Your Success Exposed: Your Photos and How to Move Forward
Move forward with your photos through composition. Hay Bales in Byaduk, Australia.
Here’s the best way I’ve found to improve the photos you make. By following these simple tips you’ll move forward in a way that will separate your very best photos from those made by the rest of the pack.
The way to move forward towards a more spirituality aligned and creative life is by devoting time, each and everyday, to activities like photography and, by doing so, tune into your own, authentic nature.
I made the above photo of hay bales, on Old Crusher Road, near the tiny town of Byaduk in rural Victoria.
It was my birthday and terrible hot and dry. I was exhausted and on my way back home from the town of Port Fairy, where I’d just completed a photography assignment.
Despite the oppressive conditions, I wanted to make a few pictures for myself. So I followed my intuition, turning down a narrow country road, until I sighted this interesting rural scene.
Actually, there were a number of elements within the scene that attracted my attention.
The large stack of hay bales, piled a little percariously on the horizon.
The dynamic yellow/blue color contrast between the field and hay bales against the cool blue sky.
The significant amount of texture present in the field and bay bales.
The shadow, creeping in from the right side of the frame, adds an interesting visual element to the foreground and makes the grasses in the field appear more three dimensional.
The quirky gap between hay bales, providing a glimpse of blue and pointing to the impermanent nature of the stack.
Keeping an eye out for snakes, I moved carefully through knee long grass, up to the fence line to make the photo.
Because of the bright, cloudless conditions a lot of color and texture was being reflected off the surface of the grasses and hay bales.
I employed a polarizing filter, something I rarely do, to minimize reflection and retain as much color and texture as possible in the scene.
From my point of view, this photo is so much more than a document of a relatively straightforward rural scene of hay bales in a field, pictured against a clear, blue sky.
Like so many of my photos, this picture is really a study in composition that’s underpinned by the following:
Color
Texture
Shape
Scale and space
Light and shadow
A really helpful way to move forward in your own creative journey through photography is to think more deeply about the subject matter in your photos.
While good photos showcase landscapes, children or food, they’re more likely to explore concepts associated with nature; love and progeny; and health and we’ll-being.
It’s not semantics for me to say that, to truly move forward in your own photography adventures, you’d want to be creating photos, rather than taking, capturing or shooting photos.
Actually, I wrote a blog post dealing with that specific subject. It’s titled, Basic Photography Vocabulary: Why I Hate These Three Ugly Words.
The Success Of Your Photos Into The Future
Your enjoyment, and the confidence you’ll derive from the photos you create, will grow, exponentially, as you more forward along you very own creative path.
Living a creative life is, to my mind, very much associated with the notion of living a life of Bliss.
I wrote a post on this subject titled, Capture Blissful Photos: 2 Ways to Picture People in Myanmar which I think you’ll enjoy.
Getting out and about is the first key to your success. I walk everyday and really look forward to the benefits, to mind and body, that walking provides me.
Because it’s fun to do, it’s an easy and cost-free decision to find time, each and every day, to go for a walk.
Doing so is one of the best ways I’ve found to move forward, focus my mind and get on with achieving my own creative goals.
Walking is My Way to Move Forward in Life
It’s that simple. Get up, off the couch, and walk out your door. I find it to be a really great way to get my body moving and to keep my thoughts positive.
Follow this simple advice and you’re, almost immediately, feel better.
Once you’re outdoors and walking around, you’ll begin to tune in to what’s going on around you.
You’ll become aware of the weather and the light and, where trees, flowers or grass are present, of the healing benefits of nature.
Frankly, at this stage of the game, you don’t even need a camera with you to benefit from the gentle exercise you’re about to undertake.
It’s all about self discovery, the photos will follow when the time’s right.
Speaking of time, the more connected you are to what’s going on around you, the more you’ll notice time moving at a different pace and in a way that’s less urgent than it had been.
When I’m walking, particularly when I do so on my own, I begin to experience the world around me at a totally different level than I otherwise would.
And this level of experience is not just as an observer, disconnected and looking at the world from a safe distance, but as an active participant in the experience of life.
Overtime, you’ll notice other changes that will help you move forward, spiritually and creatively. These changes include the following:
Your breathing will be steadier and less forced
Your hearing will improve, as you tune into what’s going on around you
You’ll more easily notice colors, whether pastel or saturated
Excited by light you’ll pay attention to the direction, quality and color of the light
Tones and textures will be revealed, and you’ll more easily determine what subjects and scenes will look good when rendered into a black and white photo
You’ll find it easier to disconnect yourself, from the noise and distractions of our modern world, and experience a deeper connection with the world around you
Remains of an old car, at sunrise, in the Mallee, Australia.
How to Make More Authentic Photos
Put simply, regular exploration of the environment, whether local or further afield, will raise your awareness of the world around you.
That new level of awareness is what’s required to move forward, along your journey, towards making more authentic and creative photos.
I photographed this old car or, rather, what remains of it, at sunrise in a field in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia.
I rarely photograph directly into the sun but, when it works, the resulting mood can be quite evocative.
The starburst effect was achieved by shooting, more or less, directly into the sun with a physically narrow aperture (e.g., f/22).
While lens diffraction, resulting in reduced sharpness, is a consequence of making photos at such a physically narrow aperture, it’s an acceptable compromise given the evocative nature of the starburst.
I have to admit to being quite hesitant going anywhere near an old, abandoned car, surrounded by long grasses on a rural property in regional Australia.
But I did, and I’m really happy with the result.
Actually, my friends and I had a close encounter with a big snake later that morning. But that’s a story for another day.
However, I’m happy to report that all of us, including the snake, got away unharmed.
When it comes to landscape photos your best pics won’t come until you get out and about, into the fresh air and into the light.
Prepare yourself and your camera gear, and be ready for what ever opportunities the day serves up.
No longer thinking in cliches, or trying to follow recipes or mimic the work of other photographers, you’ll be responding directly to the world around you.
However, you’ll do so in a way that’s not so much about what you see, but how you feel about what you see.
Get past the notion that the creativity you’re looking for will come with the next great app, or through the purchase of a different filter for your lens.
Your photos will improve, and you’ll move forward creatively, through greater preparedness, a positive attitude and by being open to the world around you.
“Turn on, tune in, drop out.”
True creativity comes through tapping into your true, authentic self. And that will follow as a consequence of disconnecting yourself from the noise that pervades your daily life.
By doing so you’ll notice things that most people would consider unconventional or banal subject matter.
But what would they know? The starting point for the most creative photos is often unusual or uninteresting subject matter.
Most of all you’ll develop an appreciation for light, the most fundamental aspect underpinning great photography.
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How to Move Forward With Post Processing
What many folk refer to these days as post processing can be conducted in a range of software applications.
My own workflow, by which I’m able to creatively move forward with the photos I make, encompasses Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, with very occasional excursions into other applications.
It’s so easy to get lost in one of these applications, particularly Photoshop. Frankly, you can spend years tumbling around, aimlessly moving sliders in the hope of achieving a better result.
It’s important to understand that Photoshop is not just for photographers. In fact it’s used my an enormous amount of people across a myriad of different industries.
But there’s a real problem in using one application to rule them all. It’s bloated, complex and offers far more options than photographers need or will ever use.
Lightroom, on the other hand, was designed by Adobe with photographers in mind.
While it can’t do everything Photoshop can, it’s possible to reach a moderate stage of competency in one or two sessions. That is, assuming you’re switched on and properly taught.
I’m convinced that, for the vast majority of enthusiast level photographers, Lightroom is the best program you can use.
Lightroom provides great ways by which you can keep track of your photos and, via the Develop module, raise them up to the next level via a clear and concise post processing workflow.
If you’re interested, and you live in or around Melbourne, Australia, click the above advertisement to see how I can set you well on the way to mastering this fantastic software application.
Rain drops on a colorful autumn leaf makes for a dynamic design.
The Artist’s Path Awaits You
No matter the weather, interesting subject matter is everywhere. If you’re having trouble finding something to photograph, try looking left, right or behind you.
If that fails, look upwards or down at your feet.
I’ve employed this simple tip to get me out of a rut and help me create loads of photos over the years.
And that’s exactly how this photo of rain drops on a colorful autumn leaf came above.
It’s amazing how such a simple subject can become an interesting nature study.
Actually, it was a cold and bleak late autumn day, and the trees I was hoping to photograph had lost their leaves.
Needless to say, my motivation wasn’t all that great.
That is, until I followed the tip outlined above and looked down.
Basically, the photo is constructed around color and the repetition of shapes. There’s the triangular shape of the leaves, and the oval shapes of the water drops.
Needless to say, yellow is a positive and life-affirming color, and autumn leaves are always a joy to photograph.
It was such a simple, but fun photo to make.
Once done, I’d shaken off my malaise and was ready to move forward in the search of ever more interesting pics.
As your move forward creatively you’ll make more and more visually compelling and emotively powerful photos.
I really want you to improve your photography and to live a more purpose driven, meaning rich life.
I’m here to help you along that road, and that mission is very much front and centre in my mind when I’m creating content for this site.
I write and create for you.
If I can help you, beyond that fundamental commitment, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.
In the meantime, please feel free to like this post and to share it widely and wildly.
