Author: Joe

This author has written 657 articles

Quick Photo Tip: Get On Your Knees

Do you trust this man?
Do you trust this man?

I’ve been teaching online with the BPSOP and conducting my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops around the planet for many years, and one thing, among many, stands out. My fellow photographers will almost always bring the camera up to their eye, and whatever that height is to the ground is what POV the photo will take.

One reason is that it’s the easiest way to shoot. No muss, no fuss, no dirt on the knee or shirt to wipe off….therefore no problem. But there is one problem, and that is all your photos will take on the same look. If that’s your intent, then to each his own.

However, if you’re tired of all your photos looking the same, I suggest you approach your subject from a different point of view. Try looking at it from way down low, then way up high. Walk around and take a look from the side, then the back, then the other side. Of course the direction of the light is extremely important, and for me, dictates where I’m going to position myself.

If you’re able, try to combine both the light and a different POV. They can have a profound effect on the outcome of your end result, and can most definitely keep the viewer interested when you do.

The above photo was taken as part of an advertising campaign for CenterPoint energy; Houston’s main electric service provider. The client told the advertising agency who in turn relayed to me that they wanted to show how reliable their repair service was, and that their men were always there when you needed them most. You could be comfortable knowing that you were in good hands with the men at Center Point.

How do you represent that in a single photo? By your POV. To get their message across as quickly as possible, I wanted to show not only the man, but all the components as well, i.e., the power lines and poles, the truck, strength, and the man. To add the comfort level, I got down on my knees, and with a 20mm lens was able to capture all the ingredients…I made him larger than life.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2106 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

I have added a new workshop to my 2016 schedule. On September 21st, ten photographers will get together with me at my evening “meet and greet” to begin a fantastic five-day workshop in New York, New York. Check out my description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me.

Don’t forget to send me a photo and question to: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

2016 Maine Media Workshop

Pemaquid Point lighthouse with Peter.
Pemaquid Point lighthouse with Peter.

I recently returned from my 28th year at the Maine Media Workshop. The campus is located in Rockport, Maine, and it’s one of my favorite things to do every August. I’ve picked this week every year because it’s the same week as the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland.

This year was no different and with a good group of photographers we spent a great week together shooting and discussing their images.

My workshop is called “Stretching Your Frame of Mind”, and I teach people how to incorporate the elements of visual design into their photography. I also show students that take my online class with the BPSOP how to make these same elements work for them as well.

As I’ve done in the past when I get back home, I put together a post that’s made up of entirely their photos taken over the course of the week. These photos were taken at locations I’ve been going to for many years, as in the photos taken at Pemaquid Point lighthouse…along with a photograph that calls for a production; as in the photo the class did together of Ghost face…a character in the Scream series.

Enjoy the show:

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2017 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime…come to Maine in 2017

Send me a photo and question to: AskJoeB@gmail.com and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

Food For Digital Thought: The Histogram

Did i really want to be looking at a Histogram?

A conversation that often comes up is when one of my students taking my BPSOP class tells me that according to their Histogram, the exposure was the correct one. During one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops, I’ve walked up to one of my fellow photographers, when there was a few seconds of great light still left, and saw him/her standing there looking at that worthless chart on the back of their camera…the Histogram!!!

EGADS!!! YIKES!!! WHAT???

So let me get this straight. You’re telling me that you need ( or should be doing) to look at something the Digital Gods (those would be the geeks) created with the sole purpose of letting you miss what could have been the best photo you’ve ever taken? REALLY???

When I do encounter that problem during one of my workshops, I always tell people to get that off their camera…why? Because you don’t need it to create good photos. It’s going to do more harm than good, and that’s the reality of it all. The absolute last thing I want to be doing is to have a camera ( a machine) telling me if a photo is ready to be taken. I want and can decide that all by lonesome…thank you very much!

Ok, so it’s not all their fault. The majority of my students didn’t begin their passion for photography until after the advent of the digital world. They only know what they’re led to believe, and they’re led to believe that in order to take good photos you have to pay attention to Histograms, and those ridiculous blinking areas on the back of your camera telling you that you’ve clipped the highlights.

All I can say is don’t stand there and miss the shot, be a student of light and know to take matters into your own hands…How? By bracketing. By bracketing you’ll be able to get the exposure in the camera without needing to look at a Histogram. By putting your brackets next to each other on your monitor you’ll start to realize when you’ll need to underexpose more and overexpose more. Try setting your camera to bracket automatically then you can study the different exposures and have a clearer idea about shutter speed/aperture combinations.

The above photo was taken without the help of a Histogram. If I had been looking at the back of my camera waiting for it to tell me that it was ok to shoot, I would have missed the shot.

🙁

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2016 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. come shoot with me sometime.

I have added a new workshop to my 2016 schedule. On September 21st, ten photographers will get together with me at my evening “meet and greet” to begin a fantastic five-day workshop in New York, New York. Check out my description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me.

JoeB

My Favorite Quote: Dr. John

At the right place at the right time.
At the right place at the right time.

I just love working on this category, and when I hear, see, or read something that directly relates to information I’ve been sharing  with my fellow photographers that take my online class with the BPSOP or my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around our planet, it really makes me smile!!

One of my all time favorite singers is Dr. John, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend from New Orleans. One of my all time favorite songs he wrote is “Right Place Wrong Time”, and of all the quotes I’ve been sharing with all of you this one probably means the most to me.

It hits home because of the one and only time (a million years ago) I showed up at a location at sunrise all ready to shoot, only to discover that the location only received light at sunset. It wouldn’t have been quite so bad had I shown up alone with my assistants but noooooooooooo…the Art Director, agency account executive, and last but certainly nor least was the client!!!!

We were at the right place at the wrong time!!! What did I do you ask? With my tail between my legs we all got back in our cars went back to the hotel and waited until sunset. It was a bummer extraordinaire.

🙁

From that moment on I made a promise to myself that it would never happen to me again, and to this day ( a million years later) it hasn’t.

Right place, right time
Right place, right time

There’s two different way I approach photography: The first is if I’m just walking around a city in the US or some village in Europe or Asia either by myself or with a group from one of my workshops. If I was able to scout the locations ahead of time to see when it received the best light for the longest time all the better; if not I just showed up and just made do with the light we had.

A lot of the time we were there mid morning to mid afternoon when the sun was at it’s zenith, and for the most part it was fine as most of these old medieval towns or Asian villages had narrow streets with tall buildings surrounding them. The best advice I had at that point was to look for areas in shadow and use the contrast between light and dark to their advantage.

The second approach is the more serious approach and that is to scout all my locations ahead of time to determine exactly where the sun will come up and go down to the degree; as well as knowing where it will be all day.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been using a program called Sunpath, and a hand bearing compass called a Morin2000. It’s a far better combination that one of those apps you put on your phone…far more accurate and it’s great when shooting indoors with window light.

I don’t want to be at a location at sunrise when I should have been there at sunset. Depending on the subject matter, the idea, and the location, I might want to backlight, but on the other hand side light might be the best way to achieve what I want. If I’m really lucky, I might be able to do both.

Scouting ahead of time will also enable me to develop a shot list. Let’s say for example I’m at a large marina that’s nestled into the side of a small group of hills. My first shots would be as close to those hills as possible, then as the sun began to drop behind those same hills I would want to get as far away from the hills as I could which would by me some more time before losing the light altogether.

Always at the right place ,at the right time.
Always at the right place ,at the right time.

Let’s also say that the mega-yacht I’m suppose to shoot is moored close to the end of the marina and even closer to the hills. If the sun is coming up right behind the hills, early morning light won’t be hitting the vessel until mid morning. I don’t want to be there at sunrise, I need to be there at sunset so that late afternoon light (golden hour) will be hitting the yacht.

So, my fellow photographers the best advice I could give you is to make sure you don’t show up all excited and ready to shoot great photos only to discover that your morning has been a waste of time…be prepared!

For those of you that would like to see where my epiphany, my sudden insight into this post came from, click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6RtVmc5dSE

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

I have added a new workshop to my 2016 schedule. On September 21st, ten photographers will get together with me at my evening “meet and greet” to begin a fantastic five-day workshop in New York, New York. Check out my description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me.

Keep sending in your photos and questions to: AskJoeB@gmail.com and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

AskJoeB: A photo from a recent class.

From a recent class.
From a recent class.

Harry submitted this image for me to take a look at. I always like to show what the photographer says to me. Although it’s not in question form, here’s what he had to say:

“I took your part I and II online classes with the BPSOP over the summer and don’t think my submitted images were particularly good, but the material presented in class has stuck with me. I just finished a nature and wildlife photography class at the local college and I referred to your class material repeatedly, and I always have my artists palette with me! Here’s one of the photo’s from my recent class. Other students may not have seen this as “nature and wildlife” but I couldn’t resist the Line, Shape, Pattern and Texture, with a payoff at the end, a fisherman! I can’t thank you enough for your wit, wisdom and patience as a teacher.”

First of all thanks Harry for the kind words. Not only do I create the artist palette for people in my online classes, but also in my “Stretching your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet.

I really liked your photo and I’m pretty sure the viewer will also enjoy looking at all the elements of visual design that are so much a part of it.

Take a look:

http://screencast.com/t/tLVZTjxXFo

Thanks for the submission and I’d love to see more of your work.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my upcoming workshop description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. I have recently written the description for my next “springtime” workshop to be next May 17th, 2017. We will be spending three days in Vienna, and three days in Budapest. I hope you can join me for a wonderful week in two of Europe’s most beautiful cities…during festival time.

Keep sending in photos and questions to:AskJoeB@gmail.com and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

AskJoeB: Your Opinion

What's my opinion?
What’s my opinion?

Valeriano sent me these two photos to comment on. I usually like to  copy the question the photographers that submit photos write and some explanation of why they took it, but this time  he choose not to say anything and only wanted my opinion of the photographs.

Well, in that case let’s just get to the video critique of both images:

http://screencast.com/t/MhAKz5ODp

Here’s Valeriano’s second image and video:

 

My opinion.
My opinion.

http://screencast.com/t/di0FFxjVEHK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I tell people that take my online class with the BPSOP, and also in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, before you raise your camera up to your eye determine where the sun is in relation to your subject. If your subject is anything translucent, try to backlight it as it will appear to be glowing…as it does in Valeriano’s two images.

Really nice photos!!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my upcoming workshop description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. I have recently written the description for my next “springtime” workshop to be next May 17th, 2017. We will be spending three days in Vienna, and three days in Budapest. I hope you can join me for a wonderful week in two of Europe’s most beautiful cities…during festival time.

Keep sending in photos and questions to:AskJoeB@gmail.com and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

Food for Digital Thought: Form

Light from 9:00 O’clock

My background is not in Photography, rather in Art. Up until I was twenty-0ne I had either a colored pencil, brush, or a piece of charcoal in my hand.

I studied just about everything there was to study as far as courses in art were concerned. Throughout my years of study, I was always interested in the elements of visual design, and how they made a drawing or painting stronger.

When I changed the medium to a camera, those elements came with me, and now as I help students in my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet become stronger photographers, these same elements play a key role in developing their eye.

One of the elements of visual design that I talk about is Form. To many of my fellow photographers, Form can be taxing and difficult for photographers to capture, although if you pay attention to where the source of the light is, it’s really quit simple.

Form simply refers to the three dimensional qualities of an object. Since the camera has just one eye, it can only see in two dimensions…height and width. Where the light is coming from is critical in creating the third dimension, depth.

Light from 3:00 o'clock
Light from 3:00 o’clock

To best create the illusion of depth, the light should be coming in from the side. On my imaginary clock, for straight sidelight the light needs to coming from either 9:00 o’clock or 3:00 o’clock.

Value refers to the lightness and darkness of an object, and it defines Form. I talk mostly about the sidelight on a subject or even a landscape, but what you also have to consider in sidelight is the shadows that will be created. The soft to strong contrast within a composition will also define the limits where the  highlights and shadows edges are placed.

It’s the shadows that give the illusion of depth, and as I always tell my students, shadows are your best friend.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2016 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. The end of July marks my twenty-eight year at the Maine Media workshops. It’s a wonderful way to immerse yourself for a week and think about nothing but photography. It’s the same week as the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland, and offers a completely different set of photo ops than the beautiful Maine coastline, amazing lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages. The full description is at the top of this blog.

The Los Angeles Center for photography has invited me to come out and conduct a three day intensive workshop over the July 15th weekend. I’ll be making a presentation of my work on Thursday July 14th and the public is invited. The full description can be see at the top of this blog, with a link to the site. I hope to spend the weekend with all of you.

I have added a new workshop to my 2016 schedule. On September 21st, ten photographers will get together with me at my evening “meet and greet” to begin a fantastic five-day workshop in New York, New York. Check out my description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me.

Send me a photo and question to: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create a video critique for you.

 

The Use of Gestalt in Photography: Similarity

A sense of rhythm and harmony.
A sense of rhythm and harmony.

The psychology of Gestalt has been around since the 1920’s and was founded by a group of German psychologists. I started reading about it several years ago and began applying these six different concepts to the way I was approaching the way I took photos.

It’s all about managing what the viewer perceives and processes when looking at the visual information we lay out to him in the form of a photograph. Visual input is a part of our everyday lives, and it’s our objective to present this information in a way that will keep the viewer around longer…looking at our photos. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I like it when people look at my images for a long time.

Besides the part I and II classes I teach online with the BPSOP, relating to the elements of visual design, I now teach my fellow photographers how to incorporate these six concepts in a class strictly on gestalt. These are also areas I talk about in my “Stretching Your Frame of mind” workshops I conduct around our planet.

One of these concepts is called Similarity.

Similarity is perhaps the easiest of all the concepts to recognize and therefore explaining it without going into too much detail.

Similarity occurs when forms, colors, sizes, and objects look enough alike to be perceived as a group or pattern in the viewer’s mind. All these different elements, when occurring in your photos, give a sense of rhythm and will connote harmony.

The viewer loves to see photos that are designed with a variety of colors, shapes, and forms, and when the viewer sees these similar characteristics, he’ll perceive the elements as being related due to the shared characteristics.

Here’s a few examples of what I mean:

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2016 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. The end of July marks my twenty-eight year at the Maine Media workshops. It’s a wonderful way to immerse yourself for a week and think about nothing but photography. It’s the same week as the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland, and offers a completely different set of photo ops than the beautiful Maine coastline, amazing lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages. The full description is at the top of this blog.

I have added a new workshop to my 2016 schedule. On September 21st, ten photographers will get together with me at my evening “meet and greet” to begin a fantastic five-day workshop in New York, New York. Check out my description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me.

The Los Angeles Center for photography has invited me to come out and conduct a three day intensive workshop over the July 15th weekend. I’ll be making a presentation of my work on Thursday July 14th and the public is invited. The full description can be see at the top of this blog, with a link to the site. I hope to spend the weekend with all of you.

Keep sending in photos and questions to: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create  video critique for you.

JoeB

AskJoeB: Joe, what do you think about this photo?

What do you think?
What do you think?

Karen submitted this photo of three seagulls. She asked me what I thought about the photo, and I like to share what each of my fellow photographers had to say. In this case, all Karen said was ” Joe, what do you think about this photo”.

The first thing I immediately felt was how closed in the photo seemed…Why you ask? Because of the square format.

As I’m always reminding my students that take my online class with the BPSOP, and in my own “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around our planet, we don’t perceive in a square, we perceive in a rectangle; which is why I always use a 3:2 aspect ratio. In my opinion it’s very difficult to achieve visual tension in a square, especially in a landscape.

I’m not saying you can never achieve tension, because it depends on the subject matter. Diane Arbus comes to mind as someone that could generate tension in a square, and if you know her photos, you’ll know why I’m saying it. Sh also committed suicide.

Take a look at my video: http://www.screencast.com/t/c900iYDpgchJ

As I said Karen, cropping is not necessarily a cure-all for creating strong photos. There’s so much more involved as far as deciding on what’s important in your composition. I would suggest you try getting it in the camera and not cropping it later in front of a computer. It’s just one opinion, but if you strive to being a better shooter, then design your shot before you click the shutter.

Here’s what it would look like if it was in a 3:2 aspect ratio. Which one do you like?

A rectangle
A rectangle

Thanks for the submission, and I hope my critiqued helped.

I want to announe my new upcoming three day intensive workshop at the Los Angeles Center for Photography this coming July 15th with my presentation on the evening of the 14th. I hope to see some new fces out there and say hello to some old ones: https://lacphoto.org/events/stretching-your-frame-of-mind-with-joe-baraban/

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. July 31st starts my Maine Media Workshop. It will be my 28th year, and it’s a great way to immerse yourself in taking pictures for a week. Come shoot with me.

Keep sending in photos and questions to: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

Cuba/March/2016

Taken during "Dawn Patrol"
Taken during “Dawn Patrol”

While the experience and images of Cuba are still so fresh in my mind, I wanted to share this wonderful country with you in a visual presentation.

For the third time, the Santa Fe Workshops asked me to lead a group to Cuba, and for the third time I was as exited as I was the first time I was asked. Together with their point man Kip Brundage, a top photographer in his own right, one couldn’t ask for a more professional experience.

These photos were all taken by my fellow photographers that had signed up for me to shoot with them through the streets of Havana, as well as smaller towns that were withing an hour’s ride from our hotel.

Many of them had taken my online class with the BPSOP, or had been with me in one of my own “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops. For three, it had been their second time in Cuba with me.

To be sure, things in Cuba are rapidly changing and just within a couple of years, the differences for me were very apparent.  From the new Paladares  (privately owned restaurants) offering cuisine for even the discerning foodie, to the increase in tourism shown by the endless line of huge tour buses.

For the first time I saw cranes rising above the narrow streets, jutting into the blue skies over Havana, and of course the beginning of traffic jams. I walked by huge cruise ships that were either docked in the harbor or on the horizon waiting to come in.

What hasn’t changed is the people. They are still warm and friendly and anxious to invite you into their small humble homes for coffee and conversation. For the most part, they are willing to be photographed and only once in a while ask for something in return.

I had many people refuse money (a CUC…about a dollar) but would smile when you offered them, a pack of gum or a candy bar. There’s nothing like the feeling you get when you see the joy of a child you just gave a small toy to.

I can tell you that they absolutely love people from the United States, and eager to talk and spend time with you. Havana is still well worth the visit, but if I were you I would go sooner rather than later.

Btw, I happened to be there at the same time as President Obama, and watched his motorcade drive by hundreds of cheering Cubans. It was very cool and definitely part of history.

Enjoy the show:

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2016 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. The end of July marks my twenty-eight year at the Maine Media Workshops. It’s a wonderful way to immerse yourself for a week and think about nothing but photography.

It’s the same week as the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland, and offers a completely different set of photo ops than the beautiful Maine coastline, amazing lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages. The full description is at the top of this blog.

I have added a new workshop to my 2016 schedule. On September 21st, ten photographers will get together with me at my evening “meet and greet” to begin a fantastic five-day workshop in New York, New York. Check out my description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me.

Don’t forget to send me a photo and question to: AskJoeB@gmail.com and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

AskJoeB: What do you think about this picture?

What do I think?
What do I think?

Ana Maria is a past student living in Madrid, Spain that has taken all three of my classes with the BPSOP. Hopefully her next class will be at one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around our planet.

I have looked at a lot of her images over the course of the three months of online classes, and I’ve seen so much improvement in the way she now sees, her new approach to her passion, and her ability to “make” instead of take photos.

The above photo is an example of the photos that she’s now taking, and it’s a really good shot that not only draws the viewer into the frame, but moves him around as well.

As usual, I show people what the photographer had to say, but in this submission all she said was:

“Hello Joe,

I’d would like to know what you think about this picture”.

Ana Maria

Take a look Ana Maria:

http://www.screencast.com/t/fnNVaEhh42

It’s a strong photo and it’s all about making pictures. Thanks for submitting it.

Here’s the difference in the exposure the camera told you to take, and the exposure I’m suggesting. If you prefer the exposure from the meter in your camera, then you should continue to listen to it. If you prefer my exposure, I suggest you stop listening to the meter in your camera, take matters into your own hands and learn about the light.

My suggested exposure.
My suggested exposure.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2016 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. come shoot with me sometime. The end of July marks my twenty-eight year at the Maine Media workshops. It’s a wonderful way to immerse yourself for a week and think about nothing but photography. It’s the same week as the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland, and offers a completely different set of photo ops than the beautiful Maine coastline, amazing lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages. The full description is at the top of this blog.

I have added a new workshop to my 2016 schedule. On September 21st, ten photographers will get together with me at my evening “meet and greet” to begin a fantastic five-day workshop in New York, New York. Check out my description at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me.

Keep those photos and question coming into: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

AskJoeB: Rays of light

Is the flare distracting?
Is the flare distracting?

Ana Marie has taken my online classes with the BPSOP, where my fellow photographers learn how to incorporate the elements of visual design into their imagery. We also discuss these elements in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around our planet.

She recently send me this photo after reading a post in My Favorite Quotes category; one that was once said by Hank Williams. As I like to do, I forward what she had to say since so many has had a similar question at one time or another.

“Dear Joe:

I took a class with you at the PBSOP a couple of years ago.

After reading your post “My Favorite Quotes: Hank Williams” I was interested in having a critique of this picture I took last week at the roman theater of Mérida (Spain).< As I read in your post, I was trying to chase the light taking pictures of my daughter. I wanted to know your critique since I am not sure if the rays of light causing that chromatic aberration are very distracting or is the opposite and they make the picture more interesting.

Thank you in advance, Ana Marie”

Ana, take a look at this video which should answer your question:

http://www.screencast.com/t/2CZwwe9b0

Thanks for your submission, and I hope to work with you on one of my “Springtime” workshops in your fabulous city of Madrid.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. The end of July marks my twenty-eight year at the Maine Media workshops. It’s a wonderful way to immerse yourself for a week and think about nothing but photography. It’s the same week as the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland, and offers a completely different set of photo ops than the beautiful Maine coastline, amazing lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages. The full description is at the top of this blog.

Keep sending me your photos and questions to: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB

AskJoeB: A pattern

A Pattern
A Pattern

Lonnie sent me this image to critique and as I always like to do, I let you read what he had to say to me:

“Joe,

Here is a “pattern,” if you will, that I found appealing…actually shooting upwards while lying on my back under a dome in a park.  Please critique.  Thanks!

Cheers,

Lonnie”

I teach online classes with the BPSOP, and I conduct my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops all around our planet. In both my online part I and II classes, I show my fellow photographers how to incorporate the basic elements of visual design into their photography. One of the basic elements is Pattern, and for those that haven’t had a chance to read my post on it, click on the link .

Lonnie,

Take a look: http://www.screencast.com/t/30RqCeb9

I hope my critique and link has helped, and thanks for sending it in to me. I know that there are so many others out there that like to photograph with an abstract point of view, so making them stand the test of time is not often easy.

Visit my website at: joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. This March in conjunction with the Santa Fe Workshops I’ll be leading a group to Cuba.

The end of July marks my twenty-eight year at the Maine Media workshops. It’s a wonderful way to immerse yourself for a week and think about nothing but photography. It’s the same week as the Lobster Festival down the road in Rockland, and offers a completely different set of photo ops than the beautiful Maine coastline, amazing lighthouses, and quaint fishing villages. The full description is at the top of this blog.

JoeB

Food For digital Thought: More on Proximity.

This is a follow-up to my first post on one of the concepts of Gestalt I teach  in one of my three online classes with the BPSOP, as well as in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet This concept is called Proximity and if used in your thought process, it will help you make stronger more memorable photos.

Besides what I talked about in my first post, another way Proximity can make your images stronger is by grouping your subjects together so that a relationship or common bond is created. Research suggests that the viewer prefers to see similar objects grouped together, and by placing objects close together you will be offering the viewer an explanation of the message you’re trying to get across.

One example is when you purposely arrange the elements of your composition so that they relate to one another and becomes a visual unit.

We all love repeating forms, shapes and colors, and if you can include these in your grouping, it will create a pleasing rhythm and a sense of unity that will keep the viewer around longer. Another good example is watching a flock of Geese fly overhead. I, for one, find it visually interesting and will usually watch them until they become dots on the distant horizon.

 A well known set of diagrams will show you how it can work in your favor. In diagram (1), you see the nine elements scattered around and although they all look alike there’s not a visual bond between them and they are perceived as nine similar squares. In diagram (2) by placing the nine elements together, they form one big square and are perceived as one unit.

Diagram (2)
Diagram (2)

In the above photo, my goal was to have the viewer perceive this group portrait of all the clowns of Ringling Brothers & Barnum& Baily Circus as one unit. I also shot them with a 35mm Widelux panoramic camera so I could get close while getting them all in.

Here’s some more examples:

So, the next time your out and about, consider this concept in your composition. I think you’ll find it a big help in taking your photos what I always call “up a level”.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2016 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. come shoot with me sometime. In conjunction with the Santa Fe Workshops, I’ll be leading a group to Cuba for the third time next March. Come join me in what I’ll guarantee you to be an amazing experience, and you’ll return home with memorable photos from a wonderful country.

Don’t forget to send me a photo and question to: AskJoeB@gmail.com, and I’ll create a video critique for you.

JoeB