Ten Thousand Hours Photography

10,000 Hours Deliberate Practice Learning the Art of Photography

Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida

Roland Barthes (1915-1980) was a French philosopher and literary theorist, he was not a photographer. This book deals with the question: what is a photograph? from that perspective.

Barthes describes the essence of photography as distinct from both art and history.

Art, he contests, is the result of a creative process undertaken by an artist; whereas a photograph is primarily the preservation of “something that was”.

History is a perspective on past events; always open to challenge and contradiction. A photograph, by contrast, is undeniably “something that was”, and it is up to the viewer to infer meaning. A meaning which, as I show below, may change from person to person or evolve over time.

The photographer, and the subject, if it is a person aware of being photographed, can suggest an implied meaning. However, without knowledge of this intent, the viewer may see the image differently, and derive a meaning entirely personal to them.

Tim Flack’s fine book on horse photography, ‘Equus’, ends with this quote from Barthes’ book: “Ultimately a photograph looks like anyone except the person it represents.”

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LAB Colour

LAB Colour
Enhanced colours of St Paul’s Cathedral and the City of London

Photoshop’s route to more vibrant colours via an alternative colour space. This post looks at the Photoshop LAB colour space:

  • how it mirrors the biology of human vision at a deeper level than the RGB of the retina’s cones
  • how it can be effectively manipulated.
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Composition – Thoughts at 2,000 Hours

Further Musings on Composition

Thoughts at 2,000 Hours

My aim with this post is to dig a little deeper into the area of composition.  My first post on this subject: “Composition – Early Thoughts” recognized that this was an area of potential for growth, i.e., weakness, for me and laid out the basics of what I knew, pretty much at the start of my 10,000 hour project.  In the 16 months since that post, and 2,000 hours of deliberate practice later, I understand a little more about both the psychology that underpins best photographic practice and the practical application of this knowledge.

B&W images of fence and trees/
Clean composition makes this simplistic winter scene appealing – evoking the calm of a cold Christmas Day morning.  The fence acts as a base rather than a barrier in the image due to its position right at the bottom of the picture.

As photographers we strive to create an image that:

  1. Piques and maintains the viewer’s interest
  2. Guides the viewer around the image concentrating on the key subject
  3. Conveys the desired story or emotion
  4. Achieves the above in the simplest, most efficient manner.

Whilst my first post covered the rules of composition, I tend these days to think in terms of pictorial elements and how their placement contributes or otherwise towards a successful image.

 

I am always delighted to receive feedback, and feedback is essential for this project as a whole.  So, if you have any comments, ideas or suggestions, please post them below.

To see more posts on other photographic topics, or to follow my learning progress, please like or follow me on the social media channel of your choice to the right.

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Diptychs, Triptychs and Polyptychs

Diptych, Triptych, Polyptych

ICM Diptych
Came third in the Amersham Photographic Society’s December 2018 Print competition.

In the last year or so some of my most successful competition entries have been in the form of Diptych or Triptychs.  This post is an attempt to consolidate my thoughts regarding what makes a successful Diptych (Triptych or other Polyptych).

I define success as the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.  For example the picture to the right, which was roundly applauded in competition at the Amersham Photographic Society, consists of two sub-images which on their own are OK but too simplistic to hold the viewer’s attention for long.

 

As usual, if you have any questions or comments, please post them below.

To see more posts on other photographic topics, or to follow my learning progress, please like or follow me on the social media channel of your choice to the right.

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