Into her soul
I teach fellow photographers how to incorporate the elements of visual design and composition into their imagery.
In my part I and part II online class with the PPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, one of the basic elements and probably the most important of them all is LINE. Without line, the other elements of visual design wouldn’t be elements, and worse, the world as we know it wouldn’t exist…why you ask????
For the simple reason that Pattern, Texture, Vanishing Points, Shape, Form, and Perspective are made up of Line. The world wouldn’t exist because everything around us from buildings to forms of locomotion to flowers to humans, etc. all have an implied outLINE.
When I’m photographing people, I almost always have my subject looking into the lens. One of the most important implied lines is the imaginary line that runs from the subject’s eyes to the center of the lens. Not only does it suggest a certain intimacy and private bond between the subject and the photographer, but it also creates visual tension and intellectual energy.
As I always say, “Tension=Energy”.
I don’t mean the Tension that comes from mental or emotional strain, but the Tension that comes from forces acting in opposition to one another…as in the subject and the camera looking at each other.
At one time taking pictures of people use to be thought of as “robbing oneself of their soul”. Having said that, I’m not looking to steal someone’s soul (what would I do with it once I had it? Craig’s List or eBay?), however, I like the old adage that suggests the eyes are the doorway to one’s soul, and I do like the idea of looking into one’s inner spirit.
Visit my website at www.joebaraban.com and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometimes and maybe we’ll go steal some ‘souls’ together!!!
🙂
JoeB
