Joe Baraban’s Digital Photography Blog

I don’t know about you, but the two hardest things I’ve ever had to photograph are kids and dogs, and photographing both together can be problematic; and perhaps leading to an earlier than usual cocktail.

It’s stressful enough when you’re shooting for a client whose paying you a lot of money to deliver the goods, but when you’re shooting just for the family album, the level of anxiety goes way over the top!!!

Self-medicating is one way to overcome the angst, and especially any misgivings as to why you accepted the challenge in the first place; even a self imposed challenge can occasionally strain the nervous system.

Sure, any fast acting Benzodiazepines such as: Valium, Xanax, Klonopin or Ativan would probably do the trick, but for those photographers that would rather take a healthier more organic approach, I’ve got just the thing for you. It’s very simple and over the counter.

First, I figure out where I want to shoot. Not just the location, but where I want to stand in relation to the sun to get the right light; whether it’s side or back light . Then I shoot several frames without anyone in it to get the proper exposure. The odds are that I probably won’t get more than one shot, or be able to bracket before whatever it is that happens doesn’t ever happen again.

Once I’m satisfied with the exposure, I place the kids and dogs exactly where I took the readings, and let them do whatever it is that kids and dogs do without direction from me. I’ve found that over the years, trying to give any direction is very close to being a pure waste of time. The best I would be able to do is have their attention for a couple of minutes before they’re done with me.

What I’m basically doing is to set it up as best I can and then shoot more of a reportage style and creating the illusion that I just got lucky.

In my online class with the BPSOP, I always get at least one photo of a grandkid and or their dog…or both. Two things I suggest to them for submitting a photo filled with frustration: One, to pay the kid something. After all you are taking up his time so why not offer to give him/her something.

The pay scale will obviously depend on their age, for example a young grandchild that now understands what money is and can do, a quarter or two might work; maybe even a dollar. As they get older the pay increases porportionally. Try offering a middle school or a teenager a quarter and see what happens!!!

Two, the dog is somewhat easier, a treat will usually do the trick…at any age.

In my next post I’ll talk about my fellow photographers that sign up for one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops, and how to photographic kids and dogs while traveling.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schdule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

Keep your horizon line straight.

Since my background is not in photography rather in painting and design, I studied the elements of visual design. The day I picked up a camera and looked through the viewfinder was the day I changed the medium from a brush and colored pencils to a camera. Years and years later I still consider myself an artist, only now I photograph what I actually see instead of painting what I saw or only see in my mind.

Since this is the way I approach picture taking, I now enlighten those that sign up for my online class with the BPSOP, and my fellow photographers that sign up for my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over the place. The ones that first take my online class walk away with I refer to as my Artist Palette.

This particular palette no longer has different pigments on it, but instead has: Texture, Pattern, Form, Shape, Line, Balance, and Color; if you click on the aforementioned link you can get an idea of how to use the palette.

In my online class I devote an entire lesson on Line. Line is the most important of all the elements of Visual Design, and without line none of the other elements I teach would exist. In fact without line, planes, trains, automobiles, and even people wouldn’t exist as well. Why? Because we all have an outLINE.

That said, the most important line is the horizon line, and when I see a horizon line that’s not straight it’s a sure sign that a novice took the picture. Don’t get me wrong, It’s not a judgment, merely an observation. In my opinion, the only time the horizon line wouldn’t appear straight is if you were in the Space Shuttle.

You would think that it’s an easy fix, and you would be partially right. If you’re on a tripod, like I am a lot of the time, you simply straighten the horizon right away and then forget about it. It will continue to be straight right up to and including the part when you actually take the photo.

However, most people don’t like being in complete control so they always hand hold their camera. The inherent problem is in the fact that you have to look at the horizon line while you’re composing, and then again right before you take the photo. That’s going to make it hard to concentrate on a host of things like: capturing the moment, human and non-human gesture, body language, the peak of any action, balance, etc.

I’ve been shooting for fifty years and I often have a tough time remembering to take a final look at the horizon line. If you can do it, and do it successfully then you’re way above my pay grade…and I take my hat off to you.

The next time you go out shooting, look at the horizon line and remember these words. It will take your photos “up a notch”. Oh and one last piece of advice: Try getting it straight “in the camera”, and not later in front of a computer. It will make you a better photographer, if that’s what your thing is.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

No questions were asked.

Back in the do-dah days when I was traveling two hundred and fifty days a year on assignments, I always made time to donate my photography with orginizations like the United Way, The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, and others.

It was a win-win proposition for both sides. I got to shoot what I wanted and they got me at no charge.

I was helping the United Way with a brochure on their Houston facilities, and after I filled their immediate needs I asked if I could take a few portraits of some of the workers; of course that they could also use.

I was granted permission provided the people said it was ok with them. The people living there were severely challenged but had jobs, i.e., putting packs of sugar in boxes. It was good for them to be doing something meaningful and made them happy. It also gave the people that were more cognizant of the world around them some self-respect.

Is anyone out there old enough to remember this famous line, “Ok Mr. DeMille I’m ready for my close-up”? Well I was five when Gloria Swanson first uttered these famous words in the 1950 movie Sunset Boulevard, so I didn’t actually see the movie since I was five at the time. That said, over the years I have heard it repeated several times since that line has become sort of a Hollywood semi-joke/legend.

Moving forward into modern times, I have spoken this line to my online classes with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over the place; btw, it’s not because I remember hearing them when I was a kid.

I say this phrase because it’s part of my approach to taking people pictures. I will usually start out with more of a longer lens environmental portrait, then once my subject is comfortable with me I move in for the close-up.

In the two images above, I was shooting for a client publishing a cookbook that was going to be called, “Autumn in Provence”. We were in a van that started out in Normandy and shot all the down to Nice. There were specific locations and events that the woman wanted me to shoot, and there were times that while we were going down the highway I woud see something worth shooting so we would stop for a photo op.

Since we were always moving South, there wasn’t time for me to wait until the best conditions so it was hit or miss as far as the quality of the light.

As we were driving down the highway I looked out at several people cleaning up after the harvest in a vineyard. We got out of the van and I approached this great looking young Frenchman and asked if I could photograph him. He loved the idea!!

As I tell my students and fellow photographers, when the sky is that nasty bluish-gray-white that we all know, do whatever you can to avoid it. I usually do this one of two ways:

I will use a lens like my 300mm F/2.8 and shoot wide open knocking everything out of focus, as in the photo above when you place the slide on the far left. Then for my close-up I’ll switch to my 20mm lens and get up close and personal thus eliminating unwanted sky; as in the photo on the right.

FYI, he wasn’t French, he was from Idaho and was spending the Fall bumming around in France.

If you’re interested in seeing Gloria say this infamous line, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIcC8YJrevQ

For me, the key to coming home with ‘wall hangers’ is to give yourself as many options as you can, and when you’re ready for that closeup…take it!!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule a the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.

JoeB

With my dog, my bag of solutions and TCB

My guess is that most of you that read my posts don’t know what TCB stands for…unless you happen to be an Elvis fan. It stands for Taking Care of Business, and it was the name Elvis gave his band until his death…which is the reason I’m writing this post in honor of his death in Memphis on this same day: August 16th, 1977.

😢

I was going to college in Memphis so I was privy to a lot of things Elvis said and was repeated in the loal newspaper. He was an extremely hard worker and his mantra was to always take care of business, to not get sidetracked, mostly in the area of his music.

So, you might ask why does this relate to photography? For one thing it’s what I profess when I’m talking to students that are enrolled in my online classes with the BPSOP and the ones that are taking my“Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over the place.

In my opinion there’s two kinds of photography: the kind where you throw a camera over your shoulder before you hit the door in hopes of seeing something you might be interested in taking a picture of; these types of photos will generally be deleted at one future time or another.

You took it either because you love the process of taking pictures, you want to try out your new camera, take pictures of your new honey, you want to look artsy, all of them making the subject moot; and that’s perfectly fine as I do it myself all the time…trying to look artsy, that is!!!

Then there’s the other kind of photography. This is the kind where you are after that illusive “OMG” photo, and you begin to prepare for it. For me that means pulling out my bag of solutions, and that’s serious stuff!!!! It also means always using a tripod.

It also means whenever possible going out a day or so ahead of time and checking out the locations I’m interested in shooting. Along with my trusty Sunpath program (not an app) and my hand bearing compass (see link), I’m off scouting.

I do this because I don’t like surprises and it gives me a mental list of potential photo ops to store in the back of my mind, so I don’t have to stress on it at sunrise or sunset when the light is so fleeting…it’s the times I prefer to shoot when it’s important to me.

In the above photo I had this epiphany one Friday to take a road trip and drive all the farm and county roads that connect all of Texas in one way or another. I gave myself an assignment and it would be called “Backroad Patriots”. I went into my TCB mode and with my best friend and dog Gertie we hit the road.

And so my fellow photographers,  the next time you’re planning on going out shooting make sure you decide on what you want to do. Do you want to just shoot what ever strikes your fancy, and maybe, just maybe you’ll see something that does just that…or do you want to go out and Take Care of Business?

And now ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.

JoeB

Centered with tension, energy, and interest.

First of all, let me define what the Rule of Thirds means for those that have been lucky enough to have never heard of it:

The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.

Ok, here’s my two-cents worth: TENSION, I don’t think so…ENERGY, no way…INTEREST…not for those that get bored easily. Better than centering the subject? Boy would I like to meet the person that wrote this, he needs to have his mind stretched, and I’m just the one to do it.

At least once during my four week online classes with the BPSOP, and also in my “Stretching Your Friend of Mind” workshops I have the same discussions with one or more of my fellow photographers. They almost always say the exact same thing…”I was told to always follow the Rule of Thirds”.

In my opinion, this is the silliest rule out there. The last thing I want to do is to be standing there somewhere, anywhere with just a couple of seconds left of incredible light, and worry about what intersection to put my subject in. I’m going to save that idea for those people that aspire to be a ‘good photographer’…why? Because good photographer’s follow the rules; those rules that take you down a one way path to mediocrity; purgatory for those that would rather color inside the lines.

Now, if you would rather be a ‘great photographer’, I strongly suggest you break every rule you can. Ansel Adams once said, “There are no rules for good pictures, there’s just good pictures”. To me, rules are a hindrance that gets in the way of creativity thinking. Rules, and especially the Rule of Thirds should be avoided at all costs. I suppose learning the rules might be important, but so is finshing all your vegetables.

Here’s a few examples of not following the Rule of Thirds:

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So the next time you out and about taking pictures, do yourself a big favor and decide for yourself what makes a photo have tension, energy, and interest.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime, and we’ll break some rules. In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.

JoeB

Ernst Haas is one of my all time favorite photographers, and I’m lucky enough to have one of his images on my wall. One of his quotes has stuck with me for a whole lot of years. He once said, “The best zoom lens is your feet”.

I have used that quote (always crediting him with saying it) for years, both in my online class with the BPSOP and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over this planet.

If I had a nickel for everytime I walked up to someone who was shooting multiple photos merely buy zooming in and out with the same subject in the viewfinder, I would be writing this post from a chaise lounge by some pool with a blue and frothy drink; an umbrella hanging over one side of the tall glass.

It makes me think of a post I wrote crediting another artist with his quote…Bob Marley. It doesn’t say the exact same thing, but the idea fits this post; he said, “Some people feel the rain while others just get wet.”

The reason why it applies to Ernst Haas’s quote is because when you just stand there zooming in and out, you’re just getting wet. In order to feel the rain you should use your feet and not your lens when shooting.

Use your feet to move aound your subject, whether it be to change the way the light affects it or to merely change your POV. If you want less information around your subject then move closer. Converesly, if you want to include more of the environment back away.

Of course this is all predicated on the assumption that you only brought one lens with you. If you’re like me, you have several options (lens) to choose from.

In the above photo taken during my Maine Media Workshop I first shot this pedestrian bridge by walking up to this position and shooting what you see now. If I han’t I might not have gotten everything sharp from fron to back; and the feeling of compression. So many people make the mistake of just zooming in on something like this without thinking of any possible side effects.

I love zoom lens, having three of them myself. When necessay they’re great to have aound. When I say ‘necessaryy’ I’m talking about times when using your feet are impossible. For example if there’s a fence in front of me which by the way I might just scale depending if the shot would possibly be worth it verses the amount of probable stiches; remember that begging for forgiveness could be a lot better than asking permission. What about a giant pool of quicksand, a den of rattlesnakes (I hate snakes), or  a starving school of Piranha??

That would do it for me!!

I think you get the point. For me, It would take things like the before mentioned problems for me not to walk to find another POV; besides, I need the extra steps!!!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 worksho schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.

Come join me for a week of fun and photography…what could be better?

JoeB

F/22 and manually focused a third of the way in.

As I hope a lot of you know, I’ve had a post come out every five or six days for seven years, and the ideas for these posts come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.

It can come from the following: A word or phrase I hear on the TV, a song title while listening to the radio, while reading a novel, a comment said to me from one of my students that take my online class with he BPSOP, or in one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conducts around our planet, or just recently a woman that signed up for my six-month mentoring program. It can basically come from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep; even in my dreams where I will wake up and immediately write it down; least I forget by morning..

This time it came from a woman that is currently taking my mentoring program, and it came about from a discussion on depth of field.

While skyping and sharing the screen, we were looking at the photos she had submitted for the critique. I saw a common thread while looking at all her images, and that was areas that were in focus and areas that should have been; or areas that should not have been.

When talking about it she admitted that she really had no idea what was going to be in focus until she looked at them while sitting at her computer; not in her best interest.

Why I asked??? Because she depended on her digital camera to always decide for her…WHAT???

Until we started to work on her shooting in the manual mode she always shot on some program…mostly aperture or shutter priority. Here’s the inherent problem with that: You won’t know what’s in focus before you click the shutter, and you really should.

I see it all the time when one of my students is totally bummed because she or he wanted something in focus but it didn’t turn out that way. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to correct after the fact.

I make my life simple…If I want everything in focus from the front to the back I stop down to F/22 and focus a third of the way into my composition. Of course you would want to manually focus to make sure. Remember that auto focus is a luxury, not a necessity.

Ok, so you say that in order to shoot in ideal light (very early or very late) you would have to increase your ISO, because in order to stop down that much you would be shooting at a slow shutter speed and couldn’t hand hold your camera.

I never worry about that because when I’m working under this kind of light I never change my ISO…WHY YOU ASK? Because I’m always on a tripod!!!!!!!

And so my fellow photographers, next time not only bracket your exposure, but bracket your DOF as well. It will give you a whole lot more choices, and the more choices we have the better our chances to come back with a wall hanger…focus on the focus!!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

True Visual Empathy

According to the German philosopher and psychologist Karl Albert Schener, our minds whether we’re awake or asleep will transform things symbolically.

Visual input is a part of everyday life, and when we go about the world we’re not just taking in what we see, we’re relying on the perception of the environment that surrounds us.

A part of ourselves is out there and as photographers, it’s our prime objective to present visual information in a way as to take control of what the viewer feels and sees when we present information in the form of a photograph.

When I talk about what the viewer feels when looking at our photos, I’m talking about visual empathy. A brief definition of empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. The question is how do we create visual empathy in a photograph?

I can remember on numerous occasions during one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” when I mentioned this concept to one of my fellow photographers. I’ve also talked about it at great lengths to my online classes with the BPSOP.

Here’s one of the easiest ways to create visual empathy:

Imagine two people walking side by side, either down a street, on a beach, hiking, etc. If they’re talking to one another (of course the viewer won’t know what they’re saying) the viewer won’t necessarily know if they like one another or not; even though he’ll realize that they know one another…but that’s about all. This is one measure of empathy. Btw, if you play golf you’ll know that they wouldn’t necessarily know one another.

A measure of Visual Empathy

Now, imagine those same two people walking side by side, and either they’re holding hands or one person has his hand around the other. This is the true definition of visual empathy and will make the viewer think; making him think is a good way to keep him around longer, and that’s precisely what I like to do.

There are other ways to create visual empathy: the use of color and light, and I’ll be talking about these in future posts.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and be sure to check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

I think I’ve written more posts where the light is the main theme than any other subject matter, and I’ve had a post come out every five days for nine years; that’s a lot of posts!

In my online classes with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, I’m constantly talking about the importance of light and the fact that it’s so fleeting you need to be ready for it when it comes and then when it goes…be ready if and when it comes back; sometimes in mere seconds.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen one of my fellow photographers start shooting without any regard as to what’s happening with the light. In my opinion, this is definitely not in their best interest, and the consequence comes in the form of a dull, gray, and flat photo; the exception is if that’s what was important in creating some kind of mood.

In conjunction with the Santa Fe Workshops I was conducting a workshop in Bayamo, Cuba. We were sitting around the bar in the pool area enjoying a Mojito; we were sitting there because it had been raining and we were just waiting for it to stop. While we were waiting I noticed the sun break out for a few seconds then go back behind the dark clouds. I immediately grabbed my camera and thought about a great post I could write (once again) about the light and how relevant it is in creating visually interesting images.

Having said that, I have submitted two photos that were taken in the space of about a minute. You won’t find these on my website, in a gallery, or in a museum but that was not the intent.

The intent is to demonstrate how powerful the addition of light can be in your composition, and the possibility of making just about anything in the way of subject matter look good.

I shot the pool first with really bad light as the man in the middle swam (btw, the pool is not as big as it looks since I had on a 17-40mm lens) away from me. He turned and began swimming towards me and I shot again when the sun broke out.

Pull the slider from left to right so you can see the diference. As you can see, if one picture really is worth a thousand words, then what’s two pictures worth?

So my fellow photographers, the next time you’re shooting and the light isn’t great, look around you to see if the conditions will be changing anytime soon. If you see that they might, stick around!!!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.

Come join me for a week of fun and photography…what could be better?

JoeB

ISO 25

I’m currently reading a book called Group F/64, and I can’t recommend it enough to all my fellow photographers out there. Some of the book talks about the relationship between Edward Weston living on the west coast in San Francisco and Alfred Steiglitz living in NY.

I had been familiar with Steiglitz and know that he was considered the man that everyone looked up to and so much wanted his respect…especially Edward Weston.

Steiglitz once said, ” Wherever there is light, one can photograph”.

You find the light, you find the shot.

If I had to say which subject I’ve written the most posts on it would have to be the Light. I’ve said to my online class with the BPSOP, and to the photographers that sign up for my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops countless times that Light is everything; the only possible exception is capturing a moment in time while street shooting.

Since I can remember, and that would be going on fifty years, if I can see it, I can take a picture of it….and that was in the film days; days when the ASA was twenty-five. Now with the digital age that has become even easier; it’s called jacking up your ISO…way up!! Of course the only problem is forgetting to jack it back down…way down…which everyone does at one time or another…except for me. Truth be told, I’m not sure where that little button is on my camera!!!

ISO 200

It takes such a small amount of light to create long lasting images, and you can also do it like I do which is with a tripod and an ISO of two hundred. Or if you left your tripod in the car, and you’re walking around looking for interesting subject matter, be sure to have a fast lens on and shoot wide open. I’ve even found places to rest my camera on for additional support.

FYI, your wife’s shoulder makes a great tripod!!!

So next time you go out, think of what Alfred Steiglitz said. You don’t need to look for areas in bright sun, bright rooms, or thinking you have to shoot midday…because you don’t. You find the light and you’ll find  the shot.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

This coming July 29th will be my 30th anniversary teaching at the Maine Media Workshop. I’ve always picked this time as it’s the week of the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland. This ofers a unique set of photo ops, different from the Maine Coast, fishing villages and lighthouses. The Lobster Festival is all about color, design, light, energy, people watchng and environmental portraits everywhere you look; some people are there in costumes and loved to be photographed.

In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.

Come join me for a week of fun and photography…what could be better?

JoeB

JoeB

Springtime in Berlin 2018

A few weeks ago I conducted my yearly ‘Springtime’ workshop and this time it was in Berlin. It was a great group, and many of them had taken several workshops with me before (some as many as nine, and also have taken my online classes with the BPSOP.

It’s become a tradition to showcase their images in one of my posts. I usually don’t have this many photos but this time there were so many great shots that after deleting and deleting and deleting, there were still a whole lot!!!

Having said this, you can just hold down the arrow and let them cruise by at a speed that will still give you an idea not only of the beautiful city but of the talent that I was lucky enough to have join me this time.

In fact, I couldn’t really pick one to have at the top of this post so I decided to show the group photo taken in front of our meeting room we used for several hours each morning for the daily reviews and critiques.

Enjoy and let me know what you think:

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Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. In conjunction with the Santa Fe Workshops I still have a couple of spots in my upcoming trip to San Miguel.

JoeB

I waited for her to walk into my frame.

For those that have ever shot at a clay pigeon, you know you have to lead it. In other words don’t shoot where they are, shoot where they’re going to be. If you shoot where they are, you’ll miss every time.

A similar analogy can be applied to photography…how you say?

First of all let me explain what Skeet shooting is all about. Simply, it’s a recreational and competitive activity where participants, using shotguns, attempt to break clay targets mechanically flung into the air; and since I love to shoot at these little fellows I can compare it to street shooting.

As I’ve demonstrated to my online class with the BPSOP, and in person with my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, the next time you’re out shooting action or anything that moves whether it be a person or object, try aiming your camera where your subject is going to be and not where it is when you start shooting.

Try giving he, she, or it a destination; someplace to wind up. As I’m writing this post I think of Henri Cartier-Bresson and how he would shoot his photos. Although he was a master at capturing the moment, he would also ocasionally arrange his composition keeping in mind geometric shapes; much like I tell my students after filling their ‘artist Palette’ with all the elements of visual design; shape and pattern to name a couple.

Cartier-Breson would design his composition and then wait for some action. For example a person walking into it and at a pre-chosen spot in the frame he would click the shutter.

Although this concept is always in the back of my mind, I also look for and follow the action, i.e., a person walking down the street or that person about to do something worth taking a picture of. Hopefully my peripheral vision will allow me to see the movement coming out of the corner of my eye and while I’m following it I’m also looking ahead to see where he’s going (or doing) and wait for the right moment to click the shutter; having your camera set on continuous is a good idea in this instance.

Then you can get really lucky, as in the top photo.

I was leading my workshop in Lisbon and as usual we were walking aound the “City of Seven Hills”. I came upon this graffiti covered streetcar and because of the color and all the people walking up the hill, I decided to wait.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw this woman coming up the street and I quickly aimed my camera and decided on this composition and where I wanted  her to be; one reason was to have control of the placement because of all the graffiti that would be distracting if it were coming out of her head!!!

Will as Eddie Adams once said, “When you get lucky, be ready”. She saw me and stopped to ask a question…unfortunately I don’t speak Portuguese. I shrugged my shoulders and she walked off. Where she went after the brief encounter was irrevelent since I had got it!!!

Leading the action.

In the bottom image, whike leading a group to photograph the flooded rice paddies in southern rural China, I saw the woman coming and as she was walking I was following her with my camera, but I was leading her by several feet and waited until she was in an area that clearly defined her and placed her close to the edge of the frame to create Visual Tension.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2018 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

This coming July 29th will be my 30th anniversary teaching at the Maine Media Workshop. I’ve always picked this time as it’s the week of the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland. This ofers a unique set of photo ops, different from the Maine Coast, fishing villages and lighthouses. The Lobster Festival is all about color, design, light, energy, people watchng and environmental portraits everywhere you look; some people are there in costumes and loved to be photographed.

In conjunction with The Santa Fe Workshops, on October 2nd I’ll be leading a group in San Miguel de Allende. A beautiful oasis and artist colony, and the entire city is a UNESCO site.

Come join me for a week of fun and photography…what could be better?

JoeB