Thousands of people every day buy a new camera, perhaps their very first or just the latest addition to their collection, chosen because it has good press reviews, looks and feels right, or has been recommended by friends at the club. Not everybody, I hasten to add, but a significant number of people aiming to get the best out of their new hobby.
Then they press a few buttons to see if the camera really has the potential to turn them into better photographers, or use their proven skills and experience to decide whether the latest magic function fully lives up to its promise or not . . . which is when the tears are likely to begin.
What many newcomers to the hobby find difficult to understand when choosing a camera (and again I say many, not all,) is that it is not the camera that makes the picture but the eye behind the finger on the button, and that is the element apparently missing from some images which impress friends and family but are viewed with less or negative enthusiasm by the world at large.
The rapid advance of technology has made it almost impossible now to produce a really bad result (in terms of focus, exposure, etc) because even the most basic cameras now have so much hidden assistance built into them that every image can be used straight out of the camera with minimal or zero human intervention, but some users still prefer to think, search, discover or invent ways of making the equipment produce results closer to what they have in mind when they press the button, giving them the added satisfaction of knowing that it is all their own work so this new acronym - CPCPC - is for them ... and myself! Clever, huh?
No, not really! It's just another mnemonic that I use to remember that the real essentials for a successful and meaningful photograph include:
Those five elements, based on the journalist's "five little friends", Who, What, Why, Where and When, are always at the forefront in my mind as I press the button, and put into practice when I see the basic image on the laptop screen, knowing that without their help all that will be seen by most viewers (because they were not there at the time and might not know very much about the location or the atmosphere of the occasion), is a dumb record of the scene in front of the lens when the button was pressed, not necessarily what I saw or imagined in my mind as a good reason for taking the photograph, but just the bare bones upon which to build that picture.
Just my personal thoughts at the current stage of a long learning curve, but there is always more to learn, and I would love to hear other views which might fill some of the gaps, correct any invalid assumptions and iron out the kinks to produce a level playing field, and will not be offended if informed (politely) that I have got it wrong, because criticism backed by friendly advice takes us ever closer, one step at a time, to whatever might be perceived and accepted as "right" in an arena of individual interpretation and free expression.
I love your discussion topics Arthur.
I freely admit I am not much one for technical details and I learn much better by doing than reading so there are still settings and dials on my camera that I am not familiar with or do not know how to use properly. But I don't care - for photography is creative expression - capturing a moment or a scene and then working with it so it represents what I want to be. Sometimes it is a real representation and other times it is my mind creating an artistic image.
I had a neighbour when I was young who always wanted to know Who, Why, What, Where and When - it always puts a smile on my face when I think of her.
Presentation is whatever method you choose to show your work to the public - on a laptop or television screen, a large cinema screen, a greetings card or notelet, a newspaper, magazine or book illustration, advertisement or poster, framed for the home or office wall, or mounted for exhibition, adjusted for size, contrast, definition, best suited to its purpose or location.
On a more basic level it means presenting the picture tidily, cleaned of any debris or distraction and not requiring viewers to squint or twist their necks to interpret it, and with sufficient information attached, whether a carefully chosen single word title or a multi-page thesis.
Sorry this is only a very short list of possibilities, but I think it covers the main areas of interest.
@annied Thank you Annie. Nor am I a techno nerd, but understand just enough about the relationships between aperture and exposure, depth of field, hyperfocal distance, sensitivity, reciprocity and the other basic essentials to find my way through a minefield of 'clever' modern labels identifying keys with mysterious magic functions hiding them from prying 21st century eyes. What I do appreciate though is the availability of some basic editng tools which are so much easier and faster than the former labour-intensive ways, and always make good use of them..
All of that... The camera is just a tool... Buying the best paints and brushes won't make you a painter... And the skilled artist can create a thing of beauty on the back of a napkin using a stubby pencil... The same applies to photography...
Nicely said, @northy , but such truths fall only on the deaf ears of those who "know it all" and resort to 'rules' and silly acronyms to 'prove' that they know better.
Two hundred members are shown as having read this thread so far, but only three individuals have expressed a view, and that says very clearly that we can all safely continue to follow our instinct and not be slaves to rules, templates, acronyms, or price of the equipment.
Interesting breakdown of the process that goes into making an image. I guess like a lot of things, there could be further subdivision or possible additional steps/factors.
As has been mentioned, the photographer holding the technology makes the image, I'm sure we've all heard something along the lines of "Oh that's a fancy/nice camera I bet it takes great photos"
Related Composition, for me there are some additional factors:
- Light, sometimes capturing the light (or lack thereof) and how it falls on a subject, or impacts on the scene can be crucial. For example, capturing an image for the hint of a shadow create by an object. I did a workshop with Les McLean a long time ago, one of things that stayed with me was him saying "shoot the light"
- Visualisation (I have heard it called pre-visualisation but I don't understand the "pre") for me this includes trying to decide what I want to capture, working within my and the camera's ability to produce that image. As somebody I encountered many years ago said "I wish I could take the photograph I think I'm taking". In a way (for me and not always) visualisation helps guide composition.
Processing ... Cropping
I hadn't considered these as being separate steps, but I never stopped to consider it, for me cropping would be a part of the Processing stage. It's something I need to think on and see where I sit on that idea.
Perhaps you could on what you are referring to in relation to "Commentary", is it comments made by the viewer or a narrative you put with the image?
@davejf ... Thank you Dave for your thoughtful reply. As for commentary, I was referring to the authors/artist/photographer's narrative as part of the creative process rather than comments from viewers.
And visualisation, yes I agree - a guide to composition - as well as colour, and presentation which together with other elements help convey the mood intended..
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I freely admit I am not much one for technical details and I learn much better by doing than reading so there are still settings and dials on my camera that I am not familiar with or do not know how to use properly. But I don't care - for photography is creative expression - capturing a moment or a scene and then working with it so it represents what I want to be. Sometimes it is a real representation and other times it is my mind creating an artistic image.
I had a neighbour when I was young who always wanted to know Who, Why, What, Where and When - it always puts a smile on my face when I think of her.
Could you please explain me in more detail what do you understand by "presentation"?
Presentation is whatever method you choose to show your work to the public - on a laptop or television screen, a large cinema screen, a greetings card or notelet, a newspaper, magazine or book illustration, advertisement or poster, framed for the home or office wall, or mounted for exhibition, adjusted for size, contrast, definition, best suited to its purpose or location.
On a more basic level it means presenting the picture tidily, cleaned of any debris or distraction and not requiring viewers to squint or twist their necks to interpret it, and with sufficient information attached, whether a carefully chosen single word title or a multi-page thesis.
Sorry this is only a very short list of possibilities, but I think it covers the main areas of interest.
Thank you for the question, and your kind wishes.
Two hundred members are shown as having read this thread so far, but only three individuals have expressed a view, and that says very clearly that we can all safely continue to follow our instinct and not be slaves to rules, templates, acronyms, or price of the equipment.
Thank you for your wise words.
As has been mentioned, the photographer holding the technology makes the image, I'm sure we've all heard something along the lines of "Oh that's a fancy/nice camera I bet it takes great photos"
Related Composition, for me there are some additional factors:
- Light, sometimes capturing the light (or lack thereof) and how it falls on a subject, or impacts on the scene can be crucial. For example, capturing an image for the hint of a shadow create by an object. I did a workshop with Les McLean a long time ago, one of things that stayed with me was him saying "shoot the light"
- Visualisation (I have heard it called pre-visualisation but I don't understand the "pre") for me this includes trying to decide what I want to capture, working within my and the camera's ability to produce that image. As somebody I encountered many years ago said "I wish I could take the photograph I think I'm taking". In a way (for me and not always) visualisation helps guide composition.
Processing ... Cropping
I hadn't considered these as being separate steps, but I never stopped to consider it, for me cropping would be a part of the Processing stage. It's something I need to think on and see where I sit on that idea.
Perhaps you could on what you are referring to in relation to "Commentary", is it comments made by the viewer or a narrative you put with the image?
And visualisation, yes I agree - a guide to composition - as well as colour, and presentation which together with other elements help convey the mood intended..