For What it Is - DPChallenge Forums

10/17/2002 09:33:10 AM · #1

Gordon made an excellent post somewhere here yesterday about looking at an object for what it actually is rather than allowing your mind to tell you that it is an 'apple' or a 'golfball' and blowing it off...

I bought John Hedgecoe's How to Take Great Photographs book last night. This book discusses this concept.

It also suggests working with it by choosing an object like a tomato or an apple (red was the theme since the section discussing this topic was focusing on color) and make about 30 or 40 photos of it, focusing on highlighting textures, shapes, colors, lighting, and perspectives.

An apple is an apple, but it is also a shape with textures and colors. Removing the mental picture of the apple and focusing on the physical aspects of the subject can be rewarding sometimes :)

10/17/2002 11:23:51 AM · #2

It is a hard thing to do. It takes time and effort but is really worthwhile.

It comes over a lot in the comments here too. Shots that people can't
immediately 'label' the content, get voted down. Instead of looking at a picture
and saying 'what is it' or 'how was it done' look at it for the shapes
and lines, colours and tones that are in it. Ask how they make you
feel or what emotion they suggest to you. Maybe eventually you can look
at it and say 'apple' but before that try and understand what the
shapes and positions and colours say to you.

Another example: consider a fine bone-china tea cup, explore the
curve of the lip or the decoration on the handle. Look at the
smoothness of the finish or the slight cracking in the glaze.

Compare it to a plain white coffee cup. Round, generic - perhaps
with a yellowish coffee stain to its interior. The handle is smooth
and undecorated and consists of bold clean lines.

Or would you look at them both and say 'tea cup' and 'coffee cup'

Another example: Take a sheet of paper and draw a house. Did you
draw the standard 'child' view with a roof, 4 windows and a door,
perhaps a chimney ? Or did you draw something that shows the actual
home you live in ? Or did you show your dream house in the country,
with the trees and lawn and rolling hills behind ?

The first one is a drawing of the label we use for house, the second
would be a drawing of the house that you see if you really look when you
go home tonight. The third would be a drawing from your imagination.

These aspects can all contribute to improving your photography.

[with recognition that I'm taking a lot of these ideas from a Freeman Patterson book]

10/17/2002 11:53:40 AM · #3

Thanks guys. This articulates the lessons in seeing I was taught from childhood as an art student.

I recommend adding that once you can see any object as mass line texture tone etc. that you begin to study how those elements act together within the four walls of a 2 dimentional plane. This is the essence of controling composition or judging it.

10/17/2002 11:53:50 AM · #4

I think this is a very worthwhile area of study... let's play with it some... Let's take some photographs... Maybe we can choose a common object that plenty of people have access to and see what kinds of compositions we can come up with that focus on the shapes, textures, etc, that are the physically defininte elements of the subject.

Even better, maybe everyone choose something different. I suppose in a study like this one, it doesn't really matter WHAT the object is, or if it is readily recognized. After all, the object itself is not the focus of the shot :)

Challenge:

Choose a single subject. Make 25 different photographs of that subject. Use your camera to bring forth the textures... the shapes... elements of lighting...

Jak

Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

10/17/2002 12:04:05 PM · #5

John, are you suggesting an "at home" challenge -- take 25 different pics, experimenting, but don't upload all 25 to the site. Yes?

10/17/2002 12:06:09 PM · #6

hmmmm simply extend the shot you are doing for next week?

Or shall we do just a simple object for the sake of study say the difference between an egg and a boom box.

10/17/2002 12:07:29 PM · #7

I'm suggesting that you choose some subject to photograph... make 25 different shots of it to accent the shape, texture, etc... upload them to pbase... then let's talk about them :)

Jak

Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

10/17/2002 12:13:54 PM · #8

Great idea!

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/17/2002 12:46:15 PM · #9

Originally posted by Jak:
Great idea!

I'd suggest that we do this, but entirely not in the context of
the challenge. Lets pick an item and explore it, come up with
interesting ways to see it and its form and share and talk about them,
but not competatively.

An egg would be good!

lionelm

Canon EOS-10D

10/17/2002 12:53:22 PM · #10

I like the idea ... I think we should have one object, common one, we take out shots ... post them to pbase, and then maybe we could choose some and 'summariwe' in a gallery.
So I am in it. John maybe you could schedule a chat in your chatroom for that.
I like the idea a lot, not doing it in a 'competitive' state of mind but trying to 'push' a single simple object by playing with lightning textures angles ... would it be kind of the idea ?

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical DF for Canon

10/17/2002 12:56:03 PM · #11

Originally posted by lionelm:
I like the idea ... I think we should have one object, common one, we take out shots ... post them to pbase, and then maybe we could choose some and 'summariwe' in a gallery.
So I am in it. John maybe you could schedule a chat in your chatroom for that.
I like the idea a lot, not doing it in a 'competitive' state of mind but trying to 'push' a single simple object by playing with lightning textures angles ... would it be kind of the idea ?

That would be what I would have in mind. Also we don't vote on them
afterwards! We just look for the good and bad in them and discuss it.
No numbers!

magnetic9999

Canon EOS-20D

10/17/2002 12:56:58 PM · #12

id be into this

Jak

Fujifilm FinePix S602Z

10/17/2002 12:58:50 PM · #13

I like the idea of using a chicken's egg as they are just about ubiquitous across the planet, and there should be no confusion about what is meant.

10/17/2002 12:58:58 PM · #14

I nominate a mug. :)

10/17/2002 02:38:25 PM · #15

You can use a mug if you like :) I think that everyone that wants to play should choose their own subject...

10/17/2002 03:38:55 PM · #16

Originally posted by jmsetzler:
You can use a mug if you like :) I think that everyone that wants to play should choose their own subject...

Okay, I am going to try an egg.

10/17/2002 03:44:51 PM · #17

I think I will work with a hammer...

lisae

Olympus C-720UZ

10/18/2002 09:18:37 AM · #18

La, I just saw this... I haven't been reading everything here for the past few days, partly because of the new animation course I just started in the evenings.

I'd love to keep up with this. It's great that this subject of discussion has taken off in here :). Only, being a vegan, I'm not going to photograph any eggs...

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

10/18/2002 09:46:40 AM · #19

I hope to work on these photos some over the weekend... I have not had an opportunity to start on it just yet... :)

Lisae, you could still photograph eggs... just don't eat them :)

lionelm

Canon EOS-10D

10/18/2002 11:41:47 AM · #20

Lisa .. john is right .... he he he
Or you could just eat the shell (full of calcium) and not the inside !

I will work on that this WE as well ....

mcmurma

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

Nikon MF 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS

10/18/2002 01:53:36 PM · #21

I wanna play... I'll do some pics of an egg... an egg-shaped gourd' - ) Sounds like a fun exercise.

lisae

Olympus C-720UZ

10/19/2002 03:57:47 AM · #22

Bah, I know you guys were just joking, but as a vegan I don't buy any animal products as long as I can help it, it's not just about what I eat. No leather, no wool, no cosmetics with animal products, etc. Definitely no eggs.

Anachronite

Sony DSC-S85

10/19/2002 04:27:41 AM · #23

Originally posted by jmsetzler:
I'm suggesting that you choose some subject to photograph... make 25 different shots of it to accent the shape, texture, etc... upload them to pbase... then let's talk about them :)

this sounds like fun and a great opportunity to learn something... but what is Pbase? (sorry for being a newbie) :o) also, last night I bought Hedgcoes, "Complete Guide to Photography"...
is this a good book for a beginner? thanks

* This message has been edited by the author on 10/19/2002 4:25:59 AM.