Joe Baraban's Digital Photography Blog

AskJoeB: The Little White Chapel

The little white chapel.

Valeriano sent me this photo to talk about. As usual I like to have people read what was said to me when the image was submitted. I find that a lot of photographers share the same problems, or the same stories, or the same ideas so it’s nice to know that you’re not alone. Here’s what he had to say:

“Hi Joe,
I’d really like your critique about this photograph and mainly about my composition.

The little white chapel (with the cypress trees “guarding” it) is an iconic landmark in this Tuscan area named Val d’Orcia (a UNESCO world heritage site). I’ve shot it in many different ways and in many light situations and seasonal situations, as well as with different weather conditions.

Thus this time I went there again, I really wanted to find a different point of view for this subject. The sculpture in the immediate foreground is something that I thought could work to define a frame within a frame composition. I’ve got the idea cause I was together with another photographer at the place I usually go, and he “hates” these sculptures that the landlord allowed to be put on its property by an artist. I always wondered if there was some interesting way to shot ’em, I probably have found one.

Unfortunately this idea came up to me at very last moment I was in my stay at this place. Moreover I was in a very bad creative vision moment for my photography, which, as usual, will start to improve as I’m at the end of a time slice exclusively dedicated to photography.

I didn’t shot it with the right light conditions I would had rather have: at sunset with a nice side light which would had let the texture of the sculpture pop up. Therefore I shot it at twilight.On the left side, in the background, there is also the profile of the little town Pienza, another well known place of this area.

Please let me know your thoughts about it and if there is anything I can improve with this composition.
Thanks a lot,

Valeriano.

Valeriano,

The first thing I felt I needed to do was to turn your photo upside down. For those of you out there that don’t know why I do this, it’s to show how well a composition is balanced. I’m talking about the balance between the Negative Space and the Positive space. In Valeriano’s photo, the Positive Space is the sculpture in the foreground, the small chapel, and the land mass and town in the left background. The Negative Space is the blue sky.

When you look at this photo right side up, the way you meant it to be,  you’re looking at it with the right side of your brain; the creative side. You see a sculpture, a chapel, and a small town, and blue sky. When you look at this photo upside down, you’re looking at it with the left side of your brain; the analytical side. The sculpture, the chapel, the town, and the sky don’t exist anymore. Now, all you see are shapes and how they relate to one another. Now it’s easy to see how well the balance between the Negative and Positive Space actually is.

Is this photo balanced? To me, it’s very heavy on the right side of an imaginary line drawn down the middle. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the first one that would disrupt the way a viewer perceives then processes one of my photos, but when you have an object this large anchored in the foreground, it’s too much.

Since Valeriano wanted to show both the chapel and the town, I would have moved a few steps to the right so as to balance the sky on both sides of the sculpture.

Ok, Valeriano mentioned “framing within a frame”. Since he took my online class with the PPSOP, he learned several ways to create Visual Tension. I also teach this in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet. One of the ways is to frame a subject, or an object or a scene within a frame. By cleverly using the sculpture and the right edge to frame the chapel, he succeeded. I also show my students how to use perspective to create the feeling of depth. By ‘anchoring’ the sculpture in the foreground he created “layers of interest” which in turn created the feeling of not only depth, but distance and scale as well.

The last thing I want to mention is that people that follow my blog and my work know that I’m very big on light, since light is everything!!! However, in this photo I like the absence of directional light here. There’s something magical about this photo and waiting for the twilight color to take effect. The psychological effect color has on our psyche can’t be dismissed as it has been proven to have certain powers.

A very cool photo!!!!! You were definitely “Stretching your Frame of mind”.

By the way, did you know that there was a time when the color blue was believed to soothe illness and treat pain; ancient cultures practiced Chromotherapy  or the use of color to heal.

Thanks for the submission.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com and watch for my 2013 workshop schedule. Come shoot with me sometime.

Keep those questions and photos coming in at: AskJoeB@gmail.com

JoeB

AskJoeB: Three Favorite Photos.

#1

Since I think that a lot of you out there share similar feelings, levels of expertise and situations as the photographers that write into me think it’s important to share the comments i receive with all of you. Here’s one from Mark, a recent student of mine in my online class with the PPSOP. Here’s what he had to say:

“Hi Joe,

Having recently traveled for business, I was anxious to Stretch My Frame of Mind when time permitted. With my newly expanded Artist Palette ready to be deployed, Las Vegas was surely a land of opportunity!

After taking your class, I must admit, the world looks a lot different these days. Shapes, texture, patterns & colors seem to be everywhere. For example, the silhouette image was taken at 1:00AM after returning from a banquet. Entering my room with the lights off was a gift. Everything about the view was screaming, “take my picture” (lines, reflections, framing, etc). Adding myself in the image seemed to add perspective and negative space.

Here are 3 of my favorite images from the trip. Feel free to re-post, comment or delete if you don’t like them! 🙂

Cheers,
Mark Carruthers”

Hi Mark, good to hear from you again. I always like to stay in contact with former students. Since I like your submissions, I won’t delete them. :-)))))

I can tell by looking at these images that you are using my “Artist Palette” I not only teach with the PPSOP, but also with my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet. I like the Vegas photo (#1) for a couple of reasons: One is the silhouette you included. You do remember the week we spent on the silhouette in my Part II class. It adds not only a “layer of interest” creating Perspective, but it now has a level of Visual Tension crated by the contrast between the dark silhouette and the bright lights outside. I also see that you intentionally created some Negative Space inside his arms…clearly defining them. Nice job!!!

#2

In the photo of the sign (#2), You’ve done well grasshopper!! By getting “up close and personal” with the sign, you’ve also created a “layer of interest” which creates Perspective. You’ve taken control of what the viewer will perceive and process by leading him around your frame. By adding the silhouette, you’ve not only generated Visual Tension, but you’ve given the viewer lots of things to discover in your photo…just what we want him to do because the more elements he’ll discover, the longer he’ll stick around looking…a very good thing!!!

#3

What I like about the man playing the guitar (#3) is that you’ve placed the man “up close and personal” while creating a Vanishing Point (the fence) that will lead the viewer the walkway. This also represents one of the six principles of Gestalt I write about and teach in my classes. This one is called Continuance. If you want to read more about them you can read my recent article with Adorama. You can find it here at:
http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013706/article/6-Principles-of-Gestalt-Psychology-That-Can-Improve-Your-Photography

Thanks for the submissions. The next step is to come shoot with me sometime!!!

JoeB

Visit my website at: www.joeBaraban.com, and check out my 2012 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. come shoot with me sometime.

Don’t forget to send me a question and photo to: AskjoeB@gmail.com

Student Work: PPSOP June Class, 2012

Shot by Philippe. Lesson one on the Vanishing
Point.

This is the first time I’ve written a post centered around one of my classes that I teach at the online school called the PPSOP. I usually showcase one of the assignments I give in the last week where I give each student a color and letter to go out and find. The reason for this assignment is to get them to start “seeing past first impressions” and be able to focus on a particular color or object. As I tell them and also my students attending my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, one of my favorite quotes was said by Henry David Thoreau. He said, “It’s not what you look at it’s what you see”.

However, this time I’m featuring photos from the first week until the last because it was one of my strongest group of students I’ve had since I began teaching online at the school.

Each week my class is given a different lesson and they all are about creating their Artist Palette. On this palette will soon be the elements of visual design and composition: Negative Space, Vanishing Point, Perspective, Visual Tension, Pattern, Balance, Texture, Shape, Line, and of course Light and Color. At the end of the four weeks, they’re armed with the means to create photographs not just in great light, but midday light and gray days.

Knowing how these elements work gives them the ability to dissect their individual work which is necessary if they want to take their imagery what I refer to as “Up a Notch”. Discussing their photos through the use of my video critiques clearly shows them a new path in which to lead their newly developed ‘Eye’ and thought process.

To me, following the guidelines of the Psychology of Gestalt (follow this link for my article in Adorama:http://www.adorama.com/alc/0013706/article/6-Principles-of-Gestalt-Psychology-That-Can-Improve-Your-Photography ) is important in creating memorable photographs, and it’s a big part of the information I give. The key is to take control of how the viewer perceives and processes our photos. Make him an active part by leading him around the frame, giving him ways to leave and enter our composition, having him keep discovering new things in our photo are a few ways to keep him around longer…just what we want him to do!!!

The following are just some of the images they took during the four week class, and as you will see the reason they look the way they do is because they’re chocked full of all the elements listed above that are now on their new ‘Artist Palette’. There’s so many more but impossible to show all of them.

Enjoy!

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

Don’t forget to send me a photo and question to: AskjoeB@gmail.com

JoeB

AskJoeB: Q Stands For Quality

'Q' for quality

Valeriano sent this image to me with this explanation:

“This shot was taken by me in 2007 for a PPSOP class about “Learning to see creatively”, and the assignment was about pattern.
I’d chosen to compose this image with the cup in that position to imply the letter “Q” by its shape. The “Q” letter should also stand for the concept “Quality”.
As you may know for Italians like me, a good coffee it’s something very important we cannot ever give up. ;)”.

Ok, the photo: If you hadn’t mentioned what you were trying to achieve with the letter ‘Q’, I don’t think the viewer would pick up on it…as I didn’t. I like to think of myself as a fairly intuitive/creative thinker, but I didn’t get the letter ‘Q’ or the word Quality. If you look at how the capital ‘Q’ is made, you’ll see that it’s different enough from your cup to make the difference between getting/seeing it or not. I think I might have taken a close look on how the capital letter ‘Q’ is made.

The important thing to always remember is that you won’t be around to explain your thought process. Your photo will need to stand on its own. It needs to be what I refer to as a “quick read”,  unless you’re asking the viewer to comment on an abstract representation of some reality your portraying in your photo. Now, as I continue to look at your image, seeing the letter becomes easier. However, you can’t expect the viewer to look at your photographs that long. If they don’t get it right away, and there’s not a lot of other elements for them to discover in your photos, they’ll move on.

In my online class with the PPSOP, and in my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops, I tell my students to Consider the scene and its outcome. Make sure what you’re trying to get across is not toooooooo ‘esoteric’.

As far as the photo itself goes, I think it’s a really good shot that accomplished the assignment in a creative way. I think I might also have tried one where their was actual brewed coffee in the cup, and still had the patterns of the beans on the bottom..with some Cognac in it”!!!

🙂

Thanks for the submission Valeriano, and feel free to send me images any time.

Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my 2012 workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

AskJoeB: On Canon Lens

Canon 5D Mark II with a 17-40mm F/4 lens

Henning  from Germany, sent me this question that I thought I would share:

“Joe,

I know you shoot with Canon. So I would like your advice on the following question of mine: I am thinking of purchasing a few additional lenses for my Canon camera. At the moment, I own a Canon model with APS-C sensor (30D), but I would like to buy my lenses with a future upgrade to a full-format sensor camera in mind.

I have always loved shooting with a fast fixed-focus small tele lens for portraits, and I am starting to really enjoy shooting with a wide angle lens, as well, thanks to your online course “Stretching your Frame of Mind” (a great course, by the way). Fixed focus lenses would be okay for me – I actually like shooting with them. I am looking to upgrade in terms of picture quality (in particular, my Canon kit zoom 4.0 – 5.6 / 17 – 85 mm is not the greatest, I find)

My current favo rite combination would be a Canon 4.0 / 17mm – 40 mm and either a Canon 1.8 / 85 mm or a  2.8 / 100 mm Macro lens (not so much looking for a Macro lens in particular, but rather for a high-quality portrait / multi-purpose small tele lens). I would keep my 1.4 / 50 mm to cover the “middle” range and to have at least one faster lens available. As an alternative to this combination,  Canon’s 2.8 / 24 – 70 mm lens sounds like an interesting option.

I am not a professional photographer, so I am on a budget. However, I would be willing to spend some money on good quality lenses that I can continue to use after my next camera upgrade and that give me a range of options from wide angle to small tele.Which lenses would you recommend in my case?Your feedback would be much appreciated.
Thanks,

Henning”

Here’s my response to him:
Henning, your choices are right on! I actually have both of these lens and I’ve always been very happy with them. When buying these lens, remember that it would be a lifetime investment, and providing that you take care of them you probably would never have to replace them.
FYI, when I was buying my first digital wide angle lens, I inadvertently bought the 17-40mm F/4 when I meant to buy the 16-35mm F’2.8. I didn’t realize it until i got my lens and was shooting with it for a while. I guess some might suggest a “senior moment’!!! I was going to send it back but after using it for a while I decided to keep it because I was really liking it.
The stop I lost going from a F/2.8 to a F/4 was negligible since I virtually always use a tripod, and I’m very fast with it!!! If you’re the type that doesn’t want complete control of your photographs and you hand hold your camera, then that one stop would/could make the difference in being able to shoot in a low light situation (without having to crank up your ISO, and then forgetting that you did later on). Of course, that one stop makes a huge difference in price. The 17-40mm lens sells for $US840.00, while the 16-35mm goes for $US1700.00. You’re paying a lot for that stop but to me it’s worth it when you think of it as a one-time investment and amortize it over the course of your photographic lifetime.
I really love my F/2.8 100mm Macro, and like you I use it for portraiture as well as other situations besides Macro work. A fantastic lens!!! As far as the F/2.8 24-70mm lens, I also have it and let me tell you that it’s an incredible piece of glass!!! Down the road, it’s a ‘must have’ lens for you.
There’s always going to be a lot more you can do with zooms over fixed lens. At one time, i traveled with fifteen lens, now, I carry four and I have everything from 17-200mm and my life is soooooooo much easier.
Since light is so fleeting, and can vanish in a blink of an eye I don’t want to miss it by changing lens. even as fast as I am, I’m not as fast as Mother Nature.
One last note Henning: When it’s time for you to upgrade your camera body, I would absolutely go with the Canon 5D Mark II. To me, it’s unbeatable. I’ve been shooting with them for a long time and I have no desire to change. As they say, “if it ain’t broke, why fix it”? One thing I will tell you and hope you’ll remember is that buying your first 5D Mark II won’t make you a better photographer, but what it will do is to make you the very proud owner of a Canon 5D Mark II. It’s not the camera, it’s the ten inches behind it that’s important!!!
I hope this helps.
JoeB

The Law of Common Fate, Part II

threecowboys_DM

In a recent blog post, I talked about “The Law of Common Fate,” and how this concept in the Psychology of Gestalt can help take our imagery “up a notch”.

I talked about having two or more people moving in the same direction to create a directional line. Together they have a common destiny, and this destiny is what makes the viewer become an active participant by having him wonder where they’re going. These directional lines can be shapes as well as organic forms.

Another important concept in The law of Common Fate is when the viewer sees a group of arrows or hands raised in the air, and one of the arrows or hands is pointing in the opposite direction. This creates Tension because the viewer doesn’t associate it with the whole.

Because Tension is so important in our photography, I use people in the same way as I would have one arrow or one hand pointing in a direction that’s different than the rest of the arrows or hands in the same photograph. By the way, I’ll usually have my subject looking directly into the camera. The reason I do this is because Line is probably the most important of all the elements of visual design, and the implied line between the subjects eyes and the lens is very powerful.

The following slideshow gives you an example of The law of Common Fate by using people to create Tension in your photography.

Check out my website at: www.joebaraban.com and come shoot with me sometime.

JoeB

Sunpath Software: How to Determine Sun Positions

Maine Lobster-Fisherman/workshop student.
Maine Lobster-Fisherman/workshop student.

Have you ever wished you were at a location at sunrise when instead, you were there at sunset? The wrong time at the right place?

Here’s the reason my work looks like it does:

For most of my career, I’ve known exactly where the sun would come up (to the degree), and exactly where it would set…anywhere in the world, on any date I choose. I also know exactly what time (to the minute) it will hit the horizon coming up and going down. I know how long ‘dawn’ is (the glow in the sky) prior to the actual sunrise, and how long ‘dusk’ is (the after glow in the sky) after the sunset.

I use a computer program called “Sunpath“. Whenever I know where I’m going to be shooting and when I’m going to be there, I put that information into it and it prints out a chart. From that, I know where I need to be to get the early morning light and  late afternoon light.

Now, I use a “hand bearing compass” that you can get online. It’s called a Morin 2000, and it looks like a hockey puck. Inside it is a wheel with the 360 degrees marked on it. You can sight with it like you would a camera. When you go to the site, there’s a demonstration of how you use it.

I picked the date New Years Eve. 2011, and the location is for Crockett, Texas where I have my private “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshop for two couples.

Remember that these times will be when the sun actually hits the horizon. If you look at this chart, you’ll see when the first light of dawn occurs and how much time you have before the sun comes up. The same with how long you’ll have shooting in the after glow (dusk) until it’s dark. Look where it says dawn and dusk.

Now with this information, I can plan all my shots that I’ve scouted beforehand with my readings and compass. What I do is stand at a location I want to shoot, and look through my compass. The wheel inside floats in water, so what I do is point the compass to the appropriate degree from my readings (keeping it level with the ground).

I’ll know if a mountain or a building will block the sun right at sunrise, and I’ll know when the sun will break clear, and what time it will.

If you look at the bottom of the chart, you’ll see a graph. The graph charts the sun all day long. If you follow the curved line, you’ll notice a series of small black dots on it…that’s the sun. That’s the altitude of the sun in degrees. I have an instrument called an ‘Inclinometer’ . This device measures the altitude. So, together with the compass and the Inclinometer (you can get it in one instrument from Suunto called a tandem), I know where the sun is going to be all day long; from the time it hits the horizon on its way up to the time it hits the horizon on its way down.

This way, I can move to another location and return to that spot when the sun is clear of any obstacles…also, it sure is nice knowing exactly where the shadows will be all the time…24/7/365!!!!!! A lot of people always asks me how my color is so saturated, and the light always looks good…well now you realize that it’s not by chance. I always know where to stand, when to stand there and how long I have to stand there!

The Inclinometer is important for me to being precise, but the compass (Morin 2000) is all you would need if you think you can’t figure out the the altitude.

Finally, I’ve been told that the iPhone has an application that will give you the readings, but here’s the problem I have with that: First, it won’t tell you until your standing there. I’ll know a year in advance. Second, what happens when you don’t have service? I’m pretty sure you couldn’t get service in Big Bend National Park, with anyone!!! Of course, that’s subject to new technology.

I can get a GPS reading on my cell phone, but it’s not as accurate as looking through the Morin2000, and what happens if I don’t have a signal? Also there is a free download called a Photo Ephemeris that will also give you the information, but it’s very complicated and “above my pay grade”.

Having this kind of knowledge and tool is SOOOOOO powerful in creating photographs. I’m sure you can imagine!

With this knowledge, you’ll know if the glow behind a skyline, and it’s reflection on a body of water, will look the best at sunrise or sunset.

For people that have or will take a week workshop with me know, or will find out how ‘uncomplicated’ this really is. It may only seem difficult, but in reality it’s quite easy. You’ll get it in fifteen minutes on the first day.

The above photograph is an image I took while teaching my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshop at the Maine Media Workshop. The class wanted to see how I go about setting up  a photograph, from scouting locations with Sunpath and my compass, to gathering props, and a way to light him. By the way, this was one of my students we turned into a Lobster-Fisherman. At first, he didn’t want to put the trap over his shoulder because he said that they never did that.

I had to convince him that it was “taking license for the sake of art”!!!!!!

Based on my readings, I knew ahead of time that the sun was going to rise behind him and give me that glow.

Below is another example of having to know exactly where the sun was going to set.

What an advantage!

JoeB