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| Why did I make this image? I still don't know. (click to enlarge) Olympus E-M1 Mark III; 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens @ 100mm; 1/640th sec. @ f/8; ISO 200 |
Do you know what it is about a particular scene that makes you stop and press the shutter button? Most of the time I do but sometimes I don't. Sometimes I can't pinpoint what it is about a particular scene before me that attracts my eye.
I ask that question as it arose after looking at this image. I was standing on the shore of Lake Erie, saw the gulls sitting on the beach, in the sun, with the waves rhythmically crashing in, the water a deep aqua and the sky heavily overcast with rolling storm clouds. There was something about this scene that caused me to make the image but I still have not figured out what it is.
It is not a particularly interesting image. I don't think it is a good image. I'm not even sure what the main subject is. Is it the gulls? The storm? The roiling waves? The colors? The contrast? The entirety of it? I just haven't been able to pinpoint the main subject. That is probably why it isn't a very good image. If I can't figure it out, how can I expect my viewers to do so?
Whatever it is, I think we could make better images if we could identify what it is about a particular scene that makes us take notice. If we can first identify the main subject, then second, what it is about the scene that we want to say (or portray), then we can better understand why we are making the image, get a better sense of the best composition and choose the best combination of parameters for exposure.
On the other hand, sometimes its nice to just make an exposure of something that is pleasing to our eyes. Sometimes having a mystery can be helpful and help us grow as photographers and get better. In any case, it makes me think about what I am doing and why I am doing it.
Join me over at my website, www.dennismook.com.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
All content on this blog is © 2013-2021 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.
Join me over at my website, www.dennismook.com.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
All content on this blog is © 2013-2021 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.
Dennis:
ReplyDeleteThere have been some instances when I looked at a photo and I had the same reaction you mentioned: "Why did I take that picture?" I can stare for quite some time and not derive the answer. Thankfully, those instances have been few and far between.
I have to say that I generally do know why I took a picture except for those times when I am carrying the camera facing in a strange direction and accidentally press the shutter (lol).
Most of the time I capture an image because there is something that I consider beautiful or unusually interesting. My favorite genre is landscape photography. There are many times when I am hiking up and down the mountains in a national or state park and I come across a scene that makes me think "wow!" Of course everyone's idea of "wow" may be significantly different.
The other issue is: "Am I skilled enough as a photographer to capture the essence of the scene that will convey the wow-factor?" In the cases where I may fail, it might lead me to ask why I took the picture because it doesn't adequately communicate the feeling I had at the time of capture.
Another type of picture I often take is simply documentary. I want to make note of a place that I visited or something at that place that I want to remember. It may or may not be exceptional, but just something I want to make note of and what better way than a photograph?
My experience is that as I improve as a photography enthusiast, I have a better grasp of the "why" behind my photographs.
Thanks for the interesting discussion - J. Ross
Jeff, thanks for your thoughtful comment. Well said.
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