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10/01/2007 12:33:33 PM · #76 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
It's not right to say my "style" is "landscape photography", that's just wrong. |
I don't really think anyone has been saying that though, have they ? Right up the top of the thread it's talked about as the 'look or feel' of the photographs. Its about how you might approach a subject. Or how you can look at a photograph and tell who the photographer was. |
 ralph implied it:
seeing a style in a large body (/ history) of work is easy
after looking at thousands of images at DPC & elsewhere you can see themes reoccurring with some people ..
(certainly shows in my best DPC pics )
though it is easy to sit in ones comfort zone.. everyone needs to stretch which is why DPC works ,, it makes some (not all) try to reach different goals than the usual ..
some people do very well at shooting bugs/flowers/pretty girls or people with character/ sunsets /etc .. .. but not many can do all of them
I was disagreeing with that particular implication.
R.
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10/01/2007 01:01:12 PM · #77 |
Originally posted by Sonifo:
I have browsed the web and noticed that some photographers only take b/w or just head shots. I believe they are holding back their creativity, but some people are sticklers like that. |
The trade off being someone somewhere in the world seeing an image and saying, "Man, I'll bet anything that's a Soni photo".
Not everyone sets out to achieve the same thing. Some are great at lots of things, while others are experts at just one thing. Both paths are valid. |
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10/01/2007 01:31:31 PM · #78 |
Originally posted by Sonifo:
I have browsed the web and noticed that some photographers only take b/w or just head shots. I believe they are holding back their creativity, but some people are sticklers like that. |
I think personally that my most creative times are when I've been the most constrained in one way or another. My least creative times have been when I've had total freedom.
Those constraints could be subject, or composition, or location, or only shooting things starting with E, whatever, but once I constrain a few things, either by self-imposed decision or by circumstance, I'm left to be creative about other things.
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10/01/2007 02:08:18 PM · #79 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Sonifo:
I have browsed the web and noticed that some photographers only take b/w or just head shots. I believe they are holding back their creativity, but some people are sticklers like that. |
I think personally that my most creative times are when I've been the most constrained in one way or another. My least creative times have been when I've had total freedom.
Those constraints could be subject, or composition, or location, or only shooting things starting with E, whatever, but once I constrain a few things, either by self-imposed decision or by circumstance, I'm left to be creative about other things. |
That's interesting. I have the opposite experience. When constrained I feel bound, and I take lousy pictures. When I've got choices, I take better pictures. I also wrote crappy essays in high school when I left it to the last day. |
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10/01/2007 03:24:02 PM · #80 |
And I am not saying sticking with one thing is a bad thing, just not for me. I learn and do better when I challenge myself. I agree that people get better when they stick with one thing, well what happens when that person is as good as he/she is going to get at it. Boredom sets in for me and I loose interest. I mean, you can only take so many "E" shots and then time to move on to "F". :-))
Originally posted by hopper:
Originally posted by Sonifo:
I have browsed the web and noticed that some photographers only take b/w or just head shots. I believe they are holding back their creativity, but some people are sticklers like that. |
The trade off being someone somewhere in the world seeing an image and saying, "Man, I'll bet anything that's a Soni photo".
Not everyone sets out to achieve the same thing. Some are great at lots of things, while others are experts at just one thing. Both paths are valid. |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Sonifo:
I have browsed the web and noticed that some photographers only take b/w or just head shots. I believe they are holding back their creativity, but some people are sticklers like that. |
I think personally that my most creative times are when I've been the most constrained in one way or another. My least creative times have been when I've had total freedom.
Those constraints could be subject, or composition, or location, or only shooting things starting with E, whatever, but once I constrain a few things, either by self-imposed decision or by circumstance, I'm left to be creative about other things. |
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10/01/2007 03:36:08 PM · #81 |
Gordon,
Not sure if this is off topic, but do you think that photography similar to other art forms is reflective of a persons mood? I have read numerous times that many artists, musicians, poets, painters, reveal their best work when they are depressed, sad, or whatever the trial they are experiencing. Is this similar to what you are talking about in a sense?
Michael
Originally posted by Gordon:
I think personally that my most creative times are when I've been the most constrained in one way or another. My least creative times have been when I've had total freedom.
Those constraints could be subject, or composition, or location, or only shooting things starting with E, whatever, but once I constrain a few things, either by self-imposed decision or by circumstance, I'm left to be creative about other things. |
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10/01/2007 03:51:07 PM · #82 |
Originally posted by Sonifo:
And I am not saying sticking with one thing is a bad thing, just not for me. I learn and do better when I challenge myself. I agree that people get better when they stick with one thing, well what happens when that person is as good as he/she is going to get at it. Boredom sets in for me and I loose interest. I mean, you can only take so many "E" shots and then time to move on to "F". :-)) |
From another discussion I've been having recently:
I'm reminded of the story of the violin maker in the 1600's - he had a reputation as the very best violin maker of the time. The king wanted a violin and so interviewed this fellow. One of the questions was "How many violins have you made? The violin maker thought for a minute and said, "Well, I haven't actually ever finished one." he paused and went on "... but every now and then someone comes and takes the one I'm working on and I never see it again..."
Usually when I've been studying or learning something for a while, the more I learn, the more I realise there is to learn. I once spent 15 years becoming a world expert in a really, really narrow field of study, only to find that I was just scratching the surface. In other fewer words, I don't think you ever can get as good as you ever are going to get, at anything, until you stop trying or die.
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10/01/2007 03:57:18 PM · #83 |
| The search for perfection is a lifetimes work. If you think you reached perfection, you have given up. This is why I don't think I have a style, because I flit about from subject to subject, forever trying to master a technique or capture what I see. |
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10/01/2007 04:50:24 PM · #84 |
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10/01/2007 04:53:06 PM · #85 |
Originally posted by Agaricus:
Gordon,
Not sure if this is off topic, but do you think that photography similar to other art forms is reflective of a persons mood? I have read numerous times that many artists, musicians, poets, painters, reveal their best work when they are depressed, sad, or whatever the trial they are experiencing. Is this similar to what you are talking about in a sense?
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It's a good question and I think relates a lot to what your personal style becomes. If we set commercial work to one side, where there's a client calling the shots in one way or another, I think that really great photography comes when there's some emotional involvement by the photographer. Particularly, when the images are trying to express something that the photographer feels and wants to impart to the viewer. That can be as simple as 'woo, pretty'. If I'm feeling down, I'm drawn to quieter, more melancholy subjects, not high energy, bright, vivid situations. Shooting can also be a form of therapy to explore your own emotions - nothing says you have to share every image you ever take with the world.
Sometimes it just takes spending a few moments of quiet time to reflect on what is it about a subject that you are attracted to, or what about it you want to express and then using the creative tools you have to express it. There, you tie in your emotional response to the subject into the way you portray it.
On the flip side, you can use photography to change your mood - chasing high energy situations when you are down, or seeking out slower, tranquil subjects or approaches when you want to unwind.
I get the least satisfaction when I feel like I'm copying an image I've seen before, because it isn't something that comes from within me. It doesn't have anything to do with how I see at that point, just a copy of someone elses' view on life. When that emotional attachment or connection comes back into the photos, I find them much more satisfying, whether anyone else does or not.
In a roundabout way then, your emotional state certainly would be one of the constraints that affect what you shoot, when you shoot and how you see or approach your subjects. What you can do to change that can be an interesting experiment or thing to play with too.
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10/01/2007 05:08:24 PM · #86 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Sonifo:
And I am not saying sticking with one thing is a bad thing, just not for me. I learn and do better when I challenge myself. I agree that people get better when they stick with one thing, well what happens when that person is as good as he/she is going to get at it. Boredom sets in for me and I loose interest. I mean, you can only take so many "E" shots and then time to move on to "F". :-)) |
From another discussion I've been having recently:
I'm reminded of the story of the violin maker in the 1600's - he had a reputation as the very best violin maker of the time. The king wanted a violin and so interviewed this fellow. One of the questions was "How many violins have you made? The violin maker thought for a minute and said, "Well, I haven't actually ever finished one." he paused and went on "... but every now and then someone comes and takes the one I'm working on and I never see it again..." |
Love that!
Originally posted by Gordon:
Usually when I've been studying or learning something for a while, the more I learn, the more I realise there is to learn. I once spent 15 years becoming a world expert in a really, really narrow field of study, only to find that I was just scratching the surface. In other fewer words, I don't think you ever can get as good as you ever are going to get, at anything, until you stop trying or die. |
Ok..I see where you are going.
Now look at it this way... My daughter is learning her letters. She started with her vowels and has now learned how to sound her vowels with the letters T, S, W, L, B, F and M. And as she learns the letters she still uses them and she progresses to other letters and when she gets all her letters down she starts to read 3 letter words, then 4 and 5. From there she learns to read sentences...etc.
Just like photography...I am not saying I know everything there is to learn about photography. There is so much to learn, but I am saying that I can't just stick with the stuff I know..I need to move on to new and more challenging parts of the hobby. And as I move on, my style changes. If that makes sense?
I am not saying all people should live as I do, but it wouldn't be a bad idea, cuz the whole world would be just like me. hehehee! |
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10/01/2007 05:59:36 PM · #87 |
I find this very true for my personal style and probably why I am so drawn to colors and high altitude landscapes and vistas. When I am at sea level, and when I am stuck in the corporate world of monotonous messages and stagnancy, I tend to feel very closed in, almost in a claustrophobic in a sense. Then I start feel down and it does affect in a major way how I see the world around me.
However, I when I go out in the mountains or even in the rural country side where I feel so much freer and not so restrained, I then can see the world in a different light, in a “natural light” as it were and not the stuffy fluorescents that seem so prominent in an office cubical. A couple people have been trying to get me to change what I shoot, and it is probably a good thing as I do need to get out of my “preverbal” box sometimes.
I did buy a macro recently, and I do enjoy using the lens and seeing the smaller, more intricate details that many people seem to pass up. I have found a whole new world in the smaller features, but I have a hard time expressing what it is that I am feeling when I think smaller or see smaller. I can more easily express an inner part of my soul when I shoot landscapes, and am able to portray that to the viewer.
I guess it is a progression we all go through, and we shoot what it is we feel comfortable with. Similar to what a writer is comfortable in sharing about their inner self to the reader. Linus and the security blanket, there are just things we refuse to give up!!
Originally posted by Gordon:
It's a good question and I think relates a lot to what your personal style becomes. If we set commercial work to one side, where there's a client calling the shots in one way or another, I think that really great photography comes when there's some emotional involvement by the photographer. Particularly, when the images are trying to express something that the photographer feels and wants to impart to the viewer. That can be as simple as 'woo, pretty'. If I'm feeling down, I'm drawn to quieter, more melancholy subjects, not high energy, bright, vivid situations. Shooting can also be a form of therapy to explore your own emotions - nothing says you have to share every image you ever take with the world.
Sometimes it just takes spending a few moments of quiet time to reflect on what is it about a subject that you are attracted to, or what about it you want to express and then using the creative tools you have to express it. There, you tie in your emotional response to the subject into the way you portray it.
On the flip side, you can use photography to change your mood - chasing high energy situations when you are down, or seeking out slower, tranquil subjects or approaches when you want to unwind.
I get the least satisfaction when I feel like I'm copying an image I've seen before, because it isn't something that comes from within me. It doesn't have anything to do with how I see at that point, just a copy of someone elses' view on life. When that emotional attachment or connection comes back into the photos, I find them much more satisfying, whether anyone else does or not.
In a roundabout way then, your emotional state certainly would be one of the constraints that affect what you shoot, when you shoot and how you see or approach your subjects. What you can do to change that can be an interesting experiment or thing to play with too. |
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10/03/2007 12:10:31 PM · #88 |
From Page-2:
Yes, who you are (your upbringing and environment),
what you believe in (your ethics, values, philosophies),
your technical skill level (your knowledge, experiences, daring-levels), and your emotions/thoughts/perceptions (before and after the shooting), that will all effect your outcome and evolving style.
Don't worry about it, just shoot.
Just boldfaced the sentence reflecting what someone just said.
Now categorise your tons of Challenge excercises (Hopper) into Topics in your Portfolio, then see which have the most in numbers. That might show what you like, or what may be part of your style.
Styles can and should, change over time. Many Impressionist-etc. Artists and even Madonna changed went through several style changes.
Message edited by author 2007-10-03 12:13:46. |
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10/10/2007 11:26:16 PM · #89 |
A good guide. The significant failures attitude is where I always find my interesting ideas.
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10/10/2007 11:42:22 PM · #90 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
A good guide. The significant failures attitude is where I always find my interesting ideas. |
That's a great article. Maybe some won't click the link, and I think that's too bad, so the most salient paragraph for this thread follows.
"I think that most people key their own style on the type of pictures that other people take. Not on the pictures they take. We're humans — we're social animals. Going along with a group is something we enjoy and value. But it's not smart when it comes to art. Tragically, many photographers might actually have seen pictures go by that were the real clues to who they really are, to what their personal style should have been; but, ironically, they reject these pictures for some reason, perhaps as being 'not professional looking,' or otherwise not like pictures they've seen before — and they hit the delete key." |
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10/11/2007 08:59:14 AM · #91 |
This is a really interesting discussion.
I have a tendency to think that everything I shoot is done in my style because well, I'm the one that took the photo. Looking through my photos I can't see a consistent style but maybe someone else can and I know the longer I keep photographing things the odds are that a recognizable style will eventually emerge.
I mean, I know there are a lot of cat photos in my portfolio. That's subject though rather than style. I do think however that finding a subject matter that you love really helps.
I'm a completely unashamed pet photographer. I love animals, I love my cat and my photography has improved significantly since I stopped feeling like I should be doing more meaningful stuff and just let myself indulge in the cat photos. I'm learning things all the time and experimenting and all that carries over when I change it up and take pictures of something else.
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10/11/2007 09:34:22 AM · #92 |
Originally posted by Siggav:
I'm a completely unashamed pet photographer. I love animals, I love my cat and my photography has improved significantly since I stopped feeling like I should be doing more meaningful stuff and just let myself indulge in the cat photos. |
Good for you. I think people can get caught up in this idea of 'meaningful' and not realise it should be 'meaningful to them' rather than perhaps 'meaningful to the world at large'
Sounds like you are doing something more meaningful now. You are taking pictures of something you love. That's pretty meaningful.
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10/22/2007 01:08:12 PM · #93 |
Another few thoughts from Mike Johnson
What about technical style ?
The Elements of Style
The most telling point from the second article, for me, is:
Perhaps one way to clarify what I'm getting at here is to say this: as you pursue and develop your own style (meaning some coherent confluence of subject matter, characteristic way of seeing, and technical signature), you are going to take "good pictures" in other styles—and you have to be willing to discard those.
So perhaps style is as much about what you don't show, as what you do. In many respects that's why I feel dpc is an anathema for developing personal style. The site actively encourages changing subject matter, way of seeing or technical signature. Not that there is actually anything wrong with that, if you don't want to develop some sort of style.
In a sense, there, you are adopting and discarding styles, flitting around between them - perhaps that's a good way to find something you are interested in, but then you need to develop it, spend some time with it, explore, see if it fits. Jumping off to a different approach for the next week and the next again isn't going to let anything settle in.
Message edited by author 2007-10-22 13:10:38.
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10/23/2007 07:22:46 PM · #94 |
Another one that should probably help on the developing style front.
Answer the question and fill in the blanks:
"I have a passion for ____________ and my goal is to _____________."
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10/23/2007 07:38:13 PM · #95 |
| Thanks Gordon ... checkin the links |
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10/24/2007 04:30:37 PM · #96 |
| I have a passion for farmlife and my goal is to create a book called "Farming In Connecticut In the 21st Century." |
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10/24/2007 05:29:59 PM · #97 |
I take pictures of what I like, what inspires me, what catches my eye.
I'm also finding as I screw around with CS2 that different effects give me what I want from an image to the point where I can see what I'll do even when I'm shooting.
I have noticed that I tend to shoot and process in specific ways and shoot specific subjects when I have my preference.
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10/24/2007 05:54:52 PM · #98 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
I don't like the use of the word "style" in this context. To me "style" is a superficial attribute of a thing. I prefer thinking in terms of developing/reinforcing a personal "perspective" or "point of view". I also don't think you can equate "subject matter" with "style" at all. It's not right to say my "style" is "landscape photography", that's just wrong.
In my own work I strive for a sense of serenity, and (usually) a sense of openness. I am most concerned with the tangible expression of light.
R. |
I would argue that this site often has a sense of style...despite varying subjects there is often a DPC look to many of the winning shots. Individual photographers tend to develop a sense of style, and can certainly be affected by the 'types' of photography they are exposed to..on this site that means for some people that can mean striving to imitate the style of ribbon winning shots, by placing a value on high scoring shots, and offering condolences and a 'better luck next time' for those that score low. With such values, style is inevitable.
Perspective is something fresh each time, unless of course it is thematic. It is most compelling when the photographer is compelled or driven either emotionally or intellectually or intuitively to express themselves. Perspective is not given as high a value a style on this site.
Message edited by author 2007-10-24 19:12:26. |
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10/24/2007 07:50:22 PM · #99 |
Originally posted by Louis:
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by Sonifo:
I have browsed the web and noticed that some photographers only take b/w or just head shots. I believe they are holding back their creativity, but some people are sticklers like that. |
I think personally that my most creative times are when I've been the most constrained in one way or another. My least creative times have been when I've had total freedom.
Those constraints could be subject, or composition, or location, or only shooting things starting with E, whatever, but once I constrain a few things, either by self-imposed decision or by circumstance, I'm left to be creative about other things. |
That's interesting. I have the opposite experience. When constrained I feel bound, and I take lousy pictures. When I've got choices, I take better pictures. I also wrote crappy essays in high school when I left it to the last day. |
This is interesting. I'm probably in the middle here. I think we all restrict ourselves to some degree and it is in that restriction where creativity reveals itself. However, it can't be forced or arbitrary. It needs to have purpose. What I try to do is restrict myself to the moment where clarity is at it's highest. I've tried shooting ideas after I have written them down or shot from memory but they never come out the way I originally envisioned. When I am successful, that is when I have captured the essense of what I envisioned, it comes when the idea is still fresh in my mind. I have to be turning it over, inspecting it, experience it for the first time in order to truly capture it. The passage of time only corrupts this process and erodes the moment until it's lost.
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10/24/2007 08:41:13 PM · #100 |
| I wonder, when you pick out a print that you might like to buy, if it's more like your own work, or not? To me, photography has its foundations in the personality of individual photographers--a cult of celebrity. There are no styles of photography, as in fine art, no cubism, pointalism, etc. There are no great eras in photography, like fin de siecle or art nouveau--all the landmarks in photography are based on the technology of the camera. So, if I don't want to be dominated by the technology of the camera, or by my subject, all I have is my own personality & style. If I have no personal style, then all I have left is the hope that I can develop a dominant gimmick, a signature style that will be recognizeable enough to be marketable. |
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