Findingviews

Archive for the ‘Meanderings’ Category

Image via Wikipedia

I run regular community education photography and the two most common problems I see are not understanding what the camera can do, and not understanding what makes a good photograph. The problem with the camera is normally caused by camera handbooks being just impossible to understand for most people. The problem with understanding photographic composition is one of experience and vision.

The problem with learning how your camera works can be fixed surprisingly effectively by working with the person involved, and whilst learning composition is harder you can teach someone to observe and that is the basis of good camera work.

I also know that not everyone can make it to a formal class and that something a little more flexible can be the solution.

To me that looks like a hole to fill in.

That is why I have decided to offer private photography tuition. The concept here is not to put someone into a large class but to work with them and their camera to solve the problems they are facing. Think of it as a small scale workshop, designed specifically to give some one a sense of fun and achievement whilst they are picking up a set of skills that will be useful. Since it is all about practical skills, and all about practice these personal tuition sessions can be be teach more in short time than a course which has a larger syllabus and a class to defer to.

That is why I am doing this – to offer something that is more than a manual, and different to a class. It is a form of focussed coaching designed around the individual.

Should you be interested in this contact me via my photography web site at http://originalrobart.co.uk/default.aspx

If you’re not interested just think for a moment about why I’ve decided to offer this service this way. Perhaps just using this idea as a way of thinking and practicing your photography will help you.

One of the truths of photography is that despite planning, intention and care you can never be sure when the opportunity for a good photograph will present itself. I’ve talked about my mobile phone being a note book that I use to record ideas for photographs, and maybe even the images themselves. That is useful – there is no doubt of it, but this cannot beat carrying a camera as often as possible. It’s one of the reasons that a good many photographers as well as owning a good collection of powerful SLR cameras also keep a good pocket sized camera on hand. They’re simply following the rules  that you need a camera to take photograph and good images can be seen anywhere at any time.

Here’s an example from my own work. I have two clients that are separated by the Blorenge mountain in South Wales. I know from experience that local weather conditions can vary the views from absolutely zero to quite beautiful vistas. I was passing over that mountain this week, the weather was freezing cold but glorious and there was enough view and light to take a few pictures. Had I not bothered to have a camera handy there would be no pictures.

Here are some links to those images.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grandetour/4356222113/

http://www.redbubble.com/people/robdavies/art/4653867-1-softly-we-see-the-sugar-loaf

So remember carry a camera and be opportunistic. You never know when a good photograph will reveal itself to you.

Here’s a quick and easy tip that has nothing to do with the classic suggestion of running a blog to help people find you.

This one is entirely for content creators, and so seems appropriate for a photography blog.

If you create content – particularly if you are a blogger of a photographer then you should take a look at Zemanta and Apture.

Both of these services do a single job well – they allow for the integration of content from a number of sources into a blog entry. Using Zemanta or Apture can really help a blogger quickly find a reference or image to insert. Of course all of this content has to come from somewhere… this is where you come in. By making your content available to Zemanta or Apture you can increase your chances of being discovered simply some bloggers, somewhere in the world will refer to your work.

Take a look at what these services offer – for a creative person they are potential discovery engines.

I’ve been considering adding the content from http://sharedcreation.tumblr.com/ to this blog. I’ve now come down on the side of adding this content. Here’s why. What I do with http://sharedcreation.tumblr.com/ is to hunt through the Internet for photographs and sometimes videos that I find inherently interesting. I then pass a few comments on the subject matter, techniques, content and simply what this makes me feel. The idea is that I produce a stream of inspiration that is created by combining the words and images. I try to update http://sharedcreation.tumblr.com/ most days – and this typically works out to around 5 updates per week.

To me this fits in perfectly with the concept of Findingviews being a notebook of thoughts. In Findingviews I like to write about what I am doing, pass experiences on, and pass along ideas. I think adding how I feel about other images and art makes a lot of sense.  It is adding another piece to the puzzle to let you see what is going on.

I hope you find the new images interesting, and entertaining.

In the UK as a general rule we don’t see a great deal of snow. True there are some northerly areas where snow is pretty much guaranteed. However over the last couple of days pretty much all of the UK has been  covered in snow. As per normal schools have been closed, roads have been closed and people are enjoying the joys of being at home during the day (also called I can’t believe what they putting on daytime TV these days).

Of course its also a chance to get some pictures in and of the snow.

Except that none of us actually now how to take pictures in the snow.

So here are some  top tips for taking pictures in the snow.

1. If you’re camera has a snow setting – use it. Snow is bright and contrasting environment. Having your camera set for this will help. If you don’t have a snow setting, then try a beach setting. Beaches and snowfields are oddly similar places. If your camera doesn’t support these scenes try reducing exposure compensation a little. This should help
2. Use a flash to photograph falling snowflakes. You’ll need plenty of light to help fix the position of the snowflakes.
3. Snow is very monochrome. Find something that has a bright colour to it and include this in your photograph. This will help create an interesting looking photograph. Red works well in the snow.
4. Snow presents a rare and changing environment. Keep a camera handy. If you see something that looks interesting take the picture then and there. You don’t know how long the scene will last.
5. Snow also means fewer people around. This means quieter looking streets and roads and this may lend itself to some interesting atmospheres for your photographs. Remember this if you thing you photograph seems ordinary. It may not look so mundane when you come to print the photograph.
6. Beware of shadows! Snow is very good at picking up shadows and suddenly your pristine white piece of snow can have a dirty great shadow on it. Keep your eyes open to avoid this.
7. Check your white balance. Use auto white balance or manually set the white balance by taking a picture of some snow. Whatever you do do not use a white balance set for artificial light this will put an unsightly colour cast on your images.
8. Wrap up warm, snow is cold. Your hands will get cold when handling the camera so make sure you can keep warm.

Of course the most important thing – enjoy yourself.

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve recently been working on a photo of a Japanese temple guardian that was taken at Narita. Quick travel tip – if you do to Japan don’t just use Narita as an airport. It is a charming town with a wonderful complex of temples.

Now back to the point.

What I wanted to do was make the Guardian become unnaturally in your face without looking .. well wrong.  After my first run at the editing I wasn’t convinced by the picture. There areas that were too bright and blown out, and possibly evidence of over sharpening.

At this point I put down the picture and saved it for future reference. There comes a point in editing, be it an image or an article that you no longer see what you have done. Everything sort of blurs together and it kind of feels just good or bad. When this happens I always recommend walking away and coming back afresh sometime later.

However this time when I came back and wasn’t quite so sure about the picture. The technical questions were still there and now I wondered if this was a worthwhile endeavour. Normally  when i create something I do it for myself in the hope that someone else likes it. This is I believe artistically wise. Not so sure if its commercially a great idea as my tastes may not be that commercial. Normally I live with this and things go ok. This I started to worry if what I was doing was mightily disconnected from what people want. After all if people have no chance of liking what I produce why produce. It was a moment of self doubt.

Then I remembered this – its the reason why many people do not progress artistically. It is the self doubt that prevents action.

What do I do?

Work on something I feel better about and go back to the temple guardian at some point in the future. I might even post it on Facebook and see if a discussion ensues. You mustn’t let self doubt stop you. You must just keep on at it.

I’ve just created a Facebook page to cover my digital art and photography work. I thought it might be a good idea to explain why

First of all here it is: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Original-RobArt/168860968583

Not the most romantic of URLs is it, but that’s way off topic.

Lets get back to talking about facebook. When I first logged onto facebook, I thought it interesting but of limited value. I went through the stage of considering it a time waster full of silly applications. Over recent months facebook has been reconfiguring itself as a communication medium. This is really working for me. There is something almost intimate about keeping in touch people through direct messages and updates. So figuring that facebook was turning into a communicator I decent to test the  pages feature by adding one for SharedCreation.com. This went well and the  page has allowed for additional interaction with people that would not happen through the blogs pages and I have found this very valuable. To be honest I was surprised as to how useful the odd like or comment would be.

So I’ve turned from Facebook tolerant, to someone who see’s it as something far stronger than email, basically a place to combine communication and community and my first foray into pages brought some good things.

I suppose that with these experiences behind adding another page was an inevitable step. You see via this blog, Redbubble and Facebook I not only want to introduce people to what I do but also open a dialog.  The more I think about, the more I feel that doing anything on the web requires a conversation and openness that perhaps could not happen previously. So I have created a Facebook fan page to use the strengths of facebook – the conversation.

I hope you find the page useful.

Image by ♥ China ♥ guccio via Flickr

Last week I was taking photographs for the social media photomarathon. (This is now over – and I will shortly be posting my closing post on this event over at Shared Creation.) My final picture was a representation of cosy using a wine glass and a gas fire. I had the idea and then tried the shot out immediately using my mobile phone. This reminded me that at times I have used my phone to take pictures when I haven’t had a larger camera about. Some of these shots I have worked up significant images.

This got me thinking about the camera on my phone. Its always with me. I use it to take pictures or to record picture ideas. In effect its become a both a photographic tool and the equivalent of carrying a sketchbook. Artists have long carried and used sketchbooks for the very purpose of exploring the idea of a picture before it is committed to canvas. My phone now does that – taking odd pictures, capturing textures or small and useful images if I do not have a larger camera about. Its useful to do a quick and unsophisticated capture. After all it is impossible to guarantee remembering all ideas, but a phone with a gallery does a good job of being a concept list.

Of course you can always add to that.

I also use the mobile version of Evernote to jot down ideas and add context to what I have been taking.

So never forget – in your pocket is a small device that can record ideas.

Here is the picture that started this train of thought

I’ve recently been thinking about how to take better photographs of products – i.e. things that you want to sell. I’m suggesting that these suggestions are a bible – but I find bearing these points in mind does lead to better results.

1. Keep the Camera Steady – use a tripod or a rest
2. Keep lighting soft.  avoid the build in flash on the camera and angle lights so that the product is well lit with getting any glare. Sunlight coming in from a window is useful but avoid a bright sun as this will increase the contrast and make a harsh image.
3. Make use of post processing software  (free examples include Google Picasa or  Microsoft live gallery, pricier options include Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop) to enhance the photograph
4. Make sure that background your product is resting is plain and is a neutral or complimentary colour to the product
1. White or black make good backgrounds colours. Remember to use opposing colours. a dark object should be shot against black. a bright object is best shot against a black background.
2. Use a colour scheme generator to work out the complimentary colours for the main colour in the product. a good colour scheme designer is : http://colorschemedesigner.com/
5. Use a fill light. what this means have the main (soft) lights on the product.  use another light to illuminate to the side or behind the product to give an even or fill light.
6. Shoot from as straight onto the product as possible and zoom in close to the product. Zooming in close however does not apply when trying to place the product in context. What is important then is the composition of the whole scene
7. Make sure the products best feature is shown off as much as possible in the photograph
8. As there will be plenty of light set the ISO number low on the camera
9. Adjust the f stop (f-number) to give as much or as little depth as needed – a low number is a high depth of field. higher numbers give medium to little depth of field. I tend to get good results with a low F number
10. Remove shadows – adjust the position of the camera, product and lights to remove as much shadow as possible. If shadows to occur – remove later in post processing.

If  you have other ideas or suggestions I’d love to hear from you.

When you take a photograph, you are composing a view of a something. The moment the shutter releases a moment has been captured. Later if you edit or enhance that photograph you are composing it again. Do you crop, do you alter the importance or one thing over another? As the polish goes on the photograph changes from a composition of a moment to something else. That is where it all stops, your polished photograph is an interpretation of a moment.

What happens when time goes by even further?

Weeks, months or years later you take another look at the same photograph and say – I could do better. Now that time has past you are emotionally more distant from the moment and are viewing afresh with a different point perspective. If a reasonable amount of time has past you will probably have further developed your idea of style and will have new ideas on how an image should look. Applying your new viewpoint to an old image creates something new; another interpretation.

Is this valuable? – Well yes as something genuinely good and interesting can be the result.

Are there dangers? – Yes you are mashing up the past. Make sure you do not lose the old work. It is how you got to where you are today, it may still be valuable as an image. It will always be valuable as part of the record. In a digital world there is a danger that by continuously altering past work we lose past record and only have the moment.

The way I see it, digital recording gives us unlimited scope to edit. That’s unlimited scope to revise. We should do this if something good can be achieved, but we should be careful not to erase our pasts while we do this. Losing the past puts us into Big Brother territory were all we have are moments on a screen and very little else.

How did I arrive at these thoughts. I’ve recently updated a some of my earlier works. Here are the two latest examples.