what to focus on in each
stage of the process.
Phase one – photography
This is the time to ignore the old saw about “picture takers” and
“picture makers” and give yourself permission to shoot A LOT. Yes, be
intentional, be careful, be thoughtful. But also let yourself
experiment. Let yourself play. Take a different angle than you do in
your other styles of work.
Create a diverse body of work from which to draw: close ups, details,
wide angle. The more variety in your images, the more complete your
story will be.
Life moves quickly. Life is messy. Kids don’t sit still. It’s ok to
let go of the pressure to create the “perfect” shot in the service of
capturing real life. What to look for:
1) The moment
“Photographers deal in things which are continually
vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth
which can make them come back again. We cannot develop and print a
memory.” ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
As you move through your day with your family, pay close attention to
your rituals and routines, the things you do every day with each other.
Take a step back from habit and mine these moments for your story. When
people are actively engaged in something that matters to them their
essence shines through.
The messes, the tears, the comforts and the struggles—these are the
things that make our real lives so beautiful. These are the moments that
matter. These are the moments that we look back on and wonder, “Where
did the time go?”.
Let yourself slow down. Pay attention. When the moment arises, keep
shooting all the way through it. Your attention is an act of love, and
as you let the love well up inside you, you’ll find that the moment
becomes clear.
2) Shape
Shape is often the thing that helps bring the moment into focus in a
beautiful way. Often, when discussing photography the discussion centers
around the general term “composition”, but when I think about it as
“shape,” it helps me really see what I’m looking for.
That moment when her head tilts ever so slightly. The moment when he jumps in the air and his feet lift off the ground.
Shape and moment are almost inextricably intertwined. Shape is what gives the moment form, interest, impact.
As you look through the viewfinder, look for shapes between people,
shapes between kids and their environment, the shape of their body as
they lay on the floor reading. Diagonals, s-curves, c-curves,
triangles–shape is what gives an image it’s life.
3) Simplicity
“There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kinda the point?” ~ Pam, from the final episode of The Office
One of the struggles of documentary photography is how to get your
subject to stand out from all the other stuff around you. Remember that
the camera is only a tool; it can only see what you tell it to see.
As you compose your image, look for simplicity and harmony between
subject and environment. Can you frame your images in such a way that
the background and surroundings add to the story you’re telling? Don’t
be afraid to move your feet.
Notice how the environment also impacts the meaning of your image.
Your home, even on its messiest days, holds so much love. The way your
kids interact with their surroundings says so much about who they are as
people (not to mention gives you a reminder of just how big, or small,
they are at this moment in time).
As the photographer, you get to choose what to focus on. You get to
show us what’s important to you. You get to show us how you see the
world, your unique view on your unique life. NOTE: For those of you whose kids are old
enough, I highly recommend getting them involved in this project. Get
them access to a camera and let them show you what they see. And that
way, images of you will be included in the essay as well.
Phase two – selecting images
After you finish gathering your images, sift through them and see
what stands out to you. What do you notice? Are there moments that feel
like they “sing”? Moments, themes, or attitudes that recur throughout
your collection? You’ll begin to see what matters, what you value.
Look for patterns and through lines in your images. Look for moments
that take your breath away or that “just feel right.” The images to
include in your essay are the images that tell a story, reveal a truth,
capture an essence, or evoke an emotion. Who is this person? What is
their essence? What matters to them?
For each image you select ask yourself why it’s important. What story
does it tell? And then ask again, why is that story important? You may
also enjoy writing these stories down and adding them to your final
product.
Phase three – deciding on structure
Once you’ve created and selected your images, it’s time to give them
structure. There are several ways to go about this depending on the
story you’re trying to tell:
A day in the life
The same event over time
A theme that emerged that represents what matters to you
A focus on each member of your family and the things that make them special
How you choose to structure your images may change from project to
project, but the most important thing is to make a tangible copy. Print
it, bind it, collage it, but make it a living document you share with
your family and not just something that sits on your hard drive.
A family photo essay will grow to be a cherished part of your
family’s legacy, giving your children a sense of belonging. Your story
does indeed matter. It’s time to reclaim the art of the family snapshot.
Please share any other tips or comments you have below, as well as
your family photo essay images. Have you done a project like this? Tell
us about it.
When I began my journey down the wonderful path of becoming a
photographer, I never realized how this camera of mine would totally
transform my world.
I picked up a camera before becoming a mom, not because of burning
passion, but because I knew how important it was to document our life. I
felt like taking pictures was an essential part of remembering all of
the details of growing our family.
What I’ve realized over the years though, is that photography isn’t
simply about the technical details of achieving the perfect white
balance, using the best gear and accessories, or researching perfect
posing and staging techniques. It’s about the surprising and hidden
benefits you’ll receive from the camera in rediscovering yourself and
igniting a new passion; helping you become a better person in the
process.
Below are 10 ways I’ve found photography has made me a better mom.
The points I make are quite ‘mom focused’, but I’m sure these would
apply to dads, grandparents, aunts, uncles, or anyone else who has a
love of capturing their family as well.
Photography is a creative outlet that that allows you to be an active participant in self-care while raising kids.
Getting out for even a quick 10 minute walk and capturing your
surroundings is sometimes all you need as a mental reset on particularly
long or hectic days.
3) Connect with other like-minded parents
It’s is a hobby that allows moms to connect with other moms who are
passionate about memory making. It can be so hard meeting other moms who
have similar interests once you become one yourself. Photography
provides a place to start finding common ground as you search for new
friends.
4) More family activities to new places
You’ll be excited to plan more activities as a family because you’ll want to document fun adventures together.
Never one to enjoy taking photos in the same place twice, I’m always
on the hunt for new places to go see, and explore with our family to
make the experience of documenting new and exciting every time. We’ve
been to the zoo, the park, apple picking, the local alpaca farm, the
pool, the playground, etc.
5) You document important childhood details
Photography allows you to become more mindful about documenting childhood details that are too easily forgotten.
You may think you’ll always remember how tiny they are, the first
time they smile, or how cute they looked in that amazing outfit from
grandma. But, unfortunately if there isn’t photographic evidence those
memories can quickly fade away. A photography project can help you
sharpen your skills and preserve these memories.
6) Provides you a way to relax after bedtimes
Looking through photos is a way to rest and unwind at the end of a
long tiring day. After the kids are in bed it’s such a confidence
booster to look over your work, pick the best shots, edit a few to
really make them pop, or order a few prints to frame and hang in your
home.
7) Helps you ‘play’ with the kids more
Taking pictures can be accomplished in small chunks of time without a whole lot of resources or equipment required.
Settling into creative play with my kiddo doesn’t always flow
naturally for me. In order to make play time activities more fun for us
all, I’ll often participate for a little while, and then have the camera
nearby so I can switch away from participating and snap a few photos
when I start getting antsy.
8) You are creating a family legacy that will be treasured
You are giving your children a precious gift of memories that they’ll
cherish for a lifetime. Every time I snap a ‘keeper’ I always think
about how much our daughter will appreciate that shot when we’re all
older.
9) Looking over family photos creates great bonding time
Sitting down and looking at old photos is the perfect way to earn
some extra snuggle time with the kids. Looking through photo albums is a
favorite activity for our family and is also one of the only times we
get some snuggly bonding time with our preschooler which is always a
treat.
10) It helps you be a better role model
Kids will see an empowered and confident role model as their mom (or
dad) embraces a hobby she loves. Children are sponges and will mimic
parents’ actions. By showing your children that you are willing to make
time for your own fulfillment by embracing hobbies and passions you
love, you’re granting them permission to do the same in their own life.
How many of these can you relate to? Has photography always been a
passion for you? Or has parenthood taken your love of photography to an
entirely new and more passionate realm as it has done for me? I’d love
to hear about your photography story in the comments.
Whether
you classify yourself as a landscape, architectural, wildlife,
portrait, wedding, commercial or other category of photographer, drawing
out a few sketches can go a long way towards capturing photographs with
a purpose. It’s all about honing a creative vision that can take your
images from average to inspiring.
The
first thing sketches will add to your photography is to help answer the
questions, “What am I trying to convey?” and “Why take this photo?”
When you sit down to plan out what it is you are looking for, you’re
creating a vision. You’re forcing yourself to think about what might
interest viewers, instead of just mindlessly snapping away and hoping to
get a good photo in the process. I like to put together an editorial
progression in my images, to tell a story. I always work to create a
beginning, middle and end to the shoot. I find it helpful because it
keeps me on a time table and let’s me convey something more than a
casual snapshot could.
Try this link:https://bit.ly/31Y7Obh
