Some of you have commented on the composition of my photos recently. I have been reading a book on photography specific to the iPhone. Its by a David Kennerly, who won a Pulitzer for his work, which has spanned five decades. I have a feeling there are many Facebook friends who have iPhones and who might be interested in Kennerlys insights. The book is not about technique as much as it is about noticing and waiting for the moment. It teaches you what composition is in a photo, and what makes it so interesting--a specific subject and what the photo has to say that is also specific. He also emphasizes editing out the multiple photos of the same shot and choosing the best one. Ive been having zen moments reading Kennerlys book, realizing how much applies to what I observe for a story or simply in daily life. With story and photography they are both about how we see the world, what catches our attention, what stands out--the moment, an expression, a serendipitous juxtaposition, the arrival or departure of light and shade--illumination and what is hidden. It about how we focus our attention in a scene, how we eliminate what is only distracting, and so forth. And it is important to edit, because that sharpens the eye so that you know more quickly what works and why. In the case of the recent photo of the lagoon, I was lucky that I even caught one photo. We were in the car, and the light was about gone, but the water was smooth, reflecting the hills. So I took a chance and waited until I had a clear shot of the mouth of the lagoon as we whizzed by. The photo is okay, but there is nothing really that special about it, except that in its own right, the lagoon is beautiful. I took the new profile picture when I was hiking in the Marin Headlands earlier that same day. I had noticed an interesting backdrop--a rusted door in a bunker. The light was coming in from one side,and as my companions continued walking, I quickly took three selfies. I chose the one with the best light on my face. I like the photo, but it is not a particularly special moment that says something specific. I appear happy, but not for any particular reason. It is alot about specific moments. I am not fishing for compliments. I am not being hypercritical of myself. I get pleasure from photos in different ways. But I want to get better at writing and in taking photos. And one way is to be more attuned to what is a special moment that expresses something personal or new. My observing eye will continue to improve as I learn more about photo composition reading Kennerlys book. That knowledge will add to my observation of whole stories contained within a single moment.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 20:48:58 +0000
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