[Bigkidneys]

Hello all. New to the forum but have been bitten by the photography bug since last April while traveling Europe. Seems like I have all the tools that I need (K5, lenses, etc.) except what to look for in a good picture. I typically go out with nothing in mind and find myself at the end of the day just looking at snapshots with really no composition or meaning. Can someone, anyone, recommend exercises or reading that may help me get into a creative frame of mind? I truly love the idea of photography and capturing those special moments in time but feel like I am missing the point with most of my shots. I am a history buff and while in Europe found architecture and monuments great to photograph and think I came back with a few good pictures but really need help in knowing what to look for when I am out and about. I am including a couple of pictures I took while in Europe that I think are decent but I find myself way too often not knowing what to look for. Should I go out with say an idea in mind and just stick too that? Any help would be greatly appreciated...

Jason

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[Bigkidneys]

BTW, these are what I consider my best photos. However, these are few and far between my norm which is why I feel like I am wandering aimlessly while out and about. It was somewhat easy when interested in monuments and architecture but I fall well short of artistic composition with anything other than what you see here.

[Miguel]

Jason,
I think you will get a more thoughtful response if you post these in the Photo Critique subforum. I know I will offer up some thoughts there.
I also advise you to put each in four separate posts. It makes it easier for some to limit their comments to a specific image.
Thanks,

M

[SpecialK]

My general guidelines are pretty simple :

Balance the space. Don't have stuff crowded on one side.
Check the corners. Either put something interesting in them to act as a frame, or keep out distracting items like twigs, trash cans and light poles.

I particularly like the first two images. The last one could use the horizon leveled. I find the vignette frame distracting.

[Urkeldaedalus]

There are some compositional rules (of which I personally know only a few) but the most important thing is for your to shoot what you like and understand why you like it. As you continue to shoot this way your overall shooting will only improve. It will also help you know when to take criticism and when to discard it.

If you wanted comments on these images in particular.

Image 1 -- Feels a little claustrophobic to me. And I don't necessarily get a sense of scale for the tower. Have you considered going without the vignette? Were you interested in the way the clouds looked behind the tower?

Image 2 -- I really like this one a lot. The only thing I would have changed is to point your camera slightly lower so you don't cut off the bottom of the boat. It feels a little bit truncated. Or in other words, there's a little too much sky and not enough horizon.

I really like the framing in the final two. Really draws my eyes into the photos. There is also a dynamic of static figures and active water that I enjoy a lot.

[climit]

Very nice post processing, congratulations. Except from the second photo wich is obscure, the others stand out. It doesn't mind if you can only take good pictures of buildings. Do that, take pictures of buildings. You do not have to take all kind of pictures.
There are certain rules about composition but they are just there for reference. A good composition is the one that is nice. This has to do with your personal preferences and none can tell you what to study or what to look at. You have to look at and study what YOU PERSONALLY like. So make your own choises.

[CWyatt]

When I'm feeling a bit out of form I like looking at photography books by greats like Henri Cartier-Bresson, James Nachtwey, W. Eugene Smith, Steve McCurry. Just to get the juices flowing. Or even their thoughts about photography, just to get the brain ticking over.

And I also like these quotes:

There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs - Ansel Adams

(paraphrasing I think): There are no rules of composition in photography, there are only principles' - Andreas Feininger (I would fully recommend anything by him you can get your hands on).

[RioRico]

Quick reaction: I really like the vividness of the monochromes. But #2 *is* obscure.

Composition: Many compositional rules exist. All can be easily adopted or ignored.

Inspiration: Old photo books, yes. I constantly pull out a volume from the Time-Life Library of Photography, or any book on photographic history, to see what the maestros have done. The old Petersen Masters of Contemporary Photography series includes not just photos, but also how many were shot. So I soak-up and try to internalize the imagery, so that when I see a scene, a composition pops-up in front of my eyes, and I shoot.

Above is a quote from Dorothea Lange: "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera". I think that more accurately, the camera teaches people how to see LIKE a camera. What we want to see; what we think we see; what the camera sees; and what is actually there, if anything -- these are not the same. An image is a compromise between vision and reality.

[TaoMaas]

... the camera teaches people how to see LIKE a camera. What we want to see; what we think we see; what the camera sees; and what is actually there, if anything -- these are not the same. An image is a compromise between vision and reality.

I agree with this. People walk up on a scene and say, "Wow! This is great!"....so they snap a picture. But when they get the picture back, it's disappointing because it doesn't convey the feeling they had when viewing the scene. The trick is to be able to identify exactly what it is about a scene that you think is great, then be able to capture that feeling and convey it to viewers.

[sewebster]

The photo you guys are saying is obscure is the sun shining through the clouds one? Looks cool to me! Though it would probably be better if the boat was on the left It is perhaps a little suspicious that the mouse-over text is "Canon EOS 5d Mark II Photo" though...

[TaoMaas]

The photo you guys are saying is obscure is the sun shining through the clouds one? Looks cool to me! Though it would probably be better if the boat was on the left It is perhaps a little suspicious that the mouse-over text is "Canon EOS 5d Mark II Photo" though...

lol Good catch! The last pic says the same thing.

[RyanW]

Jason, those are nice photos.

I've been learning a lot on composition here

Phil Douglis's Photo Galleries at pbase.com

[Bigkidneys]

The photo you guys are saying is obscure is the sun shining through the clouds one? Looks cool to me! Though it would probably be better if the boat was on the left It is perhaps a little suspicious that the mouse-over text is "Canon EOS 5d Mark II Photo" though...

Hehe. I never said it was a Pentax. BTW, all of these were with a 5DII. I started off with a Nikon D5000, then 7D, and finally a 5DII before moving to MFT and finally the K-5. I have no love of one over the other. Just figured the K-5 was best fit for me with SR and weather resistance. Thank you to all who have given me some insight in this thread. I know I have a ton to learn and am just looking for things that may help stoke some artistry in me. Of all the things I have done in my life, I really feel like this is something that will stay with me for quite a while and am just hoping to understand more of what makes a good photo as although they all look good to me, I want them to evoke feelings into others as so many pictures I have looked at since April have done for me. The sunset picture was shot in Ibiza, Spain and was the first time I had seen a sunset quite like that. At the time, I understood the rule of thirds but wanted to get as much sky in the picture as possible considering it was so dramatic.

[Gashog]

I have two friends who are retired photography teachers and I still see my old teacher around town. My old HS physics teacher's wife teaches photography and I've talked to her a couple times. One thing they will all agree upon is that viewing lots of photos is a very good way to understand what makes a good photo.
I think it's like muscle memory of the eye. Rules of composition are a good baseline for someone who is still figuring it out or is totally OCD but the truth is, not all good photos adhere to these rules.
Look at photos every day. You'll know a good one when you see it. After a while, your brain starts to see good photos all around you. Then, point the camera at it and capture it. To me, perspective and light > composition. You still need a subject though.
If you want to teach yourself to use the rules of composition, I think practising abstracts and still lives would get both halves of your brain around it.

Edit: S2 and S5 pro. That's why I post either B&W film or jpegs form my droid here.

[johnmflores]

Those are some nice photos, Jason, but I understand what you say about snapshots. Snapshots, to me, are photos where the desire/need to fit everything in the frame overrides all other consideration.

For example...

Zooming in or out (with their feet or a zoom) when they are taking a group shot at some event. That's a snapshot.

Craning your neck and moving back a bit with your wide angle lens to fit the Eiffel Tower in the frame. That's a snapshot.

Positioning an object in the center of the frame because you want to fit it in because it's really cool and you want to show others how cool it it. That's a snapshot.

My suggestions to get away from snapshots are:

1 - Put down the zoom lens. Pick up a fixed focal length prime like a nice 50mm or longer. Weld it to your camera for a month. Putting down the zoom removes the temptation to try to fit the subject in the frame. I'd also stay away from anything wider than 50mm, because once again you'll be tempted to fit stuff in.

2 - Go long. Instead of a 50, try something longer - like a 70 or 85. Longer lenses are actually more challenging because you'll have to make decisions about what to include and what to exclude.

3 - Try this. Ask a family or friend to be a subject for you. Put on a 70mm lens and stand 4-5 feet away. Guess what, you can't fit them in the frame, so you have to decide what fits in the frame and what doesn't, what's partially in the frame, and what is fully.

4 - Instead of just wandering about, give yourself an assignment. Instead of a photo of the Eiffel Tower, think to yourself, "I'm going to tell a story about how other people are observing and relating to the Eiffel Tower" and then take photos of people looking at the tower, taking photos of it, lying on the grass nearby, etc..

Hope this helps...jmf