Silhouettes and Profiles In Photography

Capturing silhouettes with a camera can create some fascinating images. This crow was doing some fancy acrobatic flying up in the French Alps last summer. His outline shows how beautiful he is in flight.

It's much more difficult to see the fine detail of this hawk's feathers, but the size of his wings compared to the size of his head is impressive. The tree gives the otherwise bare picture some added interest. This hawk was flying over a newly plowed field in Switzerland last Spring.

Here is another silhouette of a bird, this time framed by trees overhead. The trees and size of the bird show him to be fairly high up. The trees also give a sense of the fleeting moment in which the hawk is viewed, as soon it will pass out of sight behind them.






Here more trees are framing a passing solitary couple of clouds. The profile of the tree closeup on the top left hand side sets the scene, while the trees further away almost provide a pathway for the line of vision, making the clouds all the more interesting. It begs the question: in a sky that appears otherwise clear, where did these two snippets come from?



Silhouettes can enhance the beauty of sunsets. The dark permanence of the land contrasts starkly with the ephemeral beauty of the fading but glorious light behind it.
The photo below is kind of fun. At first glance the silvery colors of the sunset are nicely set behind the tree-line. And then it might seem that the tall tree has leaped up above the others, almost as though it's trying to reach the setting sun. And then there's the crane, to the left, which might seem an unfortunate detail, but then it also emphasizes that the apparently unbounded strength of nature and the trees in this skyline are actually quite frail, at the mercy of human activity.
A frozen world framing a silvery cold sunrise.

Profiles are a great way to capture the details of a character. The beauty of this horse is shown nicely in this side shot. The gloss of his coat is lovely.



This fella looks both thoughtful and alert.
















The outline cast by the tree's shadow is fascinating and really adds to the tree's charm. It seems the most perfect Christmas tree.









The jagged peaks in this photo of the French Alps gives the image a feel of untouched ruggedness.

Framing a scene with profiles and silhouettes adds flavor to the overall effect of the photograph. The intimacy and muted color of the flowers close up provide sharp contrast with the vastness of the mountains in the background.






The stark bare trees next to the lake make the mountains and the oncoming weather look especially harsh, cold and hostile.
The detailed closeup beauty of the roses is not shown in this photo, but somehow their silhouette against the soft blue sky intimates a loveliness that might be greater in the imagination than it would be in reality.

It's fun to play around trying all sorts of ways of taking photographs, just to see what happens. Often when I photograph something I'm not convinced will look nice, I find a surprise.

Taking photographs in completely different and new ways opens my eyes to seeing the world in a fresh way. And that's a wonderful thing! Have you tried it lately?

Capturing Light and Color In The Sky

Every moment the colors and light in the sky change. Using a camera to catch some of these moments can be very satisfying.







Sunsets create magnificent colors.
Ocean sunsets have a mirror in the ocean which adds to the scene and play of light.










Strong contrasts of light and dark create an image dramatically different from the pastel beach scene above.






Different times or parts of the sky during the same sunset can give entirely different effects.
Land locked with overhead clouds and lit from below and behind gives rise to all manner of blues and purples.





Catching a rainbow with a camera may not lead to a pot of gold, but it sure is a jewel for the eye.











Lightning this close can strike deadly, but it's most fascinating. (This photo was also included in a previous post called Thunder and Lightning!, but is fun to see again.)





Skies at all times seem to hold treasures. Small rainbow lights in the depth of winter.








Blankets of clouds look like they're trying ineffectively to shut down the light behind the hills.

With each passing second, what's captured by the lens is totally changed.
Soft, almost monochromatic, lighting of winter snow and sky makes for a picture postcard image.

No matter the place or time of year, it seems the skies always have some beauty in color and light just waiting to be photographed.

What Makes Something Art?

In whatever form we take to express ourselves, if we include in it something unique about the way we see the world, it's an art. There are all types of art and countless mediums of expression for it.

Two things are vital to creating something that will be especially appreciated and valued:

1. some knowledge and mastery of the medium in which the expression is being made
2. instilling within that medium something unique to the way we interpret or see the world

A painter may distinguish himself or herself by perfect execution of painting technique and if it's exceptional it may win significant popularity based on that alone. But, if it contains something of its creator, it's more likely that a work of art will achieve greater meaning even if the technique used is mediocre. To be truly successful, a painting or drawing must be infused with a style particular to the individual.

This is also true, and perhaps even more obvious, for a writer. If a person writes very well, this will most definitely help to convey meaning in a more effective manner, but the meat of the art is in the message and how its delivery enhances that message. For that to be of interest to others it needs to contain some element, even if only a small one, that makes it new and appealing.

A photographer presses a button on a device that records a scene. Everyone can do that. Some can perhaps manipulate the camera technically better than others. But once a certain level of technique is achieved, the distinguishing characteristic becomes style, topics chosen, angle and emphasis.

Dancing and ballet are also extremely involved in technique and the importance of learned execution, but what makes one dancer stand out among others is what that person brings to the dancing. Acting is another example, where learning is extremely important, but the overall effect that the actor provides for the audience is very individual and entirely dependent on their ability to portray their character roles in a novel way.

It's very convenient that each one of us is unique. We may have many characteristics that are similar to others, but the mix and proportions of those elements make us who we are, and they belong to us alone. If we can hear and know that person who is us, and allow ourselves to freely draw on that essence, we all have art within us waiting to be expressed.

Photographic Composition: Choosing The Focus

What you choose to focus on when taking a photograph largely determines what meaning that image will convey. This is one of the most significant choices to be made before snapping the shot.

An effective way to demonstrate this is to look at images whose content are almost identical, but whose composition is altered by the choice of focus. Almost identical images can have a completely different impact on the observer.

The following two photos show Mt. Blanc in the distance with a corn field in the foreground. (Click on images to see larger.)

The first photo focuses on Mt. Blanc and the mountain ranges in front of it, while the second focuses on the corn field. In this photo Mt. Blanc is the predo- minant subject. Here the corn field serves to indicate the local environment and emphasizes the distance to Mt. Blanc.

In the second photo the corn field and its immediate surrounds are the subject of the photo. The almost dreamlike vision of Mt. Blanc in the background gives the scene added charm and majesty. The sky here appears almost flat; it's almost as if the mountain and the sky are a flat backdrop. While in the first photo, the sky has more depth and feels present equally over the cornfield as over Mt. Blanc.

This somewhat dull photograph is transformed into something almost abstract by a change of focus.
With the focus on the window, the raindrops come to the fore. The image is intriguing. The softness of the colors in the muted scene are pleasant and the eye moves around the entire image looking at the different raindrops. It's soothing and gentle, almost like watching the nuances in a fire or a flowing stream.

Another way of choosing the focus is to allow different amounts of content into a scene.

The next two photographs illustrate this point. They are very similar, but the second includes slightly more foreground than the first, making the scene even more appealing.

In the photo below, the observer is able to see the wild flowers in the field alongside the house.













This gives the scene a sweeter look. It emphasizes that the house is in the countryside, adding a more peaceful atmosphere to the composition.

This is further enhanced by the fact that the white line down the center of the road gives the impression of movement, contrasting with the lazy feel of the quiet, calm house and its surrounds.



This photo is about a statue (and, unfortunately, a bollard).






The one below is about a statue, and a bridge decorated with colorful flags in a festive town in the mountains (and, a bollard).


If you can mentally edit out the bollard, you can see that the choice of subject focus here completely changes the message of the image. (If you can't, I guess these photos might also show that I was unable to get out of the car to take the photos without the bollard.)

Two shots taken of the same mountain at almost the same moment convey a completely different feeling. This one shows the grandeur of the mountain, giving a scale of height and enhancing that largeness by the contrasting house at the bottom of the picture. The clouds in the sky show change and movement.

The second photo zooms in to focus on the peak, giving more detail and yet, at the same time, less information.






The fascination focuses on the cloud close to the peaks and in the ruggedness of the cliff faces. The mood set here is slightly oppressive with the cloud sweeping low.

And last of all, though hazy scenes can be appropriate sometimes, getting the camera to focus before pressing the button to take the shot is usually preferable.

Patterns and Textures In Composition

Patterns and texture used in isolation to create a composition can give rise to an almost abstract image. It can even be difficult for the viewer to decipher what the subject is. This can lead to an atmospheric piece in which many ideas come to mind, producing for the person more of a superposition of feelings when looking at the image.

For example, the photograph here might be a number of things. The mind can search for what seems most likely, and in doing so, it's almost as if the image becomes all of them at the same time. This might fascinate the observer and render the composition more interesting.

Another effect is that the variation in color throughout the composition has increased importance. It can become almost like observing a fire in which the variations in flame color can intrigue an observer for long periods of time.





The selection and focus on texture to enhance the appeal of a subject is also very effective.










Focusing on patterns in nature can draw greater awareness and appreciation for the intricacies that we may not have time to stop outdoors for long enough to study closely.



Trees and their bark can be fascinating subjects.








This tree trunk seems to have a character of its own. Letting the imagination run, it can almost seem that there's a horse and a person hidden in its folds.







The soft, slightly varied repetition of the pattern of flower bunches in this image give it a gentle, soothing radiance. The cascade in the tree branch is fun to follow.

The pattern generates a direction of movement from the upper left to lower right of the image.



The movement generated by patterns can be consciously used in a composition to attract and guide an observer's eye.

Shapes that don't follow an exact, repetitive geometrical rule can create a scene that's relaxing to look at.The next image is somehow haunting, and what might seem at first to be a dull rendition, keeps pulling the eyes back to it to look some more.


Even though the background is a similar color to the flower, the texture of the background throws the flower into unexpected relief, where every detail on the flower is important.











The window light falling on the floor stones creates a very mellow, earthy feeling.




The sky is a source of an infinite variety of changing patterns and textures.
Whether your art is photography, painting, or even graphic design, the directed use of patterns and textures in a composition is extremely important for creating a desired impact.

Thunder and Lightning!

We've had lots of rain in the area recently. The skies have been beautiful to look at and quite a bit of the rain in the recent days has happened at the end of the day. It clears and cools the air and makes everything look sparkling and vibrant.







Looking out across the valley the spread of colors in the rain clouds is phenomenal. The build up to the rain can be very pretty. The air gets heavier, hotter and then it breaks.

A few nights ago it waited until it was dark and then buckets of rain came down.


And there was thunder and lightning, and it was very close!

The Influence of Color on Photography Composition

Conscious awareness and use of color in photography can dramatically enhance the impact of an image. Knowing a few facts about colors and how they interact with one another can make a huge difference to how we aim the camera to capture scenes that interest us.
When a light color is surrounded by a dark one it has the effect of confining the enclosed color, enhancing its clarity and richness. This can isolate an object from its background giving it a vivid crispness.




The viewer is left in no doubt as to the subject of the photograph.










When a color is surrounded by a light color, it appears to spread out into the light color and the strength of it seems lessened.

The yellow in the center of this white flower is a good example of this: it appears to be very delicate and faint, and gradually merges with the surrounding white.

This can be contrasted with the orange-red flower below, in which the yellow center appears to be very bright and well defined.
Colors may appear to change depending on the colors they are next to. The larger areas of color will have more influence over the smaller areas of color.



In this photo, the orange petals appear to be much more vibrant next to the darker color of the soil, whereas the petals surrounded by the light grey stone appear to be less striking.




When two shades of the same color are placed next to each other, each one makes the other look lighter and darker respectively. The bright green tree in this image looks all the more light and shiny compared to the dark green one in the background because the two colors are next to one another.

The stark repetition of alternating light and dark patterns can create the illusion of movement or dictate the direction of eye movement across the image.



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Pastel colors always appear to our eyes as being less vivid.



They give an image a more gentle touch.








Scenes displaying more monochromatic colors can present a very dramatic and yet peaceful atmosphere.

Highlighting Reflections in Photography

Sometimes reflections are unwanted in photography, but when you look specifically to include them in an image it's fun to see how they can enhance the overall effect.

This photograph of the forsythia outside the window was taken at two slightly different angles in order to see what the difference would be in the reflection and its contribution to the scene.In the first shot the reflection has little color in it and the main emphasis of the image is focused within the window frame. In the second photo the yellow forsythia is reflected strongly in the window pane along with the fir tree. This extends the colorful focus to inside the window frame, helping to make the view seem less distant and removed.



Superimposing two totally distinct images, one reflected, can create an almost surreal result.















And there are the more commonplace reflections which add more detail and interest to a picture.










The light reflecting off this small mountain lake lifts the entire scene giving it a bright and irresistible appeal.




Using the reflection of patterns can create a very interesting complexity.












Still water can be very useful for making images in which it becomes difficult to differentiate the reflected from the actual.


This lamp shot is fun. At first glance, the reflection looks to be somehow related to the light bulb.Catching these reflections of evening light bouncing off a modern glass building across the street from the Tower of London creates a fantastic result.

Expression

Sometimes thoughts don't flow easily, or can't express the full scope of perception. Colors and textures in images often convey feeling that can only be partially described in words. Impressions can be even more lasting and influential than accurate detail.

Textures can give rise to memories of similar objects or experiences which may provide a stimulus to our imaginations and even trigger sensations of smell, touch and sounds in our minds.

Using repetitive patterns and colors can produce a very atmospheric and abstract effect, giving rise to a greater response in mood than intellectual judgement.

Playing with shapes and perspectives can give some fun angles on things.



In combination with a soft diffuse light and pastel colors, repetitive patterns and textures can give an impression of gentle tranquility and warmth.

Capture

Capturing just the right shot to use as a photo reference for artwork is tonnes of fun. A friend and I often go places and take many photographs while we're enjoying the scenery. We also usually find it necessary to investigate the local culinary offerings for much needed sustenance along the way. On my friend's most recent visit we took over 700 photos in two weeks. Digital cameras have set us free to explore without worrying about the expense of having to print negatives in order to see how our experimentation worked.

One very nice place to visit that inspired me to do a number of paintings is the small, very old town of Yvoire along the Lac Leman in France. There is a walled entrance into the town.
A couple of views taken from the lakefront show some of the town profile and also the large castle that sits right at the tip of land that juts out into the lake.






Choosing the angle just right to catch the light and deciding which elements to include in the view are extremely important to the artistic appeal of a scene. I often find that once the images are displayed on a computer screen and are cropped in different ways, the alternate cuts can give completely different visual impacts. Taking photographs with these facets in mind and then experimenting with the images on the computer gives invaluable experience; this knowledge then further contributes to knowing what to look for when taking a photograph.

Sometimes things can get a bit twisted up and the photography doesn't go so well for a bit!

When everything gets back to normal more candidates for artwork are found. This is one of my watercolor paintings that was inspired by a photo-taking session in Yvoire.