Thursday Tips: The Aesthetic Triad

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aesthetics, art, composition, light, Photography, subject, Tips

With my guest blogging installments here on 1001 Scribbles over the past couple of years, I’ve probably spent at least as much time and space covering technically related matters as aesthetic ones, which is completely out of proportion with how I like to think about photography. The technical points (e.g. exposure, depth of field, etc.) are necessary, but photography—at least the way I think of it and try to practice it—is an artistic endeavor. Technique is important, but it’s a means to an end. Creativity is the itch most of us are trying to scratch, presumably, when we pull out our cameras.

So let’s talk about aesthetics a bit, and let’s do so in a way that’s as practical and applicable as possible. (I could discuss the matter in ethereal terms, but that’s an approach that many—if not most—people find impenetrable.)

Nearly half of the time during my trip to the Canadian Rockies earlier this fall was spent on a photo tour. While this was a tour—with a particular emphasis on time in the field—and not a workshop, we did hold a few brief nighttime classroom sessions that were designed, more or less, as reminders of broad photographic principles. I was quite pleased to see the discussion about image making center around three broad concepts that I’ve long preached as the key elements of successful photographs: subject, light and composition.

Essentially, assuming good technique, when these three things come together in a single frame, a portfolio quality photograph ensues. It’s not that you can’t have a “successful” shot without all three, but for something really and truly special, you need to check off all the items on the list.

Subject, of course, is the tangible object or objects that make up the elements present in the photograph. What constitutes “interesting” subject matter can be quite subjective, of course.

Light is self-explanatory. What isn’t quite as obvious, however, is that what constitutes good light can vary depending on the subject. For instance, as I’ve said multiple times in this space in the past, the quality of light that is particularly flattering to a grand landscape scenic isn’t necessarily the light of choice for a waterfall or a forest composition.

Composition is the most subjective element of all and the one upon which the photographer can exercise the broadest control. The term refers to what is included in the frame and the perspective by which the subject is depicted. This is entirely up to the photographer.

Let’s look at an example, one in which I think the three broad concepts outlined above come together pretty well.

The subject here is pretty straight forward: we have a lake, lined by deciduous and coniferous trees on the left. It’s pretty clearly an autumn image, given the color of the foliage. We have a nice sunrise sky, reflected in the lake, and a backdrop of mountain peaks. There may be a few curmudgeons out there who would disagree, but I think it’s fair to say that most people would probably find this subject matter appealing.

The light is of the pre-sunrise variety. The sky is lit up beautifully while everything else is softly (and evenly) lit. Harsh contrast is avoided.

The composition was carefully determined. There’s a rocky meadow, filled with tall grasses, surrounding the side of the lake from which the image was made, and it was consciously decided to include the meadow and its components as foreground elements. The yellow aspens provide a clear sense of the season and complement the lake, rocks and mountains nicely. The mountains, as background objects, are perhaps the ultimate example of stopping the eye from wandering off into oblivion. The colorful sunrise sky (and its reflection in the lake) provides something of a “wow” element to an already compelling scene.

It’s a matter of opinion—it is art, after all—but I think all three of the aforementioned concepts come together quite nicely here.

Let’s take a look at one more image.

The subject matter is, at least superficially similar to the first image—though we have a foreground stream rather than a lake.

The light here is very different than in the first image, but the method of presentation is as well; this shot is depicted in black and white. The light here is far more contrasty than in the first photograph, but that’s far more suitable given the much more contrast-tolerant black and white medium.

The composition is fairly dynamic—as revealed by the rushing outlet stream—which complements the boldness of the high contrast black and white treatment, particularly as it’s rendered in the sky.

Again, I think the three principles come together quite well in this shot. It’s a very different combination than in the original image, but both photographs share a certain amount of success. This illustrates the point that there are different ways to fit the three concepts together; there’s no single recipe to success. (If there was, there would only be one kind of pleasing image, which is absurd.) The goal is to find different ways to make different subjects, qualities of light and compositions work together symbiotically. That’s the road map to successful image making.

Give it a try. Consciously question yourself—what light flatters this subject? How can I choose to frame this subject in this light to best express it? What subjects work best in this light? By asking—and answering—these questions and others like them, you can take your photography to the next level.

Thursday Tips is written by Kerry Mark Leibowitz, a guest blogger on 1001 Scribbles, and appears every other Thursday. To read more of his thoughts on photography, please visit his blog: Lightscapes Nature Photography.

Thursday Tips: Let There Be Light

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landscapes, light, Photography, Tips

The single most significant factor in creating compelling photography (possibly excepting the documentary version of the discipline) is light—specifically the quality thereof and how it’s used by the photographer.  This is not to say that light is the only factor of consequence; I occasionally run across a statement that photography is “all about the light.”  I don’t agree with that—there are other factors that matter (subject matter and composition come to mind).  But I certainly don’t quibble with the notion that light is the most important factor.  Otherwise uninteresting subjects can come alive in good light; compelling subjects can fall flat in unflattering light.

As a photographer, light is your friend.  It’s imperative for you to understand its foibles and learn how to use it to your advantage.  Perhaps the single biggest distinction between snapshooting and more—here’s a loaded term—considered photography is the understanding of the impact of light and how to best utilize it.  A hint—“good light” is variable; what’s good for one subject may be poorly suited for another.  More on that momentarily.

As primarily a nature/landscape photographer, my focus will, unsurprisingly, be on natural light and the landscape.  You may have heard the expression “the golden hour.”  The term is a bit of a misnomer—the time period referred to isn’t always even approximately an hour long—but the interval in question refers to the time—at both the beginning and end of the day when the sun is in the sky—when light is softer, more diffused and more red-shifted (and, as a result, virtually always more pleasing to the eye) than is the case during the bulk of daylight.  When it comes to broad or “grand” landscapes, early or late light is almost always superior to the alternative.  (An exception that occurs occasionally is when storm light—which at times is more dramatic than anything you’ll see during the “golden hour”—takes place mid-day.  But this is uncommon.)  The point is the most consistently pleasing natural light can be found at the beginning and end of a day when the sun is out.

Excepting overcast days, mid-day light is ordinarily harsh and almost universally unappealing.  This is true even to the naked eye, but to your camera’s sensor (or film), the effect is magnified.  I’ll cover this subject at greater length in a future installment, but for now it’s simply worth noting that the human eye has far greater dynamic range than your camera.  As a result, with high contrast scenes, highlights are prone to be blown out and/or shadows blocked up.  The fundamental issue of a scene having more dynamic range than your camera is capable of capturing with detail in a single exposure can be solved via a number of techniques, but as a qualitative matter, the light is still harsh.  As a photographer friend of mine is fond of pointing out—and I’m going to clean this up a tad—lousy light is lousy light.  Even if you can—via high dynamic range (HDR) imaging, for instance—render it, it’s still poor light.  That’s where the trained eye comes into play.  Regardless of whether contrast can be tamed, the first question to ask yourself is whether it should be tamed.  Good natural light can’t be manufactured; the goal is to be prepared for it, recognize it and properly utilize it when it emerges.

The grand vista seldom flourishes on an overcast day but other scenes do.  The soft, even light—superficially similar but not identical to open shade–provided by the giant diffuser created by clouds is ideal for shooting around waterfalls and creeks, in wooded locales (where “hot spots” created by sunlight can be an exposure nightmare and a massive visual distraction) and intimate settings, among other locales.  The best part about overcast conditions is that you don’t have to limit yourself to a sliver of the day to take advantage of them. During the fall color season I’ve often heard photographers bemoan how a cloudy day is “ruining” their shooting opportunities because of “bad, flat” lighting.  Cloudy conditions may detract from open settings, but the problem isn’t that the light is “bad”; the issue is that these photographers aren’t putting themselves in the kinds of places where overcast lighting is good.  This is the kind of reference I’m drawing when I say that what constitutes good light can change depending upon subject matter and setting.

The next time you’re pondering a shoot, consider the light you’ll be dealing with.  Ask yourself if it’s optimum for your intended subject.  If so, consider how you can best take advantage.  If not, ask yourself if there’s a better subject for the light you expect to encounter and if there’s better light for the subject you were initially contemplating.  Once you incorporate thoughts about light into your planning, you’ll discover what an important consideration it really is when photographing and that recognizing—and categorizing—good light will become second nature.  I think you’ll also find yourself significantly more pleased with your images.