Or....Merit, and Why it is so Rare.....chapter 3 from On Looking at Photographs *, David Hurn and Bill Jay also cover this topic which is of paramount importance to anyone who picks up a camera with a view to capturing something.
Taking photographs and looking at images is always subjective. I so often hear people say "I wouldn't hang that on my wall!" Well to be honest there are an awful lot of photographs that I wouldn't hang on my wall either but that doesn't stop me liking the image. Conversely there are images that I wouldn't hang on my wall, I don't like the photograph but it doesn't stop me appreciating the art and craft that produced them. Having said all of that there are also pictures that are raved over that I can't apply any of the former to at all!
Off topic but strangely relevant, last night I watched Educating Rita for the first time in ages, she wanted to be able to write educational essays, to be like the other students, comment on plays and books with the correct vocabulary. Her professor was reluctant to teach her because he liked her refreshing outlook on life, her honest approach to books and the fact if she thought a book crap she said so! I often wonder if in learning to "read" a photograph, to analyse it, apply a certain level of critique, appreciate the lines or composition we become too engrossed in the technical aspect and either lose sight of the image itself, either not seeing the beauty or the horror it is trying to portray, or even shock horror feel obliged to find something "good" about it while our inner self is screaming "actually I think it's crap!"
Some will argue that an image, which on its own is irrelevant, will take on a different meaning when part of a body of work. I guess this can be true, but I still have this little devil sitting on my shoulder whispering, "but why is that iconic? It's naff....say so...."
The meaning of images are malleable and can be manipulated in order to provoke the correct response, be that by titles or composition, but when contemplating the merit of a photograph, and why is it that one is seen to be better than another, it helps to be clear about the purpose behind its capture. As Hurn and Jay point out "a successful picture is not dependent on the size of the appreciative audience." (p43)
To help make this point they give certain examples IE. an x-ray finding an illness will be appreciated by a doctor and patient alike. It may then come to nothing or possibly could be part of some ground breaking medical advancement, revered by practitioners for years. Or they discuss a recent astronomical photograph which just looked like a "fuzzy white splotch in a black background" (p44) but transpired to be the first alien solar system ever photographed. As an image it was exceedingly poor, but the significance and interest generated by it was immense.
Their final example is that iconic shot of a young girl in Vietnam running away from her napalmed village. Not one of these examples had been dependent on the "aesthetic rightness of the image " (p45) and in fact "photographs are unique in that this lack of perfection may actually contribute to the power of the images by implying their closer relationship to real life, shorn of artistic pretensions." (p45)
Paradoxically the opposite can also be true, and this time they give an example of a family snap shot with a general appeal due to its interlocking forms and shapes; The Beach at Villerville 1904 Jacques Henri-Lartigue
http://www.oswaldgallery.com/artists/jacques-henri-lartigue
The ideal to producing a photograph of merit is the combination of a subject with wide appeal but containing a high degree of craftsmanship and visual design.
Going back to a point I made in my third paragraph with regards to the audience no longer actually seeing the image itself it Hurn and Jay also broach this topic and give the example of Don McCullin who returning from war-torn Biafra was frustrated when colleagues complimented his beautiful pictures and did not see what he had intended "That's not a great picture, that's an actual young mother who is starving to death in Biafra right now!" (p46)
Another lesson to learn; the best photographs can function in different contexts. Take for example a photograph by Timothy O'Sullivan White House Ruins, Canyon de Chelly, 1873 , originally taken to prove that the canyon was created by glacial scouring it now seems to symbolize the smallness of man against the towering power of nature and many trip out to this iconic site for that reason alone.
Thinking back to my original ponderings and the title of this chapter, it seems many things make a photograph of merit or a photograph "good", though no-one can absolutely put their finger on what elements they are as they can vary.
As Hurn and Jay point out ' "Good" is not the same as "Important" "Good" is not the same as "Useful" "Good is not the same as "Interesting" and "Good" is not the same as "Liking"' (p49) A good place to start is to ask yourself the following three questions 1) What was the intent of the photographer? 2) How well has the intent been realized? 3) Was the intent worth the effort in the first place? (p51) Whilst not necessarily providing the definitive answer asking these questions and getting the answer is the first step in understanding how merit "is rooted in a specific purpose....the picture can blossom, into something that transcends the original intent to become a more universal symbolic image." (p51)
Ultimately there is no rule book but the more you photograph something the more it feels right, you learn to recognise, before you even press the shutter that what is in front of you will not translate into a flat image.
I found this link which shows some of the iconic photographs that changed the world....judge for yourself if they are technically brilliant or just marvels.....we all aspire to maybe one day produce just that one shot......
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/lm01.html
*On Looking at Photographs. Text by Bill Jay and David Hurn. LensWork Publishing, Portland, 1999
Showing posts with label bill jay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bill jay. Show all posts
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Monday, 25 October 2010
Shooting The Single Picture.
That's what happens when you start to read a book :o) It starts you thinking and you hopefully take out the best bits and take on board lots of useful advice. Hopefully you read the relevant chapter/s before you embark on a project but it's never too late to learn more that you can apply next time.
Taking some time out from taking photos I dived into "On Being a Photographer"* again, this time reading the chapter about shooting the single picture. Most of the information echos the advice given in most magazines and by photography tutors but I do love the chat style of this book, the conversations between Bill Jay and David Hurn makes you feel like you are a casual observer listening into a fascinating debate.
So what have they got to say? That the photographer should always keep in mind that 'there is a purpose to the picture...to reveal the chosen aspect of the subject....to clarify its essence' and ultimately produce 'a visually interesting picture.' (p37)
The way to achieve this? Of course the two basic fundamentals of postion and timing, but added to this the taking of many frames of the same subject slightly varying the angle and position. Hurn states that a fine photographer will admit doubt thinking 'I am willing to admit that many little subtleties of camera position, which I can not pre-see, might make the difference between an adequate image and a good one.' (p38)
I don't profess to be a fine photographer but I have taken on board these ideas and must admit that by taking many shots and really taking note of the important elements I find one that works better than the others when reviewing the images either on a contact sheet or in Bridge. The difference may only be subtle but it can make or break a shot. It is often the case that 'you never know if the next fraction of a second is going to reveal an even more significant, poignant, visually stronger image than the previous one.' (p39)
What helps is, as said before, narrowing down the subject, even when you have narrowed it down to one topic that too can have sub-categories. Make up your mind what it is you wish to capture and that will help focus your attention onto the potential subject to the exclusion of others. Shooting either static or moving subjects the same rules will apply to a certain extent, obviously with the moving you will have less control of positioning and all the other variables and elements that help create the 'perfect' shot. Even Hurn admits that these elements do not always fall into place 'but we keep trying.' (p41)
Ok so we start thinking about timing and position, juggling the elements, I have to ask myself what happens with the careful composition? Or are too many images these days staged? All along similar lines? Nothing new to say? Rules are there to be broken but what if too many are and the resulting image just isn't at all pleasing? Once more Jay and Hurn cover this believing that good design is essential when 'design is the vehicle not the destination.....If the image is well designed you want to look at it; if poorly structured, you don't care about the image and, hence, the subject.' (p43)
An awful lot more is discussed with specific photographers of note mentioned such as Walker Evans, and Ansel Adams, apparently his iconic shot of Moon and Half Dome. Yosemite, was one of almost 10 identical exposures he made at the same time.
Jay asks how much is down to pure luck as compared to instinct sharpened by experience? The answer given? Ultimately a bit of both, but 'experience obviously helps - which is another reason to shoot lots of pictures.' (p46)
So there you go another wise truism that practice makes perfect....
*(Published by Lenswork Publishing. ISBN 1-888803-06-1 Third edition 2001)
Taking some time out from taking photos I dived into "On Being a Photographer"* again, this time reading the chapter about shooting the single picture. Most of the information echos the advice given in most magazines and by photography tutors but I do love the chat style of this book, the conversations between Bill Jay and David Hurn makes you feel like you are a casual observer listening into a fascinating debate.
So what have they got to say? That the photographer should always keep in mind that 'there is a purpose to the picture...to reveal the chosen aspect of the subject....to clarify its essence' and ultimately produce 'a visually interesting picture.' (p37)
The way to achieve this? Of course the two basic fundamentals of postion and timing, but added to this the taking of many frames of the same subject slightly varying the angle and position. Hurn states that a fine photographer will admit doubt thinking 'I am willing to admit that many little subtleties of camera position, which I can not pre-see, might make the difference between an adequate image and a good one.' (p38)
I don't profess to be a fine photographer but I have taken on board these ideas and must admit that by taking many shots and really taking note of the important elements I find one that works better than the others when reviewing the images either on a contact sheet or in Bridge. The difference may only be subtle but it can make or break a shot. It is often the case that 'you never know if the next fraction of a second is going to reveal an even more significant, poignant, visually stronger image than the previous one.' (p39)
What helps is, as said before, narrowing down the subject, even when you have narrowed it down to one topic that too can have sub-categories. Make up your mind what it is you wish to capture and that will help focus your attention onto the potential subject to the exclusion of others. Shooting either static or moving subjects the same rules will apply to a certain extent, obviously with the moving you will have less control of positioning and all the other variables and elements that help create the 'perfect' shot. Even Hurn admits that these elements do not always fall into place 'but we keep trying.' (p41)
Ok so we start thinking about timing and position, juggling the elements, I have to ask myself what happens with the careful composition? Or are too many images these days staged? All along similar lines? Nothing new to say? Rules are there to be broken but what if too many are and the resulting image just isn't at all pleasing? Once more Jay and Hurn cover this believing that good design is essential when 'design is the vehicle not the destination.....If the image is well designed you want to look at it; if poorly structured, you don't care about the image and, hence, the subject.' (p43)
An awful lot more is discussed with specific photographers of note mentioned such as Walker Evans, and Ansel Adams, apparently his iconic shot of Moon and Half Dome. Yosemite, was one of almost 10 identical exposures he made at the same time.
Jay asks how much is down to pure luck as compared to instinct sharpened by experience? The answer given? Ultimately a bit of both, but 'experience obviously helps - which is another reason to shoot lots of pictures.' (p46)
So there you go another wise truism that practice makes perfect....
*(Published by Lenswork Publishing. ISBN 1-888803-06-1 Third edition 2001)
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Selecting a Subject.
Near completing all the exercises for Project 1 (I just need to sort out my histogram shots for Ex3) my mind has turned to Assignment 1 and the need to devise a themed assignment.
It seems quite apt that this weekend I read a chapter from "On Being a Photographer: Bill Jay & David Hurn"
(Published by Lenswork Publishing. Third edition 2001) entitled 'Selecting a Subject'.
It makes interesting reading as to how and why we should photograph certain subjects. They start off by discussing what the main principal of taking a photograph is and come up with the statement that "The destination of photography is to reveal what something or somebody looked like, under a particular set of conditions, at a particular moment in time, and to transmit the result to others" (p29)
This statement is true up to a point as we all know and recognise, that given a subject to capture 5 people will produce images that are totaly different; some will be more appealling, more interesting than others. So they ask the question what is it that transforms simple records into photographs of "lasting merit"?
On reading the answer I find myself agreeing with them that the passion a photographer feels about their chosen subject reflects upon how they wish to present it and therefore how they shoot it.
"It comes down to the choice of subject. The photographer must have intense curiosity, not just a passing visual interest, in the theme of the pictures. This curiosity leads to intense examination, reading, talking, research and many many failed attempts over a long period of time." (p29)
A recommended course of action is to put your camera away and view the world without it. Think about what interests you most, write a list, what fascinates you enough that you want to capture it and share it with the world? This is important as the curiosity and fascination you feel for a subject can be communicated through the images you capture. Once you have made some choices the next important things to consider are is it visual? You maybe interested in the centre of the earth but is it possible to photograph it? Is it practical? The subject needs to be continually accessible. Do you know enough about it? If not research it first. Will it be interesting to others? This last question is a difficult balancing act, you may produce stunning images but if the topic is highly specialized you reduce the intended audience, on the otherhand as a photographer you wish to produce images that appeal to you and not pander to the mass market.
List whittled down and a subject chosen, planning ahead is really important, and this links in nicely to workflow. A comment made when reflecting upon the work of others is "many of the best photographers in the world........are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their subject and they plan ahead of the actual shooting."(p32) Also it can be important to restrict your topic, preferred lens and discover your own way of working. "The narrower and more clearly defined the subject matter at the start the more quickly identified is 'the direction in which to aim the camera' as Steiner said, and the more pictures are taken." (p32)
So there you have it! Find what you like, research it, go photograph it...simple ;o) I wish that it was :oD. I agree with their summing up that "The best pictures, for me, are those which go straight into the heart and the blood, and take some time to reach the brain," (p36)
This is where getting to grips with the craft of photography is so important, once you have grasped all the technical aspects of producing a technically acceptable image and it becomes second nature, you can relax and let instinct take over, allowing the thought process to take a back seat to the emotional process.
It seems quite apt that this weekend I read a chapter from "On Being a Photographer: Bill Jay & David Hurn"
(Published by Lenswork Publishing. Third edition 2001) entitled 'Selecting a Subject'.
It makes interesting reading as to how and why we should photograph certain subjects. They start off by discussing what the main principal of taking a photograph is and come up with the statement that "The destination of photography is to reveal what something or somebody looked like, under a particular set of conditions, at a particular moment in time, and to transmit the result to others" (p29)
This statement is true up to a point as we all know and recognise, that given a subject to capture 5 people will produce images that are totaly different; some will be more appealling, more interesting than others. So they ask the question what is it that transforms simple records into photographs of "lasting merit"?
On reading the answer I find myself agreeing with them that the passion a photographer feels about their chosen subject reflects upon how they wish to present it and therefore how they shoot it.
"It comes down to the choice of subject. The photographer must have intense curiosity, not just a passing visual interest, in the theme of the pictures. This curiosity leads to intense examination, reading, talking, research and many many failed attempts over a long period of time." (p29)
A recommended course of action is to put your camera away and view the world without it. Think about what interests you most, write a list, what fascinates you enough that you want to capture it and share it with the world? This is important as the curiosity and fascination you feel for a subject can be communicated through the images you capture. Once you have made some choices the next important things to consider are is it visual? You maybe interested in the centre of the earth but is it possible to photograph it? Is it practical? The subject needs to be continually accessible. Do you know enough about it? If not research it first. Will it be interesting to others? This last question is a difficult balancing act, you may produce stunning images but if the topic is highly specialized you reduce the intended audience, on the otherhand as a photographer you wish to produce images that appeal to you and not pander to the mass market.
List whittled down and a subject chosen, planning ahead is really important, and this links in nicely to workflow. A comment made when reflecting upon the work of others is "many of the best photographers in the world........are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their subject and they plan ahead of the actual shooting."(p32) Also it can be important to restrict your topic, preferred lens and discover your own way of working. "The narrower and more clearly defined the subject matter at the start the more quickly identified is 'the direction in which to aim the camera' as Steiner said, and the more pictures are taken." (p32)
So there you have it! Find what you like, research it, go photograph it...simple ;o) I wish that it was :oD. I agree with their summing up that "The best pictures, for me, are those which go straight into the heart and the blood, and take some time to reach the brain," (p36)
This is where getting to grips with the craft of photography is so important, once you have grasped all the technical aspects of producing a technically acceptable image and it becomes second nature, you can relax and let instinct take over, allowing the thought process to take a back seat to the emotional process.
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