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DPChallenge Forums >> Rant >> picture that tells a story
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05/02/2002 10:31:44 AM · #1
I try to make my pictures tell a story. Too me still life pictures are planned, rehearsed, and our not spontaneous. What you see is what you got? There is no room for your imagination to determined what that picture means to you. There is no thought process; it is all cut and dry. Who says the main object should be center in an image? Who says the pictures should be limited to just a main object? So-called experts, who can't even agree, draw up those rules. Try to look at photography at what it does for you? I will keep taking pictures that tell a story, that are spontaneous, and are out there for you to capture in an image.
Bob
05/02/2002 11:15:18 AM · #2
Ditto!!

I looked at your site and found your pictures just wonderful, I feel as I have traveled to those special california spots with you, and they brought back memories of road trips when I was a young girl.

Photography should bring out emotion and thought in the viewer, just as your found pics have done for me, obviously the set up shots on this site have done that to you (albeit negative).

I am also a "found" photographer, but one thing this site is doing is helping me to learn more about setting up the shot. That way when I "find" the perfect picture, I will know where to stand to capture it so my viewers enjoy it most. I tend to want people in all of my pics (something my mom said to me after a trip to camp and all I had was pictures of distant mountains, and feet.)I am learning that just the "essence of being" in the photo can bring that feeling to the viewer.

Keep up your good work, and don't let some young punks bring you down. There is definately a lack of maturity in some of the participants on this site. We need wisdom and vision like yours.
05/02/2002 11:25:07 AM · #3
Everyone is right..your pictures are beautiful... :)

* This message has been edited by the author on 5/2/2002 4:18:45 PM.
05/02/2002 12:39:02 PM · #4
Bob, I love your pictures also. I too would rather look at a picture that is either very beautiful, sentimental, or somehow brings a smile to one's face. If a picture seems to tell a story then I think you have done well.
05/02/2002 03:03:00 PM · #5
"Who says the pictures should be limited to just a main object?"

This is such a great question...

When in a room full of people, sometimes the most interesting conversation in the room is not with the person to whom you are speaking, but between the others in the surrounding area.
I think the same goes for a picture telling the complete story. Sometimes the most interesting part of the picture is in activity shown in the "background". The photographer needs to remember to show the forest in spite of the trees.
05/02/2002 05:31:24 PM · #6
Well said!!
05/02/2002 07:44:20 PM · #7
Thanks to everyone and their comments. There is nothing wrong with learning new ways to do anything and that includes photography. If there is one thing I have learned in life is that there are several ways to get something done? There is no right way and there is no wrong way to go about taking pictures for what all that matters is how an image looks to you when you're done. I believe most of the good pictures are luck along with experimentation and knowing what to do. Lucky for us with digital cameras for we can take a lot of pictures and pretty much get instant results via monitor on our cameras to improve the shots. Then take them home and really go over them better to see how they have turned out. Just keep learning and have an open mind about what you do.
05/02/2002 11:22:59 PM · #8
Originally posted by bobgaither:
I try to make my pictures tell a story. Too me still life pictures are planned, rehearsed, and our not spontaneous. What you see is what you got? There is no room for your imagination to determined what that picture means to you. There is no thought process; it is all cut and dry.

No offence, but it sounds to me like you haven't been exposed to enough good photography. It's much harder to make a 'made' shot with a spontaneous quality that sparks the imagination, but it certainly can be done. When people refer to Ansel Adams, I usually write them off right away as not being aware of any other photographers, but would you call his images (which were perconcieved, planned, arranged prior to capture and heavily altered afterwards) "cut and dry" (sic)?

Who says the main object should be center in an image?

Nobody. There are certain situations where it's considered preferable - symmetrical objects in closeup, some kinds of architecture, etc., but these are compositional guidelines.

Who says the pictures should be limited to just a main object?

Again, nobody. Most images benefit from having an identifiable subject, but lots do just fine without.

So-called experts, who can't even agree, draw up those rules.

Have a little sympathy for the 'so-called experts'. They didn't make the rules or guidelines that are chafing you. They just recognize that, over the millenia, different cultures have evolved different presentational strategies for images. They give these strategies names like "The Rule of Thirds" (I prefer "The Suggestion of Thirds")or "The Golden Mean" to make them easier to talk about. Some of them work well some of the time. If you're familiar with them, you can try them out and see if they work for you. If you just say they're a bunch of hooey (and that is your perogative) I have to wonder how you'll be able to evaluate a composition. If you're not into preconceived ideas about composition, that's cool, but I suggest you develop some kind of personal vocabulary that describes "The Rule of Bob", so that you can use it to compare the compositions you like to the ones you don't. The ones you like most likely have something in common that appeals to you, and if you identify what that is you've taken a big step towards defining your own vision. That's really what all the old rules are about, except that they are supported by a larger base of history, perspective and experience. Tossing all that out and starting from scratch is a bit like reinventing the wheel, but may just be the thing that turns your vision into something visionary and unique. Go for it.

Try to look at photography at what it does for you? I will keep taking pictures that tell a story, that are spontaneous, and are out there for you to capture in an image.

I don't quite follow you here, but that's the spirit! Go get 'em!

Regards,
E


05/03/2002 09:09:11 AM · #9
yeah, those 'principles' weren't just arbitrarily derived because some artsy fartsy fascist said 'this is the only way to do things.' they came about because over time, it was found that due to psycho-perceptual phenomena in the human organism, some things seem to stimulate positive responses more consistently than others. by encapsulating those things into easy to remember 'rules', people who don't have an innate feel for those things can have them at their disposal to try. but it's not an either-or thing: those are just another tool for your arsenal. and it's surprising how well some of them work. : )

btw, here's a still life picture. can you honestly tell me that this picture does not tell a story by sparking your imagination and make you wonder and create a meaning to go along with it? :)

05/03/2002 06:23:16 PM · #10
I am thinking of three art forms. You have art that is painting, drawing, sculpture, etc. Then you have photography. Then came along video. The first art form is made by a person doing something to achieve a point of view. I'll jump to video that is a process in which something is shown at a point in time that proceeds somewhere in action. Now photography to me, a picture can be a portrait and still tell a story because of the person's expressions. I wonder what this person is thinking, feeling, doing, etc. Nature is alive, changing with the seasons and weather, it tells a story. Landscapes, Architecture, anything that can change are a story. Anything that is alive or influenced by life to me tells a story. Video tells a story also, but I think the reason photography still survives is that a picture can leave you to your imagination. The pictures of a bowl of fruit, candles, advertisements, anything that is made and place for a photograph is the first art form that being something to achieve a point of view. I have no qualms about that type of photography for someone else but it is not for me to enjoy doing. I enjoy watching and observing, rather than creating an image. I pick and choose what ideas fit me in learning about photography? Good Luck and Happy Photography.
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