I would like to improve my compositional skills, suggestions for educational resources wanted

[Djarum]

Two books that have really helped me out are here:

The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos: Michael Freeman: 9780240809342: Amazon.com: Books

The Photographer's Mind: Creative Thinking for Better Digital Photos: Michael Freeman: 9780240815176: Amazon.com: Books

The first book deals specifically in composition, but more importantly, why certain things do work. It deals with different dimensions which I never considered in the past, mainly color balance, light balance, and even subject balance.

The second book I think deals with more about the what and why in photography. As Gary points out, what are we trying to communicate with the photo?

 

[Djarum]

My two tips.

1) Buy "The Photographers Eye" by Michael Freeman. Available either as a book, ebook or app for your iPad. Read it several times as there's a lot to take in. I need to go through it again.

2) Turn your LCD (and EVF) to black and white mode (ie: the jpeg setting). You'll see a lot easier without the distractions of colours. Use the viewfinder to make shapes and patterns from the "subjects" in a scene.

Gordon

Again, a +1 on Michael Freeman's books. Both the " the photographers eye" and " The photographers Mind" are really good.

 

[Boid]

"So successful has been the camera's role in beautifying the world that photographs, rather than the world, have become the standard of the beautiful. " - Susan Sontag

She also goes on to say that a good photograph makes a promise to the viewer of being authentic. That what is photographed actually transpired. It was real, it happened, and here's my proof. To me (and this is entirely personal) a photograph is truth told well. A well told truth should be able to hold one's attention. Of course my photographs are my version of the truth as your photographs would be of yours.

You could of course go the other way and say the photograph is the object itself. It does not depict a reality, but instead chooses to be reality in itself. And that's art. And that's fine too. Just be aware that when you make art, you're part of a long tradition of artists. Make it well.

Sometimes portraying the truth transcends the boundaries of being a document and becomes art. It becomes so compelling that it's not merely depicting reality any more. These to me are the best examples of the medium of photography. Where a document, or a fleeting glimpse, that only a camera is capable of capturing (making?), presents a compelling truth in a way that draws the viewer in and captures his imagination. The photograph doesn't start out trying to make art, but is deemed as such by the viewer.

I'm coming to terms with the idea that a photographer is a lousy artist. All he has is a point of view, his personal philosophy, and it's entirely left to the viewer to decide if his result has any artistic merit. This is quite liberating really, it leaves me free to do what the heck I want.

 

[Gary]

I think you've always been free to do what the heck you want.

 

[Boid]

I think you've always been free to do what the heck you want.

I think in the process of learning how to use a camera, I lost a lot of the reasons why I wanted to make pictures.

 

[bartjeej]

Two books that have really helped me out are here:

The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos: Michael Freeman: 9780240809342: Amazon.com: Books

The Photographer's Mind: Creative Thinking for Better Digital Photos: Michael Freeman: 9780240815176: Amazon.com: Books

The first book deals specifically in composition, but more importantly, why certain things do work. It deals with different dimensions which I never considered in the past, mainly color balance, light balance, and even subject balance.

The second book I think deals with more about the what and why in photography. As Gary points out, what are we trying to communicate with the photo?

Agree on both. The first one is a bit more practical, but it's not a do-this-do-that kind of practical that leads to very formulaic photos; it explains how a lot of compositional mechanisms work, rather than just give you the "rules" that follow from these mechanisms (for instance, it doesn't just tell you about the "rule of thirds" but also explains how tension works in a composition in general, so that you can create tension without necessarily following the rule of thirds).

The second book I haven't finished yet. In the DPReview article about this book they said it lends itself more to leaving back and forth through the book and picking up what you find interesting, rather than reading it from front to back like The Photographer's Eye. I kind of agree with that, and you'd definitely do well to read the Eye book before the Mind in my opinion... but it's very valuable both in terms of making you think about your photography on a "meta" level, and in terms of developing your own style.

 

[Djarum]

Agree on both. The first one is a bit more practical, but it's not a do-this-do-that kind of practical that leads to very formulaic photos; it explains how a lot of compositional mechanisms work, rather than just give you the "rules" that follow from these mechanisms (for instance, it doesn't just tell you about the "rule of thirds" but also explains how tension works in a composition in general, so that you can create tension without necessarily following the rule of thirds).

Thats one of the reasons I think I liked the book so well was because he gives an indication of why certain things work and other things don't. I'm an engineer, and I always want to know why something is the way it is.

The second book I haven't finished yet. In the DPReview article about this book they said it lends itself more to leaving back and forth through the book and picking up what you find interesting, rather than reading it from front to back like The Photographer's Eye. I kind of agree with that, and you'd definitely do well to read the Eye book before the Mind in my opinion... but it's very valuable both in terms of making you think about your photography on a "meta" level, and in terms of developing your own style.

I've read the entirety of the second book. I actually read it first. While there are some references to the first, I think both are fine as standalone books. I agree, its more about a "philosophical" approach to photography. I find both excelent in terms of references, especially with my own work. I think the second book, in some ways, explains better why, even with excelent composition, lighting and balance, some images don't work.

I hate to bring up the word "intent" because while many images are very good where the photographer uses this approach, there are also lots of good images where there was no obvious intent by the photographer. "The Photographers Mind" is in many ways discussing intent.

 

[Gary]

I think in the process of learning how to use a camera, I lost a lot of the reasons why I wanted to make pictures.

Knowledge can be a two-edged sword.

G

 

[Jock Elliott]

I just had a look at Color, Light & Composition, a photographer's guide

by Sue Bishop

It seems an excellent resource, and many of the photographs are simply stunning.

Cheers, Jock