In my four week online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, work on incorporating the Elements of Visual Design into their imagery.

We also work on several other elements that help to create stronger compositions, and one of the is perspective. In this concept, we are usually referring to the spatial relationships between objects in a photo. However, in one of my one week lessons in the four week class are ways to create depth.

 One of the ways is to anchor the subject in the foreground thus giving the illusion of space and distance. Since the camera has one eye, it can only see in two dimensions…height and width. We can trick the camera and suggest the third dimension, depth.

Another way to create the feeling of depth is the manipulation of line. By arranging lines in your composition in such a way, you can move the viewer around the frame. The best way to create the feeling of space and distance is to move the viewer from the bottom of the frame to the top. Since we were brought up to read from left to right, having him start out from the bottom left and move him across the frame to somewhere in the top right keeps him in his comfort zone. That said, sometimes it’s a good idea to take him out of his comfort zone and move him from right to left….creating more visual tension.

A Vanishing Point is one of the best ways to manipulate line and lead the viewer around the frame. These are lines that are parallel to the lens axis, begin behind the camera, and converge at a point somewhere in the composition. To create a classic Vanishing Point. these parallel lines would converge at infinity or at a point on the horizon.

Here’s some examples of creating depth by the manipulation of Line:

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. I just announced my New York, New York Workshop beginning September 17th, 2019 and ending at noon on the 23rd. This will be my second workshop there and this time we’ll be shooting in all the five boroughs.

JoeB

One of the more common conversations I have with either the people that sign up for my online classes with the BPSOP, or the ones that take one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind”  workshops I conduct around the planet, is the art of editing; and take my word for it, it is an art.

These photographers when submitting an image for me to critique, will invariably choose the wrong one…that is if they shot more than one variation…which they should have!!!

It all goes back to keeping the viewer around as long as possible, and that is all about two important factors: The psychology of Gestalt, and my ‘Artist Palette’ that has all the elements of visual design and composition on it.

I recently was asked to help edit three-hundred and eighty images down to sixty for his second book. When we were discussing an image, his reasons for keeping it in were sometimes to subjective. In other words it was a location that held certain emotions and memories to him.

Well, that’s all well and good, but the viewer won’t have those feelings. To him it’s an objective visual reaction, and the photo will have to stand on its own merit…unless he always around to explain his thought process or adds some text under the photo. Here’s a great post that will help. One of the lines in it goes like this:

“REMEMBER THAT BELOVED SUNSET OR SUNRISE YOU HAVE–SO EXCELLENTLY CAPTURED, SO EXPERTLY PRINTED AND FRAMED–MAY BE JUST ANOTHER SUNSET TO SOMEONE ELSE”.

Trust me I know how difficult it is to delete one of your very favorite ‘children’…after all, isn’t that what they are?

When I edit, almost all the time I have several different photos of the same subject. I will usually put them up on my monitor and comapre them side by side. I’m looking for various things: Things that should have been in the composition, but weren’t. Things that were in my composition, but shouldn’t have been; I always use my fifteen point protection plan before clicking the shutter, but I will sometimes miss something. Did I remember my border patrol? Checking my four corners?

When looking at each image, was I successful in keeping the viewer interested for six to eight seconds? Did I move him successfully around the frame? Was my photo balanced as far as the negative and positive space?

The two photos you see were part of several I shot of the woman during my workshop in Cuba. I narrowed it down to these and finally decided on the one at the top. I’d love to have your comments.

So my fellow photographers as you can see there’s a lot of variables when trying to pick the right photo. Whether it be to print, a webside, or whatever suits your fancy, editing is not for the faint of heart!!!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. I just announced my New York, New York Workshop beginning September 17th ,2019 and ending at noon on the 23rd. This will be my second workshop there and this time we’ll be shooting in all the five boroughs.

JoeB

NEW YORK: THE FIVE BOROUGHS

Several years ago, I conducted a very successful workshop in New York, which was focused on one borough…Manhattan.

Since then, I’ve talked to several of the people that were in that workshop, as well as others that wanted to attend but for one reason or another couldn’t make the time to join me.

I’ve had enough interest to do another one, but this time I’ve decided to shoot in all five boroughs: Brooklyn, which has the greatest number of occupants, followed by Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and Staten Island.

The dates of the workshop will be the Meet and Greet the evening of the 17^th. of September. A five full day workshop ending at noon on the 23^rd.

In my fifty-year career as an advertising/corporate/and editorial photographer I’ve shot many assignments in Manhattan, but in all those years I never photographed in any of the other boroughs. Having said that, I, for one, am really looking forward to spending time seeing and photographing the other four.

The following are some of the locations we’ll be concentrating on, starting again with MANHATTAN:

Last time we went on a special ninety-minute hard hat tour of Ellis Island, and it was in a word…AWESOME!

This time we’ll be returning, but the tour will be different. Unlike the last tour, this tour will be approx. 2 1/2 hours, and we’ll be taken to places that were not included in the last tour.

In addition, this time we will be allowed to bring tripods which will give us so much more latitude in extremely low light areas.

Lastly, while we’ll be accompanied by a SEI guide, the events are structured without interpretation, so the entire time can be devoted to photography. For those non-shooters, the guide will be available to answer questions and talk about the history of the hospital.

ROOSEVELT ISLAND: Roosevelt Island is considered pat of Manhattan, and there are several locations that I will be scouting ahead of time to give photographers the best possible locations during the best possible times of the day: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=roosevelt+island&t=h_&ia=images&iax=images

During the first workshop, we spent a morning on the Brooklyn Bridge, and people really enjoyed the shoot. Depending on other venues and logistics, this would possibly be a “command performance” for incredible views of the Manhattan skyline and the East River.

BROOKLYN:

Bushwick Street Art and industrial buildings: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bushwick+street+art&t=h_&ia=images&iax=images&iai=http%3A%2F%2Fstephenesherman.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F09%2Fbushwick-street-art-donrimx.jpg

DUMBO PARK/WAREHOUSE DISTRICT:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=washington+street+in+dumbo&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

CONEY ISLAND: I can’t think of a better location to wind up a day of shooting. To be there in the late afternoon to people watch, photograph color, and the rest of the elements of visual design; as well as the gesture of light is something I have not done before and I’m so looking forward to it (not to mention having a Coney island hot dog):

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=CONEY+ISLAND&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

QUEENS:

FLUSHING MEADOWS STATE PARK: In 1939, this was the location of the World’s Fair, and people from all over the world came here to experience the Unisphere, Pavilions, food, and entertainment.

The park currently serves the people as a recreational center. The park has become, “a symbol of unity among every race that attends it”.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=flushing+meadows+state+park&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

GANTRY PLAZA STATE PARK: From the images I’ve provided, this looks like a marvelous place to be in the late afternoon into the Blue Hour to end the day;

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=gantry+plaza+state+park&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

THE BRONX:

One couldn’t consider visiting this borough without spending some time at probably the most famous zoo in the country…THE BRONX ZOO:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bronx+zoo&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

I would suggest your longest lens (maybe even a doubler) to photograph the animals so they will appear in a natural environment. I have done this at the Houston Zoo and it works great!!!

LITTLE ITALY AND ARTHUR AVENUE: A wonderful location to just walk doing some street shooting and stopping for a late lunch:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=little+italy+and+arthur+avenue&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

CITY ISLAND: Another great place to end the day:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=city+island&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

STATEN ISLAND:

SNUG HARBOR: This is a collection of 19^th century buildings set in an eighty-three-acre park; home to aged sailors. Considered the “Crown Jewel” of Staten Island, it’s an unrivaled reminder of 19^th century sailing: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=snug+harbor&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

RICHMOND TOWN: The town of Richmond has been here since the 17^th century and is an extraordinary living history village and museum complex.

It will be taking us back in time while offering a great photographic escape from the other locations we’ll be visiting throughout the boroughs of New York:

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=richmond+town+staten+island&t=h_&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

As has been the case in all my other workshops, a daily schedule has always been put forward in the initial description I send out.  For this workshop logistics are very different, if for no other reason than its New York; need I say more??

Having said that, the final daily schedule will be based on me personally scouting each one of these sites several days in advance. The daily schedule will be handed out the evening of the meet and greet. The one thing that will remain the same will be the daily morning critiques that are conducted right after breakfast.

The locations in each one of the boroughs will be the ones listed above, but the specific days and times won’t be assigned until I’ve scouted all the sites. It is all-important that in each location we have enough time to spend while making sure that people are not tripping over one another; as well as a smooth transition from one location to another…so we’re not, as they say, “burning daylight”!!

For those that have taken anywhere from three to ten workshops with me, you know your experience is my number one priority.

Like all the others to date, this will be no exception. It will be one you’ll always remember; especially for those that have never shot with me or have never been to this incredible city.

Because of the distances we’ll be traveling to the other boroughs, I’ll have a private van/bus to move us around and make us more comfortable. This way you’ll be able to bring all the equipment you want.

The cost of the workshop will be $1750.00 and that will include the meet and greet, van/bus transportation, and my famous final dinner.

This special Ellis Island tour is $200.00 per person plus the ferry and is included. If you decide not to take the tour, the price remains the same…no refunds.

For all non-shooters, the fee will be $750.00 which will include everything but the daily reviews; which are for the shooting photographers. All other expenses will be up to the photographers and or non-shooters.

A non-shooter would be a spouse (many of them come), partner, friend, mother-in law, or relative.

As in previous workshops, I’m now in the process of talking to several hotels to stay at for the workshop, including having the meeting room there. We will try to get a workshop rate as we have done in the past.

Past participants know, it will be a reasonably priced four-star hotel (for the area) located in the Seaport area of New York. For those that prefer to stay someplace else, you’re more than welcomed to do so.

Once we decide on a hotel, I’ll let everyone know so you can book your reservations yourself. It’s a lot easier to do it this way, as people are looking for different size and priced rooms and it will eliminate mistakes by the “middle man” …that would be me!!

My workshops are limited to ten photographers, not counting the non-shooters. I can tell you several people have already asked me to hold a spot, so if New York has been on your bucket list, I suggest you give it serious thought to signing up sooner rather than later.

I hope to see some old friends there, meet new ones, take great photographs, share an occasionally martini, dine on great food, come back with wonderful images, and have a wonderful time in the process.

As ‘old blue eyes’ would say:

“Start spreading the news,

I am leaving today.

I want to be a part of it

New York, New York”

Joe

Here’s just a few testimonials from past workshop attendees:

I just finished taking Joe’s workshop. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.  I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Joe for his approach to teaching and his willingness to share his tremendous wealth of knowledge. Learning about critical elements of design and the discovery of the artist’s palette has changed the way I make pictures, and the way I look at the world. This has been a truly outstanding experience with an outstanding teacher. Thank you, Joe!

Alain

I recently completed my third workshop with Joe Baraban, and all I can say is that I will be coming back for more. All aspects of the workshop were fantastic. Joe’s approach to teaching, the shooting locations, the daily reviews, the accommodations, the planning and organization, and the communications were all at the highest level.

From the “meet and greet” reception the first night, to the final dinner, Joe paid strict attention to every detail to make sure we were well taken care of…all the time. Joe’s selection of locations are always diverse and challenging and present many, many opportunities for great shots and learning.

The daily reviews are a wonderful educational experience as you discuss your own work as well as the work of the other photographers. Joe teaches how to “make pictures”, not just take them. The quality and creativity in my images continue to ratchet up a notch with every workshop as I continue to learn from Joe.

I highly recommend Joe’s workshops and online classes.

Nick

I just finished taking Joe’s workshop and again it was nothing short of extraordinary. Because of Joe and the ideas and concepts he teaches, I see everything differently now. Whether I’m driving along a country road or watching TV, I now see negative space, vanishing points, color, light, texture, pattern, line, angle of reflection, tension, perspective – everywhere.

Knowing these critical elements of design have truly not only changed how and what I photograph but have changed the way I look at the world in a very real way.

I cannot adequately express my gratitude to Joe for his caring and expertise and if you are considering taking a class or workshop with Joe think no more as I cannot recommend him highly enough. Just DO IT!!!

Shauna

Joe Baraban’s workshop is first rate and pitched at a level that in my opinion would provide a strong learning experience for any photographer, no matter their level or their primary area of photographic interest.

Joe is attentive, and his workshops are well prepared and illustrative of the concepts being put forward. Better yet, supplementary tips and advice were passed along to participants in neat little packages with titles like “The fifteen-point inspection plan”. His photo critiques are honest and very helpful. A number of us would definitely take a second, third, and fourth workshop offered by Joe.

Murray

I attended Joe’s Paris workshop and received a lot of valuable information in less than a week.

Joe’s workshops begin with an informal meet and greet where all the participants and spouses are able to meet each other with food and wine.

Usually, each day start before dawn with an air-conditioned private bus trip to a pre-scouted shooting location. Joe gives suggestions for shooting before and during each shoot. He moves around to each photographer during the shoots and gives “hands-on tips” and suggestions that are wonderful and instructive.

Each day there is a very constructive critique of the work that was shot the day before. Joe has everyone involved and he asks people their opinions.

I have not attended many formal workshops and I was happy that the comments of the other shooters and those from Joe were very helpful and allowed everyone to get real feedback so soon after shooting.

I can truly say that the workshop immediately helped me, and I believe that my photos have much improved. It was a wonderful experience and made me a better photographer. It also gave me a chance to make friends with the other photographers.

John B

I wanted to learn more about Joe’s approach to visual design and making great photos after taking one of his online courses.  As a former painter, I really relate to his focus on visual design elements as his artist’s palate and it all came to life in this workshop.

He is an excellent teacher and it was wonderful to experience this with a group of very talented photographers who supported each other and did some great work.

The format of learning the design principles and discussing them in relation to Joe’s images and the work from the class was a great way to learn – I look forward to future workshops.

Cynthia

Writing these brings back fond memories to when I was working full time as an advertising, corporate, and editorial photographer. After fifty years, I’m now semi-retired teaching classes with the BPSOP, and conducting my workshops all over the planet.

Some of the stories were funny then and still funny, and some were not so funny then but funny now. This is one that was more of a pain in the butt, than not so funny; but really funny now!

I was shooting a series of ads for the Renaissance Hotel chain, and the one pictured above we shot in Houston. The client was from England, and I had worked for here a couple of years back; I knew she could be a major pain.

Before she came over she instructed my studio manager to order her a case of some special mineral water that was only available where she lived in London; and it was all she would drink. She was adamant that it be there before she arrived, and couldn’t care less on how much it would cost. She said to bill it to the job!!

Well, as was our custom to make all our cliens happy, we  ordered it and had Federal Express send it to the studio. It was expensive water to begin with, but figuring in all the costs each (small) bottle was about five dollars…back in the eighties!!!

This woman was in Houston for several days, and in that time she drank only one bottle (out of the case) of her precious water; leaving it for us. She was such a pain in the butt that we weren’t interested in drinking the water so what did we do?

I gave it to my dog to drink!!!

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

JoeB

Since I’m a reader and always looking at stuff on the internet, I’m invariably finding quotes that were said by all types of artists from photographers to musicians to painters, to writers. I use the ones that fit into the way I approach teaching to those that take my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around our planet.

I recently found one first through a friend, then checked the author out. His name was Seneca, and he was a Roman statesman, philosopher, dramatist and satirist, who died in AD65.

A tutor and later advisor to Nero, he was accused of being complicit in the attempted assassination and forced to commit suicide; I read that he was probably innocent.

Seneca once said, ” Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”. I can’t tell you how much that hits home with me and the way I’ve been doing things for most of my fifty year career as a professional photographer.

I realize that for most of my fellow photographers time is not their friend. In other words they have jobs and families and can’t always devote as much to the process of taking pictures; fortunately, I can…I’m semi-retired and my kids are grown and gone!!!!

Here’s the best case scenario to comprehend just what this quote is all about…just in case you want to find some additional time to go after that illusive “keeper”.

Instead of just deciding to go to a location based on friendly advice or perhaps something you might have seen or read about, do some preliminary preparation.

In other words go to the location ahead of time to see what’s it all about, instead of just showing up only to find that it’s closed on Mondays, or for remodling, or it doesn’t open until nine…and you’re there at seven. If you’re one of those that love the early and late light, find out if sunrise or sunset is a better choice.

That said, there is another way to be prepared in case the best photo you might ever take is right in front of you (or will be momentarily) and this one might be a little easier for you.

I’ve had dozens of my fellow photographers ask me how I can capture some of my photos that are exposed perfectly, especially since I take most of my pictures in the camera with little or no post processing.

I tell them that when I’m just walking down the street with a camera over my shoulder I always take a few generic photos just to get the exposure down.

I’ll take several different exposures, usually based on a fast shutter speed and pick the right combination of shadows and highlights. This is when the action is happening to fast to let the camera decide what the best exposure is going to be. Now I’m prepared if the opportunity reveals itself….and I get lucky!!!

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2019 workshop schedule at the top of this post. Come get lucky with me sometime.

JoeB

Andre Gide was a French writer, and humanist who received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1947. I was recently reading an article on him and one of his quotes really hit home with me and the way I approach teaching both online with the BPSOP, and in my personal workshops I conduct around the planet.

Specifically, a conversation or conversations I recently had with two of my students (over a period of four weeks) who both live and die by whatever the ‘powers that be’ say at their camera club meetings and competitions; after all, who knows better than the newly elected officers? Am I right?

Btw, if I had to pick one subject that I talk about the most is the question whether camera clubs, online information, or just friends tell you what to do and what not to do. I certainly don’t think what I profess is the Gospel according to Joe, but I will tell you that most of the material you read on the information highway is just not in your best interest; sometimes you just have to follow the roads less traveled.

This is where the quote comes in. Gide once said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

To me, taking chances and making mistakes in the process is the best way to take your photography what I commonly refer to as “up a notch”. I’m not implying that you should quit going to your local camera club meetings. After all, it’s a great place to eat free cookies,  nibble on celery and carrot sticks, drink Perrier sparkling water, or perhaps diet coke is your thing.

I’m not profiling here because I have seen it up close and personal. I have been asked to judge several local camera club annual competitions and I always had a hard time being asked to judge the title of the photograph and even how it was matted in my final decisions whether to  accept a piece into the show or worse…to give it a blue ribbon; I finally started turning down the honor.

The last camera club’s annual show I judged, I had set out a stack of self addressed post cards for people to take that talked about my online class and my workshops. Out of the entire club of a hundred plus people, only one woman picked one up.

I found out that she was the one that had placed first in three categories and second in the third. After seeing my presenation she decided that she wanted to learn more about seeing differently and growing more as a photographer.

If you feel that you’re not going anywhere as far as your photography is concerned, then maybe it’s time to discover new oceans; I like to call it “coloring outsides the lines”. If it means going out shooting by yourself, then just do it! One thing will be certain, you’ll be looking ahead and not behind you…where everyone else will be.

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

JoeB

One of my all time favorite photographers was W. Eugene Smith. I have several of his books (Minimata being the most powerful) and love going back and look at his work.

He once said in an interview, “I didn’t write the rules. Why would I follow them?”. This quote comes to mind as much as any in my category My Favorite Quotes. Why, you might ask?

I teach an online class with the BPSOP, and I conduct workshops all around the planet. The reason why I think about this quote is because I’m constantly asked if I follow any rules pertaining to how I go about deciding on how I compose my final composition.

At that point I will invariably quote Eugene Smith. I also didn’t write these so called rules, that were written merely to take us down a one way path to mediocrity; so why should I also follow them?

A lot of people that have recently fallen in love with photography, seek out advice from others. I can understand since they are new and want to take the best photos they can. The problem is that they will listen to anyone and take what they hear as gospel; after all, they must know more since they are already photographers and have really nice cameras; don’t be fooled by that…it’s the ten inches behind the camera that really counts.

Here’s where I stand: I’m not going to follow rules that I didn’t write and especially ones that I don’t believe in; as long as the rules aren’t actually laws that could eventually wind up being a bad decision!!

🙂

I have one rule as it applies to my photography. I never crop my photos, and haven’t for the fifty years that I’ve been shooting profssionally.

So, my fellow photographers, while it’s important to have personal rules when it comes to your new found love, whatever you do don’t listed to those that think it’s important to follow rules just because someone, somewhere, wrote them.

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

JoeB

Creating memorable photos, as you probably know, is not an easy task. Keeping the viewer around as long as possible is a very important ingredient in doing just that. Unless you’re shooting strictly for yourself, the idea is to take control of how the viewer perceives and processes our images. Making him an active participant is the best way I know of to achieve this lofty goal.

In my part II online class with the BPSOP, we spend an entire lesson just working with Line; the most important of all the basic elements of visual design. I will also talk about this element in my workshops I conduct all over the planet.

One of the best ways to keep the viewer involved is to use Line to move the viewer around your composition. Leading him in and out of the frame using lines to do so will keep him interested. Another way to use Line effectively is to arrange the lines to leave an impression or make a statement that communicates a visual idea.

In the above photo, I came around the corner, looked down, and saw this happening right in front of my eyes. The first thing I thought about was the artist M.C. Escher. The second was what a great way to not only move the viewer around, but to keep him around by offering six to eight seconds of visual entertainment.

When you look at these images, you can’t help but to follow the lines, and steps from one side of the frame to another; letting the viewer enter and leave the frame at different points in the composition.

By using the right side of my brain, the creative side, I was able to see this subject not as a walkway and steps that I would see by only using the left side, but a series of patterns, lines, and shapes; all basic elements of visual design.

So, my fellow photographers, look for ways to move the viewer around your frame, and you’ll be taking your imagery what I refer to as”up a notch”.

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

JoeB

For those of you new to my blog, I teach two online classes witht the BPSOP. I also conduct my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops around our planet.

I show my fellow photographers how to incorporate the elements of visual design into their imagery: Texture, Pattern, Form, Balance, Shape, Form, Line, and Color are the basic elements that we work on in this four week class.

In my part II class we continue working on these elements with more emphasis on Line; the most important of all the elements since none of the others would exist without Line.

We also work on ways to create Visual Tension, and in my part II class integrating a Vanishing Point into their composition, as well as spending an entire lesson on the silhouette, and shadows…which are your best friend!

Every so often I like to show the images from my part I and II classes, and I’m extremely proud and impressed with just some of the images from the last three months.

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

The methods we use to gain attention to our photography will vary, but what’s important is how we manage what the viewer perceives and processes when looking at the visual information we lay out to him in the form of a photograph.

Humans rely on perception of the environment that surrounds them. Visual input is a part of our everyday life, and as photographers it’s our prime objective to present this visual information in a way that takes control of what the viewer sees when looking at our imagery.

I hope you’ll agree that these photographs have done just that.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and chckout my upcoming workshops at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime, and I hope to work with you in one of my BPSOP classes.

JoeB

  As I write this post I can’t help but feel some biblical overtones in the title. I can’t wrap my head around it but I swear I’ve heard something similar before…maybe in a Cecil B. Demille movie?

At any rate it’s so important to know what it is you’re shooting, why you’re shooting it, and if the viewer will understand it…that is if you care if anyone besides you sees it.

I don’t know about you but for me I don’t take pictures just for my own gratification. I also take pictures to make people happy, smile, ponder, wonder, etc., or in the old days as a photo-journalist, to make people mad enough to get involved.

I write this particular post on this particular subject bcause of three scenarios that happened in my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” and also my less structured springtime photo tours (with daily reviews) that I conduct all over the place.

First, in my online class, I recently did a video critique of a student’s photo that was submitted for a lesson on ways to create depth. There were just random objects/points of interest, none of which made any sense as how they related to one another.

When I asked what was her subject she didn’t know. In fact she couldn’t remember why she even did what she did. She was merely trying to follow the lesson by trying to anchor a subject in the foreground (using a wide angle lens) to create layers of interest, thus depth; there was no subject or even a dominant center of interest.

Another time that I distinctly remember was in one of my trips to Cuba with the Santa Fe Workshops. I was walking behind two photographers that were taking pictures of anything and everything that moved or that they walked by.

They were basically taking pictures just to be taking pictures with no thought process behind any of them. I stopped them and ask to see what they had been shooting, and after going through them on the back of their cameras I asked what subjects they were trying to show, as far as going back home with anything memorably that portrayed Cuba…being the overall subject. Several of their photos could have been shot anywhere so why bother spending time and money coming all the way to Cuba?

Just recently I was with a group in my springtime in Berlin trip and during the daily reviews a women posted a shot of people on the other side of a store’s doorway. It was taken as she walked by without stopping to think about who they were, what were they doing, and what kind of store it was. When I asked her about it she said that there really wasn’t much of a subject and she really didn’t want to stop and spend any time with it…YIKES!

My way of thinking is that if you’re going to raise your camera up to your eye, then you should be willing to spend some time making sure you’re creating the best photo you can with a subject that the viewer will understand…but that’s jut me.

FYI, as long as the subject is known to a particular viewer, it can be somewhat esoteric. In the above photo the subject was safety, and although it’s a strong graphic photo, unless you were a stockholder in this company and read the annual report, you would’t know what the subject was.

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

JoeB

 James Whistler was an American born artist, and most of you know him by what is regarded as his best known painting…Whistler’s Mother. Since my background is in painting and not photography, I spent time taking courses in Art History, and have studied several American and European painters. I was recently looking through an Art in America magazine and came upon one of Whistler’s quotes.

I show people how to incorporate into their photography the elements of visual design both in my online class with the BPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over the place. That said, I found his quote to fit right in with what I give to people that I work with…an Artist Palette.

This quote is also predicated on the fact that a camera on a tripod is just like a blank canvas on an easel. We are artists who have chosen a camera instead of a paintbrush.

When I say Artist Palette, I’m not referring to a palette filled with various pigment. I’m talking about a palette that has on it the elements of visual design: Color, Pattern, Form, Shape, Texture, and Balance.

So if you’re with me so far, then his quote will make more sense. Whistler once said, “If you cannot manage your palette, how are you going to manage your canvas?”.

By using the right side of your brain, the creative side, you can imagine all the elements all the time as they are there in your imagination…all the time. Managing your Artist Palette means just that. Managing them as part of your thought process when looking for subject matter.

These elements are not necessarily the subject, but they can enhance whatever subject you have decided on. These elements are there to create a stronger bond between your subject and any other centers of interest. Remember that the more things the viewer can discover when looking at your photos, the longer he’ll stick around.

In the above photo I was working with photographers that were in Houston for my workshop. We were shooting at a ranch and as I walked by this barn I looked in and brought up my Artist Palete I always keep in the back of the left side of my brain. I immediately saw Patterns, Shapes, Texture, and Color; the light was the bond that tied all of the elements together.

For those of you that have taken my online classes and have also taken my workshops you’ll know how much I stress using these elements to create stronger images that can stand the test of time; as the paintings off James Whistler and so many other American and European painters have.

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

JoeB

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

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