Seeing what I’d like to see
There is a difference between looking at and looking into a picture . . . as Ansel Adams said.
It’s the difference between taking and making a photo, and as Bob Marley once said and I’ll paraphrase it ” Some people will just get wet when going out to shoot, while others will feel the rain while shooting in it.
I tell my online students that take my online classes with the BPSOP, and those that take my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct all over the place to take in the whole picture, from the foreground to the horizon.
Arranging your images this way will generate depth and by the use of a wide-angle lens, you can cheat the camera (by using all three dimensions) which has only one eye so it can only see in two dimensions.
This will initiate layers of interest, and by doing so, you keep the viewer around longer. I also speak of the importance of looking to the right, the left, and even behind you while walking. This way, you’ll be able to see in all four directions which will increase your odds of going home with a wall hanger by four.
When composing, I pre-visualize the composition before I ever bring the viewfinder up to my eyes. I don’t necessarily see what I want, sometimes I visualize what I’d like to see…but that’s another story.
So my fellow photographers, don’t just look at your picture which would constitute using the left side of your brain the analytical side, use the right side of your brain to compose, the creative side. This is the way to look into your photos and see what else is there.
Visit my website at www.joebaraban.com, and follow me on Instagram http://instagram.com/barabanjoe. Keep an eye out for my future workshops, come shoot with me sometime.
JoeB
