Spent the last three days trying to sort out those images I wish to use in the final submission. I had about 1800 images that I had taken for the project over the past 10 months covering a wide range of 'costumes' and activities from around England. As stated in previous blogs I widened the scope of the project by including modern day wear on the grounds that we all make a statement about our perceived personality in the way that we dress. I also agreed with my Tutor, in his response to Assignment 4, on the way that the images could be presented. I moved from the original proposal to present the work in a purely linear form to a more complex, but more interesting, layout. These changes required an structured approach to resolving the various issues around which images to use and which to discard. As always there is the conflict between those images that best tell the story and those that I personally like that have a less certain relevance to what it is I want to produce.
I arrived at the decision as to how best to achieve my aim by returning to the original RAW files. I then discarded those images that 'failed' either because they were less relevant, similar images to others, because of technical issues or photographer failure ( I did take the opportunity of examining the photographer failures to learn from my mistakes). The remaining images (132) I printed as Contact Sheets. I cut up the contact sheets creating individual images and then placed the individual images into different groups that I felt offered the best chance to discover what I wanted. Using Lightroom I examined these and discarded those where the story I wished to tell was best served by other images. Currently I have 98 images that need further decision but I have l left the final decision to after I have mocked up a book to see the 'best fit'.
There is also the need to consider the text within the book and the best way to provide narrative and captions. To this end I have returned to a study of the book "Context and Narrative" [Short M (2011) "Context and Narrative" Lausanne AVA Publishing SA] as it offers a number of pointers and suggestions that will assist me in the provision of the text.
Thursday, 19 December 2013
Monday, 9 December 2013
Shooting the Single Picture and Luck
In their book [Jay B, Hurn D. (2008) "On Being a Photographer" Third Edition Lens WorkPublishing Anacortes WA] Hurn and Jay have a section entitled "Shooting the Single Picture" (pp 63 -78). In this section we read "I do believe that very often the difference between an average photographer and a really fine photographer is this willingness to admit doubt..........The fine photographer says in effect : Well thats a pretty good effort but I am willing to admit that many little subtleties of camera position, which I cannot pre-see, might make the difference between an adequate image and a good one"" (p.64) In the same paragraph Hurn goes on to assert that the fine photographer is willing to try all sorts of subtle permutations to achieve the best result. He then goes on to deny that this process is the same as shooting a lot of pictures in the hope that one works.
At first reading the statement appears to offer a sound reason why the fine photographer is more successful in getting the best picture and yet in actual practice there is no discernible difference between the two approaches. Here I assume that the average photographer is not simply pointing the camera at a particular spot and without moving the camera presses the shutter repeatedly. In the supposed thought processes of the fine photographer offered in the above paragraph it is recognised that s/he cannot pre-see what differences subtle changes will make. It follows that much depends upon luck and Hurn acknowledges this later in the section at p.73 when he says: "Paradoxically , the more static the scene the more images I tend to shoot. When there is only one moving element, say the hand of the person you are photographing , it is very, very difficult to decide which gesture, which position of the wrist or fingers is going to be the most significant.
It is often argued that the skilled worker makes his own luck - the harder I work the luckier I become - and yet, in a strict sense, this cannot be true. "Luck" is necessarily unpredictable as it is a chance event that cannot be predicted either because it is truly random or the complexities of the many interacting elements is beyond the power of the human mind to predict the outcome. The one thing that can be hoped for by a photographer is being in the right place at the right time and ready to shoot the photograph. One can never be certain that, even in the relatively short time necessary to 'subtly' change the position of the camera, the best shot has been missed. Hurn himself admits that only one shot in over 3000 is of exhibition standard and that he would anticipate shooting between 700 and 1000 images for a seven picture essay (p.100). It is difficult to equate these statements with the idea that the fine photographer is in some way marked out by his/her approach to how many shots taken when compared with the average photographer.
One thing that can effect the outcome of a shoot is the experience of the photographer. Practice does not necessarily make perfect (after all, unless corrected, the average photographer can continue to repeat the mistakes evident in early work) but it does provide the right mental responses to events if the lessons are learnt from earlier mistakes. Photography is essentially about light and how it is captured and, I make the reasonable assumption that, the more the photographer is exposed to the effect of shifting light and the subtle changes it will bring about in the image the more likely he will respond at the instinctive level where action precedes rational thought.
Yet there is also an intangible in the equation which is how the photographer sees the world and how it can be portrayed in photographs. I would argue that the fine photographer has a view of the world that can be expressed successfully in a photograph. We can all learn, almost by rote, the rules of photography and may apply them to our images yet the image is pedestrian and lacking in impact even where (and most likely because) all the rules have been applied slavishly without regard to their applicability to the single picture. I would suggest that the fine photographer instinctively knows when to break the rules to achieve the desired end.
At first reading the statement appears to offer a sound reason why the fine photographer is more successful in getting the best picture and yet in actual practice there is no discernible difference between the two approaches. Here I assume that the average photographer is not simply pointing the camera at a particular spot and without moving the camera presses the shutter repeatedly. In the supposed thought processes of the fine photographer offered in the above paragraph it is recognised that s/he cannot pre-see what differences subtle changes will make. It follows that much depends upon luck and Hurn acknowledges this later in the section at p.73 when he says: "Paradoxically , the more static the scene the more images I tend to shoot. When there is only one moving element, say the hand of the person you are photographing , it is very, very difficult to decide which gesture, which position of the wrist or fingers is going to be the most significant.
It is often argued that the skilled worker makes his own luck - the harder I work the luckier I become - and yet, in a strict sense, this cannot be true. "Luck" is necessarily unpredictable as it is a chance event that cannot be predicted either because it is truly random or the complexities of the many interacting elements is beyond the power of the human mind to predict the outcome. The one thing that can be hoped for by a photographer is being in the right place at the right time and ready to shoot the photograph. One can never be certain that, even in the relatively short time necessary to 'subtly' change the position of the camera, the best shot has been missed. Hurn himself admits that only one shot in over 3000 is of exhibition standard and that he would anticipate shooting between 700 and 1000 images for a seven picture essay (p.100). It is difficult to equate these statements with the idea that the fine photographer is in some way marked out by his/her approach to how many shots taken when compared with the average photographer.
One thing that can effect the outcome of a shoot is the experience of the photographer. Practice does not necessarily make perfect (after all, unless corrected, the average photographer can continue to repeat the mistakes evident in early work) but it does provide the right mental responses to events if the lessons are learnt from earlier mistakes. Photography is essentially about light and how it is captured and, I make the reasonable assumption that, the more the photographer is exposed to the effect of shifting light and the subtle changes it will bring about in the image the more likely he will respond at the instinctive level where action precedes rational thought.
Yet there is also an intangible in the equation which is how the photographer sees the world and how it can be portrayed in photographs. I would argue that the fine photographer has a view of the world that can be expressed successfully in a photograph. We can all learn, almost by rote, the rules of photography and may apply them to our images yet the image is pedestrian and lacking in impact even where (and most likely because) all the rules have been applied slavishly without regard to their applicability to the single picture. I would suggest that the fine photographer instinctively knows when to break the rules to achieve the desired end.
Sunday, 8 December 2013
Wonder Wall
This image is of a part of a wall in my house:-
The reason I named it as I did was because, having posted all the photographs, I wondered where to go from there!
When I decided upon my topic for the major project of this Course I chose "Peculiar Britain" in which I planned to look at the variety of costumes worn by groups such as re-enactment Societies or Morris Dancers. The more images I took and the more I thought about the whole subject I came to realise that although the aforementioned groups were 'obvious' examples of costume wearing it was true to say that we all wear costumes that reflect not only our own view of ourselves but also how we wish to be seen by the rest of the world. In part this is a natural desire within human beings to be seen as belonging to a group whether in terms of uniform such as police officers wear or a wide, possibly an amorphous, group where membership maybe ill defined and constantly changing such as 'youth of today'. My initial thoughts was to present a series of images that showed the differing costumes both obvious and less obvious.
It was in response that I re-considered this plan when my Tutor in his response to my Assignment 4 submission suggested that there would be value in juxtaposing images that would offer food for thought and invite a greater and more studied reaction by the viewer. By this time I was well into my project but the opportunities were there to present the images in a different way. I was now faced with choices about what images overall I wished to include and the combination/sequence of the chosen images within the final form of presentation that was going to be a book. Over a period of months I had taken well over 500 images and had selected the 'best' ones from each shoot but this still left me with a large number of possibles from which to make the final selection including those that I had submitted as part of earlier assignments..
I tackled this problem initially by reviewing all the images on the computer and at the same time identifying those that would be provide pairings or groupings that would meet the criteria I was now using for the final work. I decided that I would make 10 x 8 prints (or close approximations) of the chosen images as I felt that this would offer the best way of placing the images in some sort of coherent order. This initial sift highlighted some gaps either because there was a lack of relevant images or because the aspect of individual images were at odds with the others I wished to place with them. I had, therefore, to go out and take more images but this time with a specific aim in mind. By the end of this process I had some 90 to 100 prints that needed further sorting.
I had no real idea of what the best method was to best meet the challenge but I was reading Bill Jay and David Hurn's book "On being a Photographer" in which they talked of pin boards. Here is an example of where sometimes our obsession with modern technology blinds us to the tried and tested methods of the pre-digital world. The Wonder Wall was the outcome.
There are, I think, 57 images on the wall and I sorted them by starting with those I knew for certain how to use and ending up with those that, at the time of writing, did not fit naturally into the scheme of things. It was whilst I was carrying out this exercise that I discovered that I have a strong tendency to take portraits with the figure on the right hand side looking in towards the centre of the image. As I understand the consensus of opinion figures should be looking in to the centre of two pages in a book so that I had a predominance of right page figures and a dearth of left page figures. Fortunately there were sufficient images to be able to flip horizontally without obvious consequences such as lettering within the image becoming mirror writing. Lesson learnt - be aware of where you wish to end up before setting out on the road.
At this stage I now need to examine each chosen print to ensure that the final resulting print will be acceptable. I have retained all the original RAW images so that I can, where necessary, go back and eradicate any problems.
The reason I named it as I did was because, having posted all the photographs, I wondered where to go from there!
When I decided upon my topic for the major project of this Course I chose "Peculiar Britain" in which I planned to look at the variety of costumes worn by groups such as re-enactment Societies or Morris Dancers. The more images I took and the more I thought about the whole subject I came to realise that although the aforementioned groups were 'obvious' examples of costume wearing it was true to say that we all wear costumes that reflect not only our own view of ourselves but also how we wish to be seen by the rest of the world. In part this is a natural desire within human beings to be seen as belonging to a group whether in terms of uniform such as police officers wear or a wide, possibly an amorphous, group where membership maybe ill defined and constantly changing such as 'youth of today'. My initial thoughts was to present a series of images that showed the differing costumes both obvious and less obvious.
It was in response that I re-considered this plan when my Tutor in his response to my Assignment 4 submission suggested that there would be value in juxtaposing images that would offer food for thought and invite a greater and more studied reaction by the viewer. By this time I was well into my project but the opportunities were there to present the images in a different way. I was now faced with choices about what images overall I wished to include and the combination/sequence of the chosen images within the final form of presentation that was going to be a book. Over a period of months I had taken well over 500 images and had selected the 'best' ones from each shoot but this still left me with a large number of possibles from which to make the final selection including those that I had submitted as part of earlier assignments..
I tackled this problem initially by reviewing all the images on the computer and at the same time identifying those that would be provide pairings or groupings that would meet the criteria I was now using for the final work. I decided that I would make 10 x 8 prints (or close approximations) of the chosen images as I felt that this would offer the best way of placing the images in some sort of coherent order. This initial sift highlighted some gaps either because there was a lack of relevant images or because the aspect of individual images were at odds with the others I wished to place with them. I had, therefore, to go out and take more images but this time with a specific aim in mind. By the end of this process I had some 90 to 100 prints that needed further sorting.
I had no real idea of what the best method was to best meet the challenge but I was reading Bill Jay and David Hurn's book "On being a Photographer" in which they talked of pin boards. Here is an example of where sometimes our obsession with modern technology blinds us to the tried and tested methods of the pre-digital world. The Wonder Wall was the outcome.
There are, I think, 57 images on the wall and I sorted them by starting with those I knew for certain how to use and ending up with those that, at the time of writing, did not fit naturally into the scheme of things. It was whilst I was carrying out this exercise that I discovered that I have a strong tendency to take portraits with the figure on the right hand side looking in towards the centre of the image. As I understand the consensus of opinion figures should be looking in to the centre of two pages in a book so that I had a predominance of right page figures and a dearth of left page figures. Fortunately there were sufficient images to be able to flip horizontally without obvious consequences such as lettering within the image becoming mirror writing. Lesson learnt - be aware of where you wish to end up before setting out on the road.
At this stage I now need to examine each chosen print to ensure that the final resulting print will be acceptable. I have retained all the original RAW images so that I can, where necessary, go back and eradicate any problems.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Subject Matter - On Being a Photographer
One of the sections in the book "On Being a Photographer" [Jay B, Hurn D. (2008) Third Edition Lens WorkPublishing Anacortes WA] discusses the selection of the subject for any photograph. As Hurn says"...the photographer is, primarily, a subject selector.......a photographer's first decision is what to photograph. (p 49). It is, in one respect, a statement of the obvious and yet it is largely ignored in the teaching of photography. The impression is that the technical and qualitative elements of the photograph are more important than what was photographed. Whilst there is little doubt that the photographer has to pay attention to those elements it is debatable whether they should take precedence over the choice and capture of the subject. It is true to say that the vast majority of those who view photographs have no conscious awareness of the composition or technical quality of what they see when they view an image. Their reaction is very much at the emotional level and whether the image echoes their view of the world or casts a new light on a subject they thought they knew well. It is only when we venture into the world of judges, assessors, and selection committees that we start to hear a discussion that covers everything but what is in front of our eyes.
Hurn argues that as a photographer we should immerse ourselves in the subject matter that we plan to photograph. I know this to be true from my own personal experience - not as a photographer but as a spectator of a photographer in action. I was fortunate enough to be a member, for a time, of the Norfolk Photography Group a relatively small Camera Club one of whose members was a wildlife photographer of note. I had seen a lot of his work both as part of an exhibition and projected on screen at lectures. I had the opportunity to go with him, along with other keen wildlife photographers, on a days shoot. What was obvious to me was that our expert knew almost everything about the habits and life of the birds that he was shooting. In discussion he revealed that he had been studying the subject matter - one that fascinated him - since the age of 14 so his experience covered over 35 years. He knew instinctively what was the likely behaviour of the bird he was watching so that his camera was aimed, almost without thinking, to catch the decisive moment. Acquired knowledge about his chosen subject informed his photography and this was evident in the quality of the resultant image.
It may be worth mentioning that I have no natural affinity to wildlife in the raw or in photographs. I cannot relate to the subject matter of any wildlife image at an emotional level. When I was looking at my colleague's work I responded by admiring the quality of the print and the technical skills displayed. My admiration was largely related to the skills in the presentation.
There are two caveats that occur to me when thinking about Hurn's demand for total immersion in the subject. How does the professional photographer, faced with deadlines, cope with a subject in which he has only a passing knowledge or where new situations may arise of which he has no experience?One presumes that, unless he is in the very happy position of being able to pass up the commission, he goes and gives it his/her best shot relying heavily on the instincts of the photographer acquired over years in pursuing his trade. Intimate knowledge about the subject matter must be accompanied by an understanding of what makes a good photograph irrespective of what the camera is pointing at.
My second caveat is the danger of researching the subject over a significant period of time leading either to paralysis in starting the project or of being incapable of finishing it. An example of this is W. Eugene Smith's "Pittsburgh Project". In his foreword to the book [Stephenson Sam (ed.) ((2001) Dream Street W.Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project. Centre for Documentary Studies at Duke University New York. Norton & Co]. We are told (p.18) that "On each assignment Smith spent several days or weeks observing the the location and mingling with people before he took his first photograph". In other words he too believed in fully researching the subject matter. However his commission was to spend three weeks in Pittsburgh and produce 100 photographs for a book commemorating the city's biennial. In the end he had taken almost 17000 images of the city during the greater part of 1955 and on return trips in 1956 and 1957. In a speech to the American Society of Magazine Photographers' Photojournalism Conference in April 1959 Smith acknowledged that Pittsburgh, to him, was a failure. He said that "The main problem, I think, is that there is no end to such a subject asPittsburgh and no way to finish it". (p 17 sidebar). Whilst it would be fair to say that Smith had many other problems that contributed to the problem I do believe that he is an extreme example of a common problem amongst photographers.
I would not consider myself an obsessive person but perhaps I am not the best one to judge! In an earlier Course with the OCA I decided to produce a photographic essay on the 95th Foot Regiment who were heavily involved in the Peninsular Wars and also fought at Waterloo. I discovered a re-enactment Society that was holding a weekend re-enactment near to where I live. I realised that I needed to research the history of the Regiment and started the process by going online to review all the material available for study. I also visited the Regimental Museum in Winchester and spoke to the staff there who were very helpful. Having read some of the history online I purchased 4 books written by Officers and Men who had served with the Regiment during the time of the Peninsular Wars. As I read I found reference to other sources - my interest had been grabbed. The weekend and the chance to talk with the very knowledgeable members offered further avenues for research and well over 300 images. I began to pursue these further lines of enquiry until one day I realised I was drowning in information and an inability to tailor the work load to the Assignment requirements. My deadline was approaching fast and I came to realise that my interest in the subject matter had blinded me to the requirements of the Assignment. Fortunately I was able to step back and see where I should be going rather than where my heart was taking me. It was a lesson well learnt but even now I have to take stock of what I am doing and that my love of reading and research does not become the be all and end all of my time with the OCA.
Hurn argues that as a photographer we should immerse ourselves in the subject matter that we plan to photograph. I know this to be true from my own personal experience - not as a photographer but as a spectator of a photographer in action. I was fortunate enough to be a member, for a time, of the Norfolk Photography Group a relatively small Camera Club one of whose members was a wildlife photographer of note. I had seen a lot of his work both as part of an exhibition and projected on screen at lectures. I had the opportunity to go with him, along with other keen wildlife photographers, on a days shoot. What was obvious to me was that our expert knew almost everything about the habits and life of the birds that he was shooting. In discussion he revealed that he had been studying the subject matter - one that fascinated him - since the age of 14 so his experience covered over 35 years. He knew instinctively what was the likely behaviour of the bird he was watching so that his camera was aimed, almost without thinking, to catch the decisive moment. Acquired knowledge about his chosen subject informed his photography and this was evident in the quality of the resultant image.
It may be worth mentioning that I have no natural affinity to wildlife in the raw or in photographs. I cannot relate to the subject matter of any wildlife image at an emotional level. When I was looking at my colleague's work I responded by admiring the quality of the print and the technical skills displayed. My admiration was largely related to the skills in the presentation.
There are two caveats that occur to me when thinking about Hurn's demand for total immersion in the subject. How does the professional photographer, faced with deadlines, cope with a subject in which he has only a passing knowledge or where new situations may arise of which he has no experience?One presumes that, unless he is in the very happy position of being able to pass up the commission, he goes and gives it his/her best shot relying heavily on the instincts of the photographer acquired over years in pursuing his trade. Intimate knowledge about the subject matter must be accompanied by an understanding of what makes a good photograph irrespective of what the camera is pointing at.
My second caveat is the danger of researching the subject over a significant period of time leading either to paralysis in starting the project or of being incapable of finishing it. An example of this is W. Eugene Smith's "Pittsburgh Project". In his foreword to the book [Stephenson Sam (ed.) ((2001) Dream Street W.Eugene Smith's Pittsburgh Project. Centre for Documentary Studies at Duke University New York. Norton & Co]. We are told (p.18) that "On each assignment Smith spent several days or weeks observing the the location and mingling with people before he took his first photograph". In other words he too believed in fully researching the subject matter. However his commission was to spend three weeks in Pittsburgh and produce 100 photographs for a book commemorating the city's biennial. In the end he had taken almost 17000 images of the city during the greater part of 1955 and on return trips in 1956 and 1957. In a speech to the American Society of Magazine Photographers' Photojournalism Conference in April 1959 Smith acknowledged that Pittsburgh, to him, was a failure. He said that "The main problem, I think, is that there is no end to such a subject asPittsburgh and no way to finish it". (p 17 sidebar). Whilst it would be fair to say that Smith had many other problems that contributed to the problem I do believe that he is an extreme example of a common problem amongst photographers.
I would not consider myself an obsessive person but perhaps I am not the best one to judge! In an earlier Course with the OCA I decided to produce a photographic essay on the 95th Foot Regiment who were heavily involved in the Peninsular Wars and also fought at Waterloo. I discovered a re-enactment Society that was holding a weekend re-enactment near to where I live. I realised that I needed to research the history of the Regiment and started the process by going online to review all the material available for study. I also visited the Regimental Museum in Winchester and spoke to the staff there who were very helpful. Having read some of the history online I purchased 4 books written by Officers and Men who had served with the Regiment during the time of the Peninsular Wars. As I read I found reference to other sources - my interest had been grabbed. The weekend and the chance to talk with the very knowledgeable members offered further avenues for research and well over 300 images. I began to pursue these further lines of enquiry until one day I realised I was drowning in information and an inability to tailor the work load to the Assignment requirements. My deadline was approaching fast and I came to realise that my interest in the subject matter had blinded me to the requirements of the Assignment. Fortunately I was able to step back and see where I should be going rather than where my heart was taking me. It was a lesson well learnt but even now I have to take stock of what I am doing and that my love of reading and research does not become the be all and end all of my time with the OCA.
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