Tag Archives: Creativity

Why do new? Just do you!

Reflection of a girl in a shop window. Don't do new, do you

• Monochrome girl in blue •
When starting out try out lots of things. As you develop your interests will start to find a focus.

Style is you.

Photography is your interest. Do it your way. When learning you’ll find joy in just trying out many new things. As you develop you will find your way of doing things becomes a form of self expression.

Self expression

Letting out the inner you in your photography is one of the highest forms of success. Every photograph is a unique form of communication. So when you focus on something that you are interested in, passionate about, you express your inner self in a powerful way. Self expression is how top photographers make a success of their business. Clients come to them because they like the way the photographer does it.

Doing new is not you

Less experienced photographers think that they will only “make the grade” by dreaming up something new. It is a seductive idea – our modern culture is built on “new”. Trust me on one thing. There are very few ways of doing something “new”. New techniques, new ideas, never-seen-before views… totally new stuff – these things are far and few between. Photographs are published online in their millions every day – literally. A photographer cannot hope to do “new” all the time or even frequently.

“New” is something that will happen – but normally as a result of a very individual form of expression. When you really express you, really do it your way, you are doing “new”. Truly individual expression comes from doing it your way. The picture may be of an oft-seen subject. The way you do it is what will make it a lasting image in the mind of the viewer.

If you concentrate on developing your pictures around your special way of seeing you will be developing your style. That is what will give you the edge, the new way of doing it. Look for the light the way you like it. Take the point of view you like to see things from. Express the colours in the scene in the unique pallet you love to have around you. These things will all contribute to your style and your expression.

Ironic isn’t it? So many photographers look for the new, the different, the next new idea. If they spent a little time looking at what they were really interested in they would find the “new” within themselves.

Remember to enjoy your photography

If photography becomes an stressful search for something that is not in you, then the fun will go out of it. Investing your shoot-time in a personal interest will bring out your passion in a unique way. In so doing you will increase your enjoyment. You will also find the “new” you were looking for. You will also find a new way to express your inner feelings about the world around you.

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By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photog and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photographers.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.

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Visual toolbox for photographers

Sharpen up your creative photography…

It’s easy when starting photography to over emphasis the importance of gear. In fact it’s ‘photographers eye’ that really makes the difference. Your vision and insight into a scene are critical to producing a wonderful image.

Sage advice from a world master

The Visual Tool Box by David duChemin is all about the skills of composition. He goes into depth around the background ideas which help you look at a scene. The ultimate success in photography is to make your image a pleasure to view. Aesthetics rule – it’s as simple as that. This book is dedicated to teaching you the tools you need to develop the ‘eye’.

David duChemin says,

These are the lessons I wish I’d learned when I was starting out.
The Visual Tool Box by David duChemin

This is my kind of book. He writes superbly, in simple, readable form. His examples are excellent and the pictures are just amazing. But most of all the book is organised for learners to extend their knowledge in easy, well structured steps. This book is all about putting new tools in your photographic tool box and it achieves that with an ease that any beginner will find a joy.

Composition

The book is packed with examples of the sort of compositional ideas that really work – for anyone. Just look at some of the topics covered…

  • Manual
  • Optimize Your Exposures
  • Master the Triangle
  • Slower Shutter Speed
  • Learn to Pan
  • Use Intentional Camera Movement
  • Use Wide Lenses to Create a Sense of Inclusion
  • Learn to Isolate
  • Use Tighter Apertures to Deepen Focus
  • Use Bokeh to Abstract
  • Consider Your Colour Palette
  • Lines: Use Diagonals to Create Energy
  • Lines: Patterns, Lead my Eye, Horizons
  • See the Direction of Light
  • Light: Front Light, Side Light, and Back Light
  • Quality of Light: Further Consideration
  • White Balance for Mood
  • Light: Reflections, Shadow, Silhouettes, Lens Flare
  • People
  • Experiment with Balance and Tension
  • Use Your Negative Space
  • Juxtapositions: Find Conceptual Contrasts
  • Orientation of Frame
  • Choose Your Aspect Ratio
  • Use Scale
  • Simplify
  • Shoot from the Heart
  • Listen to Other Voices (Very Carefully)

And there is plenty more content to complement and extends these ideas. What’s not shown in a list is the excellent and sage advice throughout the book. I will let David duChemin have the last word…

Pace your-self. Anyone can master a camera; that just comes with time. It’s the other stuff — learning to think like a photographer — that takes so much work and allows this craft to become the means by which you create art.
The Visual Tool Box by David duChemin

And it is thinking like a photographer that you will quickly learn from reading this book.

How to buy this great book

This book was originally published as an ebook. However, it is no longer available in that form. The book has moved into the real world. It will be available on Amazon as a Paperback From 31 Mar 2015.
The Visual Toolbox: 60 Lessons for Stronger Photographs (Voices That Matter)You can per-order the book from Amazon.

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Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

10 quick hacks that photographers need to know…

Photogs life hacks

• Photogs life hacks •
There are some things which seem so simple once you have been shown how to do them… here are some free hacks for photographers.
Image taken from the video.

Simple and cheap ways to do things in photography…

In every situation there are lots of ways you can cut corners without affecting the outcome. Here are ten “life hacks” that give you something extra in your photography.

10 Photography Life Hacks You Need To Know

Uploaded by DigitalRevTV  External link - opens new tab/page

Of course there are lots of other life hacks that photogs need to know… Do you have a favourite hack? Let us know what it is in the comments so we can all gain something from your idea.

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By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photog and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photographers.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.

Documentary… Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams

• Ansel Adams •
One of the all time greats in photography. This video is about his life, thoughts and work.
Image taken from the video.

The thinker-photographer…

There is a great deal to be said about Ansel Adams. He was a great photographer, thinker and artist. He was also an accomplished musician.

This post was about Ansel Adams.

Unfortunately the video was taken down from YouTube.

We have other Ansel Adams Resources on Photokonnexion.

At the time the video was removed it did not appear available online in another place. However, the subtext for the video as it was published is below. You may find it useful to use the text in case this video becomes available again at a later date.

Subtext for the video

Published on 29 May 2013
“The American Experience” Sierra Club Productions – Steeplechase Films
Ansel Adams is the intimate portrait of a great artist and ardent environmentalist — for whom life and art, photography and wilderness, creativity and communication, love and expression, were inextricably connected. ANSEL ADAMS, a ninety-minute documentary film written and directed by Ric Burns, and broadcast on national public television in April 2002, provides an elegant, moving and lyrical portrait of this most eloquent and quintessentially American of photographers. Written by Joshua Mueller
Category: Education
Licence: Standard YouTube Licence

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By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photog and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photographers.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.

A post to make you think… photographic creativity

Your Body My Canvas

• Your Body My Canvas •
Simply turn things upside down to get a new perspective.
(Image from the video).

Take a new perspective.

The greatest inventions are often originated by people who play with ideas. They are not afraid to experiment, to try a different way. Creativity is more than just the sum of your experience. It is also the capacity to make mistakes, to explore ideas beyond the norm and to simply have a go.

And so she tried painting…

This video captures so much about what makes photography exciting – the unique experience and personal extension that goes into making every picture. I gained a lot from this short video. Here are seven reasons I think you will gain from watching too…

  • Photographers try very hard to make a two dimensional image look 3D. Alexa Meade is trying hard to make a 3D image two-dimensional. A bizarre concept, but enlightening. It teaches us so much about the nature of ‘form’ – the 3D manifestation of objects.
  • She shows that the nature of shadow is both transient and yet fundamental to the creation of both 2D and 3D images. This is something that photographers really need to understand and be able to observe.
  • Alexa Meade gave up her aspirations and suddenly became a painter/photographer with no previous training. She took a chance, tried something different, and got caught up in the idea. This launched a unique career and artistic experiment that provides us with some excellent photographic insights. This video shows that experimentation is the manifestation of creativity. This is a principle that learner photographers will gain a lot from exploring.
  • In her work she is marrying painting and photography. Some of the worlds most creative people are successful because they take things that are completely disassociated and create a new synthesis. You can do this too. Take your previous knowledge, your wider experiences and try to put them together in novel or unique ways. You are certain to hit some new perspectives for your own photography.
  • Photography is about art meeting technology. What’s created is an interpretation which is a unique communication by the photographer. This project is an outstanding example of that idea.
  • Alexa Meade follows a wonderful creative process in her work. She works through her visualisation. Her concept defined, she then applies the technology… visualisation, concept, action. This is a great model for producing creative images.
  • The artist in Alexa Meade has found a unique way to express herself buy turning well formed concepts upside-down. Not only is that brave, but it’s likely to lead to more wonderful insights. Creative work is often about dumping convention and trying another way. Think how you could use this idea in your photography.
Alexa Meade: Your body is my canvas


Uploaded by Ted.com  External link - opens new tab/page

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By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photog and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photographers.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.

Circular Polarising filters

Polarising filter range

• Polarising filter Range •
The polarising filter is one of the more useful filters in the kit bag.

The polarising filter – one of the more useful filters

Strong Sun, low in the sky, can cause problems. Direct rays of light into the camera, specular highlights and washed out colours create photographic distractions in the image. Here is how to reduce the problem.

Watch for highlights – gain some benefits

Bright spots, difficult reflections and big highlights are a very strong draw for the eye in an image. Try to check around the frame when composing. Find ways to reduce these strong areas in the shot.

If you cannot reduce the reflections, highlights or washed out colours from bright light you should consider using a polarising filter. They are relatively inexpensive and have an incredible impact on the shot. If you use them right polarising filters can…

  • Reduce strong reflections: this gives a deeper, richer appearance to water, allows you to see into water and through glass and brings out strong images reflected in shiny surfaces like mountains etc.
  • Reduces the “washed out” effect of bright light: Colours that are whitened or lose their intensity in bright light can be made richer and more saturated. Skies and water in particular will get more depth of colour.
  • Reduces the intensity of bright light: Polarising filters reduce the total light entering the camera because they reflect/absorb some of the light. This helps bring down the overall levels of light.
Fitting polarising filters

Most polarisers are bought as circular screw tread attachments that screw into the front of your photographic lens. The filter part is mounted in a ring that freely rotates on top of the screw thread. It can turn without tightening or loosening the mount when it rotates. Screw the filter directly to the front filter-screw thread on the lens.

A polarising filter come in multi-filter kits. These can be fitted to the front of your lens. A frame is fitted onto the lens filter screw. Various filters can be slotted into the frame, including polarising filters.

Gentle rotation

To gain a benefit from your polarising filter you need to adjust it to suit the light. You can twist the filter part in the mounting in either direction The rotation of 90° is enough to see the full effect. Twist it gently until the full or desired impact is seen in your viewfinder. You should see slight darkening, increase in colour saturation and reduced highlights, particularly from shiny surfaces.

With a little practice you can easily see the full benefit of the filter. However, some highlights are still strong enough to create white spots and distractions. So still be careful when composing.

As a guide, if your sunglasses are polarised you can look at a scene quickly and see an immediate effect. If they help you to see more colours and reduce reflection and highlight impact then get your polarising filter out and screw it on the lens. Sunglasses help you to make the decision to get out the filter, but obviously they do not have a photographic impact. They will be of a different strength to your filter too. So you will still need to compose and adjust the filter.

How they work

Polarising filters act to filter the incoming light. They allow some specifically aligned light waves to pass through and not others. In so doing the filter effect does two things. First, they reflect or absorb some of the light where the waves are not aligned. Secondly, they allow the aligned light through. This light reduction and alignment is enough to ensure the glare, brightness and strong highlights are weakened.

For a more informed look at the detail of polarisation filters you can get more information here.

Buy now!

If you don’t have a polarising filter for your favourite lens then buy one now. You’ll see an amazing difference.

Buy the correct filter size. Check the thread size of your lens – normally found at the front edge of your lens. A mid-range size would be 58mm. My small lens is 52mm and my largest 88mm. Look for that size on the filter you order.

Have a look at the what’s available…
Circular polarising filters – buy one now!  External link - opens new tab/page.

Recommendation!
Hoya 58mm Circular Polarizing Filter
These are great value polarising filters. Check out the one seen here then search for one the size of your lens.

 

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By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photog and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photographers.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.

Can you write? Of course you can!
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When to ignore the rules

 Symmetry • by aebphoto, on Flickr

The arrangement of your pictures can be so much more than a simple rule followed.
Click image to view large
Symmetry • by aebphoto, on FlickrExternal link - opens new tab/page

What works tends to get overworked…

The “rule of thirds” works in more than 95% of photographs. OK, maybe there is not a certain statistic like that. But it sure is effective to the eye. For that reason it helps us to compose most of our photos.

The principle behind the rule of thirds is not a universal “Law”. No one went to prison for violating it. It is more what we might refer to as a guideline. The rule helps us to compose a picture to meet the expectations we have wired in our brains about what is pleasing. Aesthetics is a funny thing – we all have our own preferences about what we like. However, we all seem to have some generally appreciated ideas. The rule of thirds seems to be one of them.

What if you feel like breaking the rules?

No problem. Do it!

A cavalier attitude to breaking the “rules” when you are learning photography, or any art, is a good thing. The difficulty is knowing what will work when you stray from the guidelines. That is a fair point. But there is no need to be fearful. You need to have a go to see what will work. And, like any experimentation, you will more likely be unsuccessful than successful.

Ah! But if I am going to be unsuccessful then why try? The simple answer to that is so that you can know yourself and your audience better.

No artist is born as a seasoned and finished creative. They all devote long hours to learning, experimenting and listening to the thoughts of others on their work. In other words, they practice, practice, practice. They get feedback. Then they practice some more. There is a lot of work and experimentation in becoming an artist.

Breaking the rules is about trying out something lots of times. If you have one particular passion for your photography then go for as much variation and feedback on your work as you can. You will perfect your shots only when you know that the work is capturing attention and holding it.

A more general approach to your photography, photographing many different things, is another approach. However, it is reasonable to take a similar attitude. Instead of trying out lots of shots about one subject you can try lots of different angles around each subject. I am not talking about a machine gun blast of pictures from one button push. I am talking about genuinely working the scene. Try all the angles, all the possible ways to frame your subject. Do some of the shots in a traditional way (Rule of thirds etc). But do some shots that are decidedly not traditional. It is all about experimentation.

As long as your approach is considered…

Louis Pasteur External link - opens new tab/page, the father of modern microbiology said, “Chance favours the prepared mind”. He did not mean you should go shooting off random shots at everything in sight. What he meant was you should consider your options. Know your subject. Experiment with a good knowledge and background in your subject. Move forward in a logical and consistent way. It is this approach that will help you to learn to successfully break the rules. Know what the different shots are about, how the different methods of composition can affect the shot. Understand how the different shots would affect your subject, or experiment until you know.

Practice, practice, practice… and careful thought about what you have done and what you are going to do is a route to success. Enjoy the journey as well as the outcome!

By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy - Netkonnexion

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photog and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photographers.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.

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