Ultimate Creative Hobby: What Are Your Photos Really About?
An old stone bridge spanning a fast moving stream in rural Iceland.
An old bridge, grass, sky and flowing water. But you’ll need more than these interesting visual elements to communicate what your photos are about.
Photography is the ultimate creative hobby. Utilizing light, color and elements of composition, the photos you create will explore subject matter, narrative, metaphor and theme to produce compelling images that elicit a powerful emotive response from the viewing audience.
This photo of a fast flowing river under an old stone bridge is a simple enough photo, made in the early hours of the morning in rural Iceland.
It was my first trip to Iceland and I was having a blast traveling around the island on Route One.
Day’s are long in Iceland during summer and, after traveling all the way from Australia, I needed to make the most out of each and every day.
Unfortunately, on this particular evening, the weather was dreary and there just wasn’t anything immediately obvious to photograph.
But the light was soft, and that little voice inside me suggested this would be a good place to pull over in search of a photo.
An exploration followed and, before too long, I discovered this interesting scene not far off the road.
After scrambling around to find a place from which to set up my camera, I got busy making the photo.
Exposure details are as follows:
⅓ second shutter speed
f/13 aperture
32 mm focal length on a Canon full frame camera
I think it’s a decent result, and I enjoy the contrast between the softness of the moving water and the texture of the grasses and rocks.
Needless to say, I really love that old, stone bridge and the sweeping nature of its circular undercarriage, which I find to be particularly graceful.
While the image consists of several interesting visual elements it's the juxtaposition between the smooth, flowing water and the stability of the old stone bridge that I find most interesting.
Duality is one of the most important themes in the photos I create, and one of the reasons I consider photography to be such a creative hobby.
The rocks and grass, on either side of the river, have introduced an enormous amount of texture into the photo.
Actually, the grass was quite a verdant green color. But, while beautiful, it reduced the importance of the bridge and changed the quiet, contemplative mood I was looking for in this photo.
I overcame this problem by opting for a black and white rendering of the image to emphasize the texture of the rocks and grass in the photo.
What’s more, a black-and-white rendering enabled the rocks and grass to act as a gentle framing device for the solidity of the bridge juxtaposed against the ethereal nature of the river.
I think you’ll agree that, by deconstructing this photo, we’ve proven that there’s a lot to look at, even a simple landscape photo.
And the more closely we look, the more we’re likely to see.
Colorfully lit alley, photographed at night, in Bruges (i.e., Brugge), Belgium.
How To Better Analyse The Photos You Make
Once you're able to achieve well exposed and sharp images, displaying acceptable levels of contrast and interesting subject matter, it's time to begin to see what else about your best photos separates them from the rest.
Images that connect with your audience, on a deeply emotional level, will be your most compelling photos and will showcase your affinity with this most creative hobby.
Other than that, it's the underlying composition within the image that's likely to elicit positive responses from viewers.
But it's not necessary to hit people over the head with striking images from the Book Of Composition written by Does Anyone Really Care.
Composition in photography can be quite sublime and often works best when employed subtly, more by suggestion than the heavy-handed approach you might expect being associated with more graphic, commercial images.
I made the photo of the alleyway during a late night photo adventure around the historic old town of Bruges in Belgium.
The street lights, framed by the walls and archway, are the main focal points in the photo.
Light, by its very nature, is positive often imbuing our photos with a greater sense of hope and energy.
And that’s important to this image as the light, supported by the warm colored walls, acts as a counterbalance to the brooding darkness of night and the near impenetrable shadows on either side of the alleyway.
The fact that light is able to reflect color and texture off the walls is also important.
It helps to lead the eye through the frame, adding to the impression of three dimensional space within the bounds of a two dimensional photo.
As you can see, there are several factors that contribute to the composition in this photo. They’re not overly obvious, nor do they need to be.
It’s a quiet image, encouraging contemplation and evoking nostalgia. And it makes sense that the underlying composition supports, rather than overpowers, the subtle nature of this kind of photo.
Statue of civic leaders in the grounds of St. Sebastian's Cemetery, Salzburg.
How to Make the Most of A Creative Hobby
Natural forms, man-made structures, human gestures and facial expressions can all act as elements of composition in your photos.
While most see a group of people, the artist photographer sees harmony through a group of circles placed into one or more triangular shapes.
As a case in point, take a look at my photo of a statue in the grounds of St. Sebastian’s Cemetery in Salzburg Austria.
Look how the artist has organized the circular and oval shaped faces, within this group of civic leaders, into a series of triangles as a way of exploring personal interactions within the larger cohort.
By looking at facial expressions and gestures it’s possible to explore the relationship between individual members of the group, and guess what might be going on between them.
Possibilities might well include the following:
Intrigue
Political wrangling
Negotiation
Harmony
Corruption
When the day comes that you’re called upon to take a group photo, be sure not to place these poor souls into a straight line, like everyone else does.
Organize the individuals involved, into a more cohesive and harmonious group, by employing this technique of arranging their heads (i.e., circles) into a triangular shape.
It’s a simple technique photographers have borrowed from other artists, and it’s one way that composition can be employed in our own creative hobby.
Metal and wood lattice door, framed by stone, in Bruges, Belgium.
Using Line And Shape To Make Better Photos
Likewise, an architectural photographer would seek to photograph an interesting door in a way that moves beyond mere documentation.
In the case of this particular door in the old town of Bruges I constructed the photo around the following elements of composition:
Shape
Line
Tone
Order
Balance
Repetition
Symmetry
It’s these very elements of design, drawn attention to through a tightly framed composition, that help tell a story of power, stability and, perhaps, restricted entry.
Dirt road winds its way through beautiful mountain scenery in rural Iceland.
Content Is Not Always Obvious in Our Photos
You really don't need much to make a good photograph. That is at least as far as subject matter is concerned.
But then content goes beyond subject matter.
Likewise, I'm sure intent, inspiration and experience are far more important to the artist within us all.
I was driving through a remote landscape in the Highlands region of Iceland in an old camper van that leaked dust like the proverbial sieve.
Almost as soon as I left the main highway it became obvious that the vehicle's suspension wasn't all that great.
But I'm a careful driver and, though it's a long way around the island, I was in no rush.
In fact I'd left enough time in my itinerary for several excursions into the highlands.
The variety of topography those side trips exposed me to provided lots of great photo opportunities, that more than made up for any physical discomfort I experienced along the way.
It was exciting passing through the valley pictured above.
As the valley narrowed I saw my opportunity to stop the car and climb up onto the rocks on one side of the road.
Doing so provided a different viewpoint, down onto the road and across to the mountain ridge in the background.
I like how this unique perspective emphasizes the variations in green, throughout the scene, and the line the narrow dirt road cuts through the landscape.
As well as an important element of composition, that line acts a metaphor for the journey ahead.
You see, composition is a great way by which we can elevate the creative hobby of photography to another level.
About to Travel
I believe our photos really aren't so much about what's in front of the camera, as they are about the following:
The person making the photo
The relationship they have with what they photograph
The connection their work makes with the viewer
It's a three way relationship. And three is a holy number. Just ask the Minbari.
Photography is the world’s most accessible and creative hobby.
You can use your camera, even the one incorporated into your mobile phone, to make photos that document your relationship with the world around you, the people with whom you interact and the things you care about the most.
If ever you feel down or uninspired, get up and take a walk. Breathe in the air, seek out the light and explore your creative self through the art of photography.
