How to See a Photograph

They considered the intensity and angle of light and questioned if it was the most appropriate light. The effect of shadows and reflections would have been assessed. The time of year and seasonal implications, blots on the landscape, angles, gaps, pleasing relationships or tension between all areas captured within the frame. Studying the available colour palette and the possible inclusion of complimentary or clashing colours, moving or static subjects, man-made intrusions and nature's imperfections, etc. helped each photographer to observe in a much more detailed way than I ever realised was possible.

The above are just a few examples of what might be considered prior to pressing the shutter. With experience these and many other criteria will play an important and increasingly subconscious role in the image-making process. Of course I make mistakes, who doesn't? To learn from these mistakes is key and I now feel much more confident with my choice of subject and understanding what will work and what won't. This has led to me being much more selective about when I press the shutter. I hope I have learnt to see.

Taking time to improve our understanding and appreciation of what we are seeing will be hugely rewarding. Almost anything and everything can be seen to be a thing of beauty, even in the most unlikely places. I touched on the use of light earlier. Matching the subject with appropriate light is one of the most important, challenging and ultimately enjoyable elements of photography. It is something we should always strive for. When we get it right it isn't always obvious; when we don't it stands out like a sore thumb. The next time you hear someone say 'Nice day for photography!' ask yourself - is it? The seed will be sown.

Biography

Clive Minnitt is a key tour leader with Light & Land - which specialises in photographic tours and training both in the UK and all over the world. Clive leads tours to many locations including Andalucía in Spain, the Greek island of Santorini, the English Lake District and many locations across the USA. For full details visit www.lightandland.co.uk

Photography became Clive’s passion following a two and a half year back-backing adventure around the world during the late 1980’s. His love of the outdoors, together with a never-ending desire to travel and explore the world makes him ideally suited to his role with Light & Land.

Clive’s mischievous sense of humour coupled with his enthusiasm for finding & producing great images, is infectious. In his eyes, combining photography and having fun are inextricably linked. Working with his great friend and colleague, Phil Malpas, Clive has led over 35 Light & Land tours to many locations.

In 2008, Clive self-published his first book, Clevedon Pier - a celebration of England’s finest pier, (ISBN 9 780954 101138). The book was critically well-acclaimed and led to a second, commissioned publication entitled Finding the Picture, (ISBN 978-1-902538-58-7), co-written with Phil Malpas, and published in the autumn of 2009. This successful book is the third to be produced in the Light & Land master class series, following Working with Light and Developing Vision & Style, and is an important aide to photographers of all levels, who occasionally suffer from ‘photographer’s block‘.

Both Fuji and Panasonic have used Clive’s images to advertise their own products.

'Being a photographer', says Clive,' is not like a job, it is a way of life.'

http://www.lightandland.co.uk/tutors.aspx?conid=201&tutid=5
http://www.minnitt.co.uk

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Entry tags

How to See a Photograph, see, seeing, look, looking, observe, compose, simple, simplicity, light, lighting, photo, photograph, photos

Your Comments

8 Comments so far | Newest Oldest first | Post a comment

#1 Tim

Good start. For me, the art comes from waving the viewfinder around and seeing how it looks - not the scene, but how the viewfinder looks. That is the 2D result that other people will see, not the 3D objects in front of you. If it’s harmonious, shoot it.

1:20 pm - Tuesday, March 9, 2010

#2 Randy

really nice shot. the art is the angle you can take.

photography.thegroovie.com

2:40 pm - Tuesday, March 9, 2010

#3 Ian Haseltine - Real Estate Photography

Great post! I love the topic. I have studied photography for years, but the relation of composition and “what is a good photograph?” seems to get lost on the masses of shutterbugs all around us. Thanks for sharing and inspiring!

10:20 pm - Tuesday, March 9, 2010

#4 Mandeno Moments

I like the first image, of the bridge: it’s dynamic and holds your eye. I also like the unconventional nature of it, which gives a fresh perspective on the familiar.

Another way to ‘see’ (visualise) a photograph before you press the shutter is to close one eye and switch to 2D: what looks good in 3D may look awful in 2D. Don’t move your head around while you have one eye closed, because your brain will compensate and you’ll be back to 3D, even though you have one eye closed. This is similar to what Tim described above.

I’ve just started experimenting with using frames, eg a slide mount, to try out various compositions before picking up the camera. This seems to be a good mental discipline.

A black frame is usually best unless you’re shooting at night. My cameras shoot in 4:3, so I have frames for 4:3, 3:2, 1:1, & 16:9, all made from black plastic.

http://MandenoMoments.com/

6:31 am - Wednesday, March 10, 2010

#5 Saul Raikis

Very Nice. What I love about photography is, that it gives one a chance to freeze a moment in time. When you look back, it gives you some sort of clarity, and to some of us makes us want (or need) to do it again.

2:53 pm - Wednesday, March 10, 2010

#6 Johnny Napoles

This article is amazing, im currently enrolled in high school, and we’re required to complete a graduation project. I chose to do mine on photography, and im going to try and explain some of the things you spoke about, and what caught my eye was the picture of the bridge. Its hard to explain to people when I say the point of my project is to educate, to show the few people who will see it the right way to see a photograph. I’m glad I found your site, if possible please send me a message to my email, I would love to have the opportunity to ask you questions in the future about photography, and send visual messages to the people.

2:54 pm - Thursday, March 25, 2010

#7 heather Meakin

I am new to the world of photography , it is amazing how you develop a “3rd Eye” when ever you are out and about even without your camera, you SEE the world with much more clarity,

2:00 pm - Sunday, April 25, 2010

#8 heather Meakin

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO REMOVE MY NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS PLEASE, I HAVE DELETED IT 5 TIMES AND IT KEEPS COMING BACK, I WOULD LIKE IT REMOVED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE PLEASE

7:56 pm - Monday, April 26, 2010