Developing a photographic eye

So here is a question that I know has no simple answer but

experience. Still, I have it and find myself constantly struggling

wit it. The question is: How can I develop a photographic eye?

 

I have done a lot of reading on photography, and have taken (and keep

taking) a good share of pictures. I understand and apply fairly well

the important photographic techniques, and most of the time I get

them right. I also spend a good time looking at photographs and

asking myself what it is that made the shot, what I would have done

differently, etc. But invariantly I run into photographs where I end

up asking myself over and over again "How did the photographer manage

to SEE the picture before deciding to take it". I ask this because I

know that I would have missed the shot - I would not have noticed

that it was there in the first place. I am humbled - almost

humiliated - when I see pictures with such simplicity and such an

everyday quality, knowing that I have the technical skills to take it

but that I would and will not see the photographic opportunity in

front of me. Occasionally, I will step in my backyard, camera in

hand, looking for something that catches my eye - something that I

would find worth photographing. Most of the time, I come back with

either nothing or shots so uninteresting that they end up thrown away

and forgotten before they even make it back from the lab (or deleted

if digital).

 

So, how can I learn to "SEE" with the right side of my brain? What

can I do to train my eye to recognize objects that, in appropriate

light and perspective, and composed correctly within a frame, will

generate a photograph worth keeping, remembering, and looking at

occasionally or maybe, just maybe, frequently?

 

Eagerly awaiting the light,

 

-Luis

Oddly, I have not read this book, but I consistently see Freeman Patterson's "Photography and the Art of Seeing" recommended:<br>

<a href="http://www.freemanpatterson.com/ART.HTML">http://www.freemanpatterson.com/ART.HTML</a>

Photography is like formulating ideas. They might work in your head but they need to be challanged to prove their merit. The challenge comes from the feedback. However, on this site, most feedback is garbage. A response like "great shot" tells you nothing. A rating of 2s or 3s without comment is also worthless. Occasionally, a reviewer will give you excellent commentary with suggestions for improvement. These are the treasures. Read them carefully and weigh them against your own ideas. You do not have to accept the opinions of others.

Secondly, I have learned that sometimes you take a picture to capture a scene or event that attracts you. If you stumble into this that you are not really expressing yourself, just capturing the image. You don't have to explain this just do it. If you set out to express yourself you should explain that when you ask for critique. Then weigh the responses.

For me the best way to get a good shot is just to burn a lot of film, and hopefully get something that works. I am the first to admit that I am a shooter and not a setup guy. However lots of times I go out with a specific shot in mind and take 15 pictures of 'the' shot and one offhand shot of something else along the way, and guess what, the offhand shot ends up being the good one. So is serendipity bad? Not for me. My work is about experimentation and chance and searching for the indefinable poetic moment.

 

I think that taking a lot of shots looking for one good one also leads to learning to have a better eye. Getting out looking for shots also puts you in a position to get yourself in front of a good photographic moment. So burn lots of sneaker tread.

 

One other thing; I dont think it hurts to have a passion for whatever it is you are trying to photograph.

 

Aesthetics is the one part of the equation that cannot be taught or book learned per se, you have to find it on your own.

 

Don't be too hard on yourself either, take the good shots you have made and put them up on the wall and enjoy them. I am sure you will find more merit in them as time passes. The grass is always greener on the other guy's wall. But your vision is your vision, right?

I read Fremman Patterson's book at it did a lot for me, but then, I was sort of ready to recieve this instruction. My interest for nature also helped, as it is Patterson's primary interest.

First: it is a state of mind. Good support from my experience is having time, no worrys, wear cheap non spot sensitive trousers, go slow, by bicycle instead of fast car, take light gear or lugguage. Be courious about your surrounding. Going to work by car I would miss anything.

There are times nearly nothing can touch you and places where you won't find anything.

Look at your throw away shots. Analyze them. Try to find out why they are bad and do it better. Outdoors there is most times the wrong time, because light doesn't come from the right direction. Learn to find out the right times.

Maybe you should start some studio work, but it is very hard, especially shooting people.

Damned; I don't know too, but I 'll go on.

Luis... get closer to your subject and fill the frame. Remember that the small parts of your subject can be more interesting than the whole. Get on an "eyeball to eyeball" level with your subject. REALLY LOOK at what is in your viewfinder. <p>

With hard work and practice you may develop a photographic eye as good as mine, and get a decent picture every 500 or 600 exposures. -Dave

<i>First: it is a state of mind</i><p>

 

This is a very good point.

<p>

 

It takes a <i>desire</i> to photograph something, something specific, that will make you successful. You have to <i>want</i> to shoot whatever it is, and you have to have something to say about it. Otherwise, it's, as you have discovered, difficult to find anything to shoot.<p>

 

And that is why it can be simple. Instead of going out looking and burning a lot of film, figure out what matters to you. When I work with teenagers who are just starting with photography, I always start them with their friends and environment, since it is always something they care about, and have specific feelings about. The same applies to you.

Given the nature of your question, I was surprised to see you've

been here for three years, but have no images uploaded. You've

got the attention of several experienced shooters right now.

There's no time like the present.

 

If you don't have a scanner, or time, or whatever, look for

photographers here who have commmented a lot, read what

they've said, and check out the image. I know it sounds

backwards, but it might help.

<em>So, how can I learn to "SEE" with the right side of my brain? What can I do to train my eye to recognize objects that, in appropriate light and perspective, and composed correctly within a frame, will generate a photograph worth keeping, remembering, and looking at occasionally or maybe, just maybe, frequently?

</eM>

<p>

The same way you develop any skill - practice. If someone asks how you learn to play the piano well the answer is the same. You practice and you practice until you get it right. There's no easy way and no magic formula. Most of it is hard work. Musicians practice for hours every day. How often do you take pictures? There are no excuses, you do it or you don't.

<p>

Of course some people are lousy pianists and always will be, no matter how much they practice. Not everyone can be great, but all the great ones work hard at it

Even after 30+ years of fooling with this hobby/craft, my percentage of keepers is fairly low. I'll never be an "artist", just a competent craftsman. Doesn't bother me a whole lot since I shoot purely for enjoyment. If you're thinking too much, try a somewhat mechanical approach for a while. Step 1- look at a huge number of photographs and other artwork to develop a sense of composition (don't work from rules, just know it when you see it). Step 2- find things that interest *you* and get them in front of the camera (if you're not interested in peppers, don't put them in front of the camera). Step 3- move you or the subject until what you see in the finder has some balance, i.e., evokes the same feelings as the stuff you looked at in step 1. Don't forget to experiment with lighting via position, reflectors, time of day, or fill. A really corny old book that taught me a lot is The Fun of Photography from about 1938. A book search might turn up a copy. Finally, the camera has nothing to do with any of this, but I find it easier to judge what I've got in the dull 2d finder of a TLR or MF SLR, than the bright picture window of many 35mm SLRs and RFs.

Luis: Your question could easily be mine. I too am in awe of the beautiful photographs I see on this site. Many of the scenery photos are more beautiful than anything I've seen in person. This makes me wonder if the beauty takes place outside the area where I live, if it's enhanced with filters or made "better" with Photoshop.

<p>I've spent the last year trying to see the bigger picture. Are there light poles in the way? Does the person have a flower pot growing out of their head? Is the background color distracting? Now, I think it's time for me to start looking at the smaller picture. How can I make a good photograph that shows only a part of the wheel instead of the whole car or a curtained portion of a window instead of the whole house. While this comes naturally to some people, it's almost abstract to me. I'm sure I'll have a 1,000 failures before I click a decent shot. But I believe that looking at good examples and following that photographers lead is a good place to start.

First, find your subject. What is it that 'moves' you? What do you

want to say about it ? This will drive your photography and your

'eye' will develop. Aim first for a small portfoio, then aim for an

exhiibition.

1. Taking a look at a single look wont help. You have to go thru hundreds of books; photography, design, paintings books -- all that can help you to understand what looks good and what is beautiful.<p>

2. You need to practice a lot. Thinking while taking a photo helps!<p>

3. Better equipment is not going to help you too much.<p>

4. Reading comments of photo.net photographers that "comment a lot" is not going to help you too much; contrary to the common believe...

I was a fine artist (painting) before being a photographer.

 

I approach pictures like this.. I look through the view finder and if what I see is not something I would choose to paint (speaking of composition and lighting NOT esoterics/subject matter) I don't press the shutter button.

 

I suggest you choose a subject you want to photograph and look at how others have gone before you who are successful. Start out by copying in your view finder what they did. As you practice this you will start to see for yourself what makes a photograph (and more importantly, what does not).

 

Take good notes so you can attain repeatability. Think before you press that shutter release...

 

Good luck and have fun!

Moderator: Please archive this thread.

I have a binder of keepers, either planned or serendipitous, but the binder that I refer to more often is my "almost good shots". The classic tree growing out of a head, or someone's arm sticking into the frame are there. These keep me fresh on basic avoidables. Creative eye? Learn to critique yourself. I also have a bunch of shots that make me say "There's a great picture in there. I didn't get it. What could I have done better?" I believe this has helped me.

One common mistake among us photography aficionados is to not be ruthless enough in the editing stage. We seem to grow attached to our pictures, the good and the not-so-good ones. I think this is partly because we don't shoot as much, both quantity- and variety-wise, as say, a working photojournalist who by definition has to move on quickly from one assignment to the next. I have come to terms myself with the fact that to be able to take good photographs, you need to know what a good photograph looks like in the first place. This comes with practive as discussed before, but there obviously are other issues such as natural talent and opportunity. Concerning natural talent, there isn't much we can do it about it, alright. Opportunity has to do with location and lifestyle. Where you live and hang out can clearly determine what you shoot and how you shoot it. Many of us spend too much energy and time juggling a busy day job, family responsibilities, etc., for us to be able to practice photography and truly develop a creative vision. That being said, if one really loves the craft, it's up to us to come to terms with these contraints and overcome them. I am not solving your dilemma by any means, but I hope these thoughts can help you to find out who you are photographically speaking.

Luis-

 

I feel exactly the same about my own photography. Thanks for asking the question. Thinking about how to answer it has me thinking about if I take my own advice (no) and if I think it would help me (yes), so here goes:

 

I know that we all learn more from our failures than from our successes, so don't be so fast to pitch the bad shots. Ellis has advised people on this forum to edit ruthlessly, and I agree with that, but before you throw the rejects in the trash, study them for anything they can tell you about why they don't work. It's more fun to look at your successes and ask yourself why they work, but not nearly as instructive.

 

FWIW

Photography is like music: one can read, shoot, and practice.

 

 

But, unlike a Mozart, not everyone can produce a symphony, even though aspiring musicians read music, practice, and try to create a masterwork.

Its my belief that you have to enjoy what you're doing to be good at it. Take photos

you enjoy making. Now, if you're working hard at that, be critical of yourself to the

point that its almost not enjoyable anymore. I believe its combination of love and

perfection that makes great photographers.

 

Surround yourself with photographs that inspire you. Include some of your best work

in this group. Try copying some of your favorite photographs.

 

You also seem to emphasize spontaneous photography. Maybe you're not that kind of

photographer. Try setting up and photographing a still life.

 

Also, remember that luck is a function of commitment. I don't necessarily see my best

shots when i'm taking them. I'll get all excited about something and it will be nothing.

Many of my favorite shots where when I just tried something.

 

It might be good for you to take a class - you'll be surrounded by people facing the

same problems.

I absolutely relate to where you're at. By trade I'm I tax CPA; about as left brain as one can get. I have the same feeling when I go through and critique images on this site: would I have seen this shot? I've taken a couple art classes and photography classes, and here's what I've concluded: there are artists and there are technicians. I'm a technician. I can learn as much as anyone about negative densities, mixing my own chemicals, lighting ratios and setups, etc. But I'm weak as an artist; I probably always will be. So I'm going to shoot, shoot and shoot.

 

I've recently started putting some of my shots on this site for critique, which has been a very interesting experience. I love to shoot people, and my shots of people have been rated much better than anything else I've posted. So shoot what you love to shoot, and you'll probably have better success. Put on your thick skin, and post them on this site for critique. When you get a 2,2 that you don't understand and they made no comments, look at images that critiquer has posted; often times I look at their work, and immediately understand why they didn't like my shots: I think theirs are crap too: we have different taste, that's ok. I also agree with a couple of comments above that a 2-2 rating means nothing with out comments, and I am committed to make comments when I rate an image very high or very low so the photographer understands where I was coming from when I gave the rating.

 

Great question. Thanks for asking it.

Luis,

 

Not that I'm a great photographer or anything but my goal is to portray my subjects with as much intensity as possible. I like intense music...intense moments...intense books...emotions...all these I'll be thinking about during my day...and I'll wonder...how can I make THAT intense. How can I show the intensity of THAT. It's a mindset I go into much like my wife's when she paints. She can't just paint on demand...she needs to feel it. It might be months before she pulls the stuff out but when she does she is consumed by it...and then it goes away for a while. I operate much the same way. Think about it a lot...visualize...build...build...desire to create. Create!

 

Steve

If you can find a copy of "On Being a Photographer-A Practical Guide" By Bill Jay and

David Hurn you will find that it addresses this question in a deep and fundamental

way.

photography is inherently technical. it is possible to learn how to capture an excellent photograph. to learn how to develope 35mm bw and print an 8x10 from that negative. the technical skills are learnable.

 

but the mind of an artist is only his/her own. in the end there is no school or book. your eye is your eye. your thoughts your thoughts. honing those tools is within your reach but transforming them into something that they are not, is impossible.

 

who are you trying to satisfy? the general public? art america? people who print calendars? your newspaper editor? what are you trying to say?

 

perhaps none of the above? then, simply take more photographs, expose yourself to different photographers and artists, and eventually you will improve your technical skills. i would suggest a digital camera. the instant feedback offered by digital cameras is a wonderful learning tool. even stepping down into one of the "non-technical" arts, drawing/painting/sculpture/etc, might help you "see" better, at least it might give your artistic side a change of pace, let it play a little.