One of my favorite processes to use is to convert to black and white. I often believe that color gets in the way of the subject. I was taking a bit of a walk one day and I noticed the rain drops on a pine tree. The scene got my attention because of the shiny water drops with the sun shining through them against the sharp edges of the pine needles.
For me, it doesn’t have the same effect as the scene when converted to black and white. My eyes get too distracted by the green grassy area to the left.
This happens to this photo as well. I find the color to be a distraction.
The black and white version has much more drama and is much more thought-provoking to me. Use color, or lack of, artistically. Think like an artist. Act like an artist. Doing so raises our photography to art rather than just snapshots.
Months ago I downloaded an app for my iPhone called Ps Camera. Some of the filters you can get are very different. Some of the filters emulate analog film while others are quite interesting.
It is fun to play with and create some very unusual looks.
Photography doesn’t always have to be serious. It’s okay to use filters and apps. It’s okay to do cellphone photography. In fact, this entire blog post was written and created using my iPhone.
Art is art regardless of the media or method. Expand your method and mind. Create using all tools you can.
I see many articles written on how to improve my photography. Many are written that say, “think old-school”. Shoot like you are using film. With modern digital cameras, I can take hundreds of photographs without changing memory cards. When I used film cameras I may have had 36 shots and I was out of film unless I had a second roll. During that time I probably thought more about pushing the button but did I really? I mean look at the featured photograph. It was shot on slide film.
Today, I am more inclined to take creative chances rather than just stick to the “tried and true”. So do I really have to “think old-school” to get better or am I able to get better by trying out a variety of compositions, exposures, and perspectives? I can also adjust the sensitivity of my “film” on the fly. Need a higher ISO, set it. I’m not bashing film, but are we putting a mystic on the old way that really didn’t exist? Could we just say slow down, and think a bit more before you take the shot?
I started to think about this topic yesterday when we got new cellphones. What prompted me to think about the future of photography was how far cellphone cameras have progressed in the past few years. A cellphone photo was tiny and quite often blurry. The photograph of the “Zink” Photo paper was taken with an iPhone 13 Pro Max in a room lit only by the light of my computer monitors.
Last night after I was able to switch over to the new cellphone (transferring all the data, contacts, apps, etc.) I just played around with the camera for a moment. The whole concept of cellphone photography/videography has taken an enormous leap forward. It is little wonder why so many people no longer use dedicated cameras to photograph events or people as casual users, but are we approaching the realm of replacing dedicated cameras with smart devices? Where we this all be in 20 or 50 years? Will we go the way of the Polaroid and instant prints using the Zink paper or will we continue as we have?
If you’re not having fun with your photography you may be doing it wrong. To me, it doesn’t matter if it is your job or hobby. If you are not having fun taking photographs I believe your creativity is lost. There are a few exceptions though. Photographing war, violence, natural disasters, and human or animal suffering are a few I can think of.
Think about it. When you are having fun doing something it becomes easier to think, “Hey let’s try something”. When you are not having fun the project becomes mundane and more like work. It could be that I have reached a point in my life where I have decided that there is too much going on in the world to do too many things I don’t enjoy. I may not have taken many photographs lately because I have allowed myself to be overwhelmed by things I don’t enjoy. In order to correct this, I going to focus on things I enjoy.
Find fun in your photographic art, even if it is a serious portrait session or the hunt for beautiful landscapes. Once the fun is back the creativity is endless.
I began thinking about this topic just this morning (4 AM). I looked through my Lightroom catalog and learned I have 712 photographs rated 5 stars. I haven’t excluded any of the photographs I took as portraits for people who paid me so the number of photographs I have done as art is less than 712. Then I began to wonder, “am I missing some favorites I didn’t rate?”. It is possible. Even if the number is say, 600 how do you determine which is your best? What I may think is the best today, may not be the best tomorrow. Do I count the best as a photograph of someone or something I love the best? Did I include some rated as 5 stars simply because the photograph was of something or someone I loved?
The two photographs I included in today’s ramble I remember taking and why I rated them as 5 stars. The first where the insect is feeding on another insect is something we don’t often see or at least notice. The second is a nymph of an insect that appears to be hiding inside a flower, again, something we don’t see or at least notice often. Both of these are photographs of very small insects and were taken with a macro lens to get up close to them.
Some of the other photographs I have rated 5 stars I like but wonder now if they really deserved the 5-star rating. Much like going to a restaurant and thinking this is fantastic food, great service, and nicely priced, then returning and becoming somewhat discouraged because the food this time isn’t as good or the service is a bit lacking.
This is an interesting topic to think about in my mind because I’m not sure there is a real hard answer to the question and it is ever-changing. Are we just living in the moment? There may be photographs that are timeless but does that make them the best?
Do you or can you recognize your own photographs? I’ve taken tens of thousands of pictures and if I go through my Lightroom catalog I occasionally come across a photograph that isn’t mine. Most of the time I don’t even have to check the metadata. I just don’t recognize the image. A bit of it is I, at least, vaguely remember what I have taken photographs of but a bit is a style of my own that I have come to recognize. I probably couldn’t describe my style to anyone I just remember it.
I’ve talked to many photographers. A lot of them, especially newer photographers often say they don’t have a style but it is that they just don’t recognize their style as a style, or are they too busy attempting to copy the style of others? I believe this is the inherent problem with attempting to copy the style of others, you forget to or just don’t add your own twist to it. I guess there is nothing wrong with that it’s just not for me. In fact, when I have mentored others I make a point of telling them my goal isn’t to make them a copy of myself but to help them find their own style.
To me, it is like recognizing your family. Often you don’t even have to see their faces to know who the people are in the photograph. My photographs, in a way, are like family. I know them even if I can’t tell you why.
Even if you don’t think you have a style, you probably really do have one. Look closely at your photos and you will probably start to recognize commonalities in your images.
I frequently go through previous work and reimagine its development. Some of it comes from new techniques I’ve learned some of it comes from just playing around with different looks. Many of the photographs I reimagine were never publicly shared because the initial process just didn’t work out.
I have no problem visualizing previous work in a new way. New features in the software, new techniques learned new ideas and new concepts. For me, if I’m not learning more I’m not progressing as a photographer or artist. It’s all about progress and personal growth.
My suggestion to all photographic artists is to keep an open mind to new techniques, new concepts, and new styles. Don’t stay in the same place.
Now I just need to get my crap together and work to get more current photographic work done and apply what I have discovered to new work.
I never really thought about this before yesterday, color doesn’t exist in reality. We have electromagnetic radiation bouncing off objects and the different wavelengths which we perceive as color. Does this mean that black and white photography is really the true reflection of reality? As such is it all just an illusion? Does reality really matter and the biggest question of all, who cares?
I believe many get caught up in what is reality without realizing that much of reality is perception. I have heard the phrase, “perception is reality” and I used to really hate that term as it seemed to be used in an attempt to alter my thoughts and beliefs. As I have grown older I have come to realize the truth in that phrase, with one addition. Perception can become reality. Accepting this “truth” has changed my view on many things, especially in creating art. My goal most often with my photography is not to capture a scene or subject as it truly may exist in the natural universe but how I perceive the scene or subject. My perception becomes my reality.
I often wonder, can we really create an original photograph, or is everything an imitation or copy of something that has been done before? There are few locations on the planet that haven’t been photographed, but are there any truly new concepts? It is said that in writing books there are seven basic plots. Is this true with visual arts? Are there really new ideas? I’m not sure of the answer but it isn’t likely to stop me from my attempt to create a unique look, after all, no one else has all my experiences. They may have similar experiences but not the same. This is why I believe it is important to put your own style into your art and not merely attempt to copy the work of someone else, regardless of how good and creative that work may be. I don’t believe there is shame in getting inspiration from the work that was created before our own as long as we put a bit of our personality into it.
Photographer Clay 