A Master photographer must know the way colors interact with the audiences eyes. Any adjustment in the intensity of light brings about a shift in color and how it is perceived. If the position or angle of light changes, whether the source is reflected or direct, the colors in the scene will change. The master photographer will recognize these changes to improve the work and subject matter.
Color in an image can help to generate a "feeling" in a photograph and an emotional response ranging from fear, to love, to anger or happiness. An image that has a blue cast is representative of a sad, gloomy, or somber mood, while red is perceived as causing an angry, antagonized, or irritable mood.
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/photographs/green/all" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">green photos</a>
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Speaking for myself, I always strive to learn different skills and methods. I received most of my instruction from Vincent Versace, Lee Gordon, Jack Wild and Andy Cook. In addition, I have read lots of books on photography. With my particular combination of instructors and books, I have created and melded them into my "own style." It is not so unique, but it works for me! I love learning new techniques, which allows me to add another tool to the belt. I might not use the new method, but it usually allow me to complete my task in a different way. Maybe I will combine it with a different method or not. It allows me to be more creative as an artist. Recently, I took my 3rd workshop with famed photographer and author Vincent Versace on "Mastering Black and White Techniques." Although the week long class was extremely informative and the instructor was very forthcoming with information, I won't use his exact techniques. Why? Well, I had an epiphany this week. I tried using his techniques on my own and realized that his way might be easier and more detailed, it is not my way. I see landscape photography world slightly different. And, I like to see it my way. I see the world differently than him or any other photographer. I will always see it differently.I was extremely impressed by Versace's style and may incorporate a few of his methods with my own "style."
What I took away from the course is that a photographer should take advice from others, learn from others and incorporate those techniques or views and make it their "own."
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/waves/all" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">waves art</a>
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Some examples of rules are: The horizon line in the top 1/3 or bottom 1/3 of the image; The main subject of the image should not be centered; The image must have balance between light and dark; The horizon must be level( no weird angles) ; The eyes of the main subject should look into the middle of the image( not look out).
So, when do I break the rules? I don't! I prefer to keep things simple in my photographs and take the viewer on a journey. I want their eyes to travel though out my photograph, have a main subject or resting place, and then continue to observe different aspects of my image.
If I were to "break the rules," I would place my horizon in the middle of the image or place my subject in the center of the picture. Or, I would use extreme odd angles. But extreme angles in Landscape Photography make the viewer feel like they are falling off the page!
Breaking the rules usually created some unknown tension for the viewer, which I don't want to do. I want to create a sense of place.
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/photographs/scenics/all" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">scenics photos</a>
]]>Angle of perspective is also an important aspect of color. Depending upon the angle that a photograph is taken from will determine how light will change the surface of the object. The direction and type of light can improve the object being photograph.
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/photographs/original/all" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">original photos</a>
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I also will squint my eyes to decrease the colors reaching my eyes. This will help create a colorless scene.
I will also look to see if the image is very busy. Are there green leaves everywhere? Are there any colors that jump out at me? Is there a lot of contrast in the image?
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/scenery/posters" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">scenery posters</a>
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<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/scenery/metal+prints" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">scenery metal prints</a>
]]><a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/scenery/acrylic+prints" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">scenery acrylic prints</a>
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<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/scenery/framed+prints" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">scenery framed prints</a>
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<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/scenery/prints" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">scenery prints</a>
]]>I have discovered that I need to be patient when it comes to selling artwork. Thursday, I had a lengthy discussion with about a dozen colleagues that seem to think that I was not being realistic. I had become rather discouraged by the fact that I had not had any sales at Art Basel in Miami. This was compounded by the fact that I had spent quite of bit of cash on producing prints to show at the event.
But, my luck changed this afternoon. I found out that I sold a very large photograph from Glacier National Park.
What it means to me is that I need to be a bit more patient and not get discouraged so easily.
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/scenery/canvas+prints" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">scenery canvas prints</a>
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<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/photographs/sun/canvas+prints" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">sun photo canvas prints</a>
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<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/photographs/reflection/originals" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">reflection photo originals</a>
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I had truly come full circle to the "hobby" that I participated in as a child, but this time it is different. I used my creativity to help people before, but now I'm creating art to inspire people.
<a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/photographs/reflection/all" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">reflection photos</a>
]]><a href="http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/artwork/framed+prints" style="font: 10pt arial; text-decoration: underline;">artwork framed prints</a>
]]>The composition is determined by:
a)The main subject.
b)The elements included in the photograph.
c)Secondary elements.
d)How much of the frame is filled by the main subject.
e)The location of the main subject(bottom, middle, or top).
The composition, therefore, is the arrangement of different elements that communicate a subjects artistic interpretation. The successful photographer uses a photograph to tell a story through his or her own eyes and how they felt.
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Since I ventured into the the Fine Art of Photography, I recognized that there is subtle technique properly critiquing one's own work as well as others.Although a critique can be extremely subjective, It should be based upon evaluation of key objective elements in a photograph, as well as subjective nuances that appeal will appeal to the viewer. A comment of, " I love that," or "It's great," are not enough of an observation. A critique should include reasons for liking or disliking a photograph.
I use the following criteria when evaluating photographs and whether I believe an image is "great" or not:
1)When I first look at a photograph,I observe technical criteria. Is the image sharp and "in-focus?" Is the image exposed correctly? If soft focus used, bokeh, was it used properly? Is negative space used properly? Should there be more or less negative space? Does the image need more or less detail in the shadows? Is the print itself correct? Is there too much contrast or does the photograph appear "muddy."
2) The second observation make involves a point of interest. I start to ask myself a few questions. Does my "eye" travel through the image? Do I get "stuck" any where? Is the image balanced? Is the "rule of thirds" being used? Is the horizon at the midpoint of the image? Is the center of interest placed in the proper position? Are leading lines detracting from the images? Do leading lines fall off the image? Is the Contrast and Color correct? Is there enough space between the center of interest and other elements? Is there any negative space that detracts from the center of interest?
2)The third observation when looking at photographs involves the foreground and background. I ask myself many questions about it. Is the background too busy? Does the foreground lead the viewer into the image? Is the foreground distracting? Does the background help the image or hurt it?
4)Finally, I critique the photograph as a genre. Does it tell a story? Do i get a sense of placement? Do I have an emotional response to the image? Do I "feel" anything while looking at it?
I have found that some people are better at receiving critiques better than others. I try I give constructive ideas to make the image more complete and suggest ideas that will improve an image, if it is needed. Once again, this is a very subjective thing. I always start with positive observations and items that I like about a piece. Then, after discussing those issues, I discuss areas that could be improved. Nobody really likes critiques because they tend to be personalized more than not. The object is the make them about the photograph and not about the individual.
http://www.saatchionline.com/ImagesbyJonEvan
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1)They strive to create something new and different.
2)Their work is "fresh and innovative."
3)They try to take their work beyond the norm.
4)They have a desire to take pictures.
5)They perceive their work as a passion.
6)They are not categorized in a specify genre(landscape,portrait).
7)They have a desire to create unique art.
8)They view the world through their own perceptions.
9)They takes us on a journey through their art.
10)They create work that will "live on."
http://www.saatchionline.com/ImagesbyJonEvan
]]>I took this photograph in Iceland at a waterfall called Seljelandsfoss. I was told by previous photographers that the best image was from behind. So, I followed like a sheep. If I had known what I was in store for, I would never had gone. As I followed the path behind it, I saw a large sheet of water blowing across. I decided to cover up my camera and proceed. I only thought that it was going to be a couple steps to get through.Boy was I wrong! I ended up getting soaked! I even had to take my glasses off to see because the spray was so bad. When I finally got to the other side, I also found out that my Jacket was not waterproof. Ugh! So, trying to make the best of the situation, I set-up for the shot. I pressed the shutter over and over again due to fine mist spray still hitting me. Thank god I had a towel. Well, I got my photograph, packed up the camera and had to go back through that wall of water. No, it was not fun repeating the trek out from behind and I did not discover how good an image i got until I dried off and sat down to review!! Ultimately, I am very pleased with the outcome.
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]]>The camera is not able to perform this task. It is unable to filter the clutter, chaos or any other extraneous information. It just records the information.
To compensate for this “visual chaos,” the photographer must actually control what the camera records and exclude extraneous information. He/she must separate the objects in the scene.
This can be done with selective focus( aperture ), perspective, lighting, and shutter speed:
1.Selective focus: The lens of a camera has the ability to change depth of field. A photographer can manipulate how many objects are in focus by changing the aperture on the lens(f-stop). Opening the lens up(smaller aperture-lower number) creates areas in the image that will be out of focus thereby leading the eye visually to more focus areas in the picture.
2. Perspective: The angle that one photographs a scene can isolate an image more. This can be achieved by shooting from a different height; moving closer to or further away from the subject; or moving to the left or to the right of the subject.
3. Lighting: Using the proper lighting can help to remove the chaos from an image. This can be done by using a flash to brighten up the subject and darken the background; using a reflector to bounce light on to the object; or photographing the object at a different time of day.
4. Shutter speed: Shutter speed can be used to create or isolate the subject. Using a slower shutter speed can create a blur effect; or panning(moving the camera while taking the picture) can focus the viewers attention on the subject of the photograph.
The fine art photographer will use these methods to create an image that is organized and well thought out.
In my short time as a landscape photographer, I too learned about these limitations of the camera itself is. The camera is one tool used to capture an image. That so called "camera" only sees in mid-tones and does not have the dynamic scale to record all the information in my landscape photographs
The eye can see 24 different shades of light, but the camera can only see 12. On days where the light is even and there are no strong shadows underneath trees or objects, the camera will be able to record everything it "sees." This occurs on cloudy days. On days with bright sunlight and harsh shadows, the camera will only be able to record either the bright information or the dark information only. When a photographer tries to compensate for this in their camera, they can not produce one images that is properly exposed. They can produce two images; One will be a bright picture with properly exposed shadows and the other will be a very dark picture with no detail in the lighter areas. This is the dilemma of a simple, but complicated piece of equipment. So, what is a photographer to do? Blend the images in photoshop.
As a landscape photographer, we can use "photoshop" to compensate for these issues. There are a few ways to do this: 1)The first method would be to underexpose the image a little and then, with photoshop, bring up the highlights and shadows, to create a proper image; 2) The second option is almost the opposite. It would be to bring down the highlight areas and decrease the shadows to create a proper image; These two methods are limited to the amount of information the camera will be able to record. This will produce an image that may contain quite a bit of noise or grain in the image.
There is an additional solution which involves photographing 2 or 3 images and blend them together in photoshop. This is the method that I use.
Their is a method to this madness! First, a photograph is taken of the scene at mid tone levels.. This usually produces an image that has some areas that could be brighter and some areas that could be darker. A second photograph is taken with a proper exposure of the dark areas(usually the foreground). And, finally a third exposure is taken of the brighter areas(usually the sky). Then all three images are added together or blended using photoshop producing an image that represents what my eye saw that early morning or late evening.
]]>One of the key factors in this equation is the light available from the sun. If it is cloudy, great. I can record the image on the camera and avoid dark shadows. I can also do this at twilight, but a longer exposure is necessary. The worst time to take photographs is when the scene is very contrasty and has no mid-tones to speak of!
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