SUBJECTS
APPROACH | CONNOTATION | HISTORY | CONTRAST | COMPOSITION | DETAIL
APPROACH
You can approach your photography in several ways.
1) Take pictures with little ability to control or think about the lighting choices, and later work on or fix those that seem to offer possibilities, using darkroom techniques or various forms of digital manipulation.
2) Learn to measure light and make decisions about the exposures you are making. Many Photography Purists take this approach, using only available light and creating no artificial light. Using this approach, you must be able to see and measure interesting light.
3) Fully control or improve the light. This can be as simple as effectively combining light sources or it can involve complicated studio setups and a thought process to alter the appearance of the time of day or environment. This approach can be safe and consistent, or it can be risky and highly experimental. The Zone System is a good example of a fully controlled process.
CONNOTATION
There are three kinds of Photographs:
1) Snapshots are characterized by limited technical ability and are bound by the limitations of consumer equipment, such as a Dedicated Flash. Snapshots are usually feature personal subjects or identity.
2) Scenes are images in which the lighting effects are subtle, and picture seems real and believable, no matter how manipulated it actually is. Fine grain and high resolution are the main telling factors for those who understand Photography. This is often the result of a process of working in the Studio or using Studio Lighting on location. The intended result is a photograph which does not appear to have been difficult to make, in effect, a superb Snapshot without any technical limitations.
3) Photographs are usually characterized by very noticeable and interesting light or creative lighting. Photographs are most commonly exhibited and featured in fine arts and journalistic publications. Characteristics may include dramatic light and graininess. People will often be curious about the process used to make the Photograph.
The characteristics described above affect the viewers interpretation of the images. Connotation is the meaning or significance of images or elements in the image. The idea to present certain connotation may not always be present as the photographer is working, but favored images will usually have specific meaning. Light can play a key role in the connotation of elements in a picture. If one subject appears in more light than another subject, the brighter subject will seem more important.
Some connotative ideas are as simple as expecting light indoors to be dimmer than light outdoors when a scene combines the two sources. Other ideas may be very complex, such as the message of an item or person being cropped out of a picture or misplaced items appearing in pictures, or even unusual messages on signs that are included in the frame. Warm soft light or blue tinted snow can be interpreted as having meaning or an effect on the viewer the same as words in a story.
Styles and techniques, such as fine grain versus grainy images and dramatic lighting versus low contrast, play an important role in Subject Connotation.
HISTORY
It is important to learn about the history of photography, especially of the subjects you are interested in or pursuing. Technical developments in Photography have created expectations or standards that Photographers should be aware of in the various fields of photography.
CONTRAST
Contrast is the difference between light and dark. The transition between light and dark can be flat, or low contrast, where tones are very similar, or high contrast, where there are very few middle tones.
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Short transition between highlight and shadow may make lines more definite and contrast appear sharper. Contrast can also be affected by subtle or drastic color changes
COMPOSITION
The subject of Composition is too lengthy and subjective for our guide. It is also best discussed between people looking at photographs.
Compositions can be easily divided between Formal and Informal. Formal Composition is characterized by being equally divided, patterned or evenly weighted. Informal Composition is all other, usually unbalanced, arrangements.
Formal Composition can be very secure and reassuring, but also boring and static. Things to avoid include, centering all subjects without considering other possibilities and placing main subjects only in the zones of your Autofocus feature.
Extremely bright or overexposed light can weigh heavily in a composition, however, a dark object in a bright overall scene can make a strong element as can a bright object in a very dark scene.
DETAIL
If sharp or precise detail is an important aspect of the images you are making, keep in mind the following items, all of which are covered in this guide:
1) Time of Exposure: Most detail is lost to blur caused by a slow Shutter Speed. The fastest possible Shutter Speed will more precisely capture, or "freeze", an object in motion. The faster the motion, the shorter the duration of the Shutter will need to be to capture a still image. Strobes can substantially shorten the time of the exposure to only about 1/10,000th of a second, making it unlikely that motion will record on the film, provided there is very little Ambient Continuous Light. See a representation of an
2) Steadiness of Camera: Camera movement has the same effect on film as subject movement. Camera movement can be caused by the user or by the mechanical parts of the Camera, and motion blur can result. The degree of the blur is relevant to the Shutter Speed. Fast Shutter Speeds will capture less Camera movement than slow Shutter Speeds. The best solution to Shutter-related blur and user limitations is a sturdy Tripod and a Cable Release or Remote Shutter Release. Wind or a heavy-handed Camera user can disturb a light-weight Tripod during the Exposure.
3) Choice of Film: Slow Films (i.e. 50 ASA and 100 ASA) feature fine Film Grain and, when exposed under optimal conditions, render sharp detail. Fast Films (i.e. 400 ASA and 1000 ASA) generally have a large Grain Structure and render limited detail. The size, or Format, of the Film can be a major factor as well. Large Film Formats, when exposed under optimal conditions, are more capable of rendering sharp detail than small Film Formats.
4) Depth of Field: An object in motion, such as a runner, may blur if the Capture Speed, or Shutter Speed, is not fast enough, and it may move out of the range of focus, or Depth of Field, as the Shutter is released. Maximum Depth of Field can be necessary for still objects as well, if the detail you want to record is at a variety of depths, as in a landscape.
HIFC FIELD GUIDE | PHOTOGRAPHY CLASSES | info@houstonculture.org
Updated Oct. 2001