SaxonIV
Member
Original Article With Some Examples of my Best Work this Year
Hello everyone. I guess I will make this my formal introduction. I have been using the Buy and Sell parts of this forum for some time, and I think it's time I contribute to some discussion. The following is an article I wrote for my blog, and I would hope that everyone would take the time to read it. I understand it may be TLTR, so here is the synopsis:
I, as a self proclaimed photographer, rely too much on my gear and more specifically, bokeh when composing shots.
Here is the article, and I encourage everyone to check out my blog as well: My Tumblr
Composition and the Photographers Outlook on Things Like Bokeh, Lighting, and Subject.
Over the past few years I have been dabbling in portrait photography. While I tried to differentiate myself from everyone else, I tended to rely heavily on bokeh as a means of simplifying the message I was trying to convey. The message was simple, I wanted to make my subject or subjects stand out from the background. I took no time to consider what would happen without the background, and rather simply just posed and made sure the lighting was right. Now, After much deliberation, I have come to a place in my photography where I am not happy with what I am creating; it is almost as though I am at a standstill, at a point where I am creating someone else's work, using someone else's style, and relying too heavily on my equipment.
This is not a place I want to be. While I may be creating stunning and visually stimulating images, I'm not creating my images. They are somewhat disconnected from what and who I am about. I have no artistic input, and almost always find myself wanting more.
Enter the compact camera scene. I have for sometime looked down upon the compact camera, and well crop sensors for that matter. I felt as though they were much less of a tool, and much more of a novelty. For how was I to create "art" without beautiful bokeh? I've gone through countless upgrades with both cameras and lenses, and now it seams as thought I have settled upon a good kit. Having full frame leaves me no other place to go (I've had medium format, but wasted a lot of money and time lugging my Mamiya around). For me the 5D classic has hit my niche, but I still don't feel comfortable shooting without lenses that create unbelievable bokeh (think 135L, Sigma 50mm). I've challenged myself by finally picking up a compact camera. I purchased a Nikon P7000. It's got everything anyone would ever need, 28-200mm equivilent lens, Control dials for everything, a usable physical viewfinder, and good speed what's on par with DSLR cameras. I have chosen to use this camera as much more than just a tool for snapshots. I want to use it as my notebook. I want to be taking photos every day with it so that I know what I want in a photograph without being too worried about the technical aspects. What I want now is more than just a beautiful model with some hyper compressed background surrounded by mounds of luscious, creamy bokeh. I want a message, I want a theme, I want Composition.
Composition: to many it's just something that comes naturally and develops over time. To me it's something I've been somewhat scared of. I've never gone out an just tried to do composition. I've been much too busy looking up what lenses are sharper, which work best in what environment and which adds the best bokeh. Now though, I am determined to uncover it's mysteries. Not only do I want to use more composition in my photography, I want composition to be the main thing my photography is about.
I don't want to simply make a great shot using the rule of thirds, I want someone to instantly see what I saw, See the ambiance of the light, see the emotion of the subject looking off at something unseen and mysterious. I want the bokeh to be there, but I no longer want to use it as a crutch. I want to rely on my emotions and intuition more than my equipment.
2012. This year I am determined to learn and finally get my photography where I want it, and not where anyone else wants it. I have recently been doing a lot of thinking (much more thinking than shooting) and I am ready for the challenge. Right now my kit includes a Canon 5D, a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, and Canon 50mm f/1.8 (my forth 50mm). That has me covered. I can shoot almost anything. I am often reminded of a great photographer that I am lucky enough to know, Melanie Mansfield with Fresh Photography. One of our first conversations was about gear, and of course she is of sound mind. She told me a few things that have stuck with me. She told me that I had to go full frame eventually, and that she shot a good part of a wedding with the nifty fifty. That really astounded me. How could someone make do with a lens that most wouldn't even consider quality? I'll tell you how. She doesn't rely on her gear to take photographs, she relies on her eyes. When looking through her albums, it's clear she takes composition and bokeh into consideration, but more evident is how she takes and captures the mood. This is exactly what I'm after.
This is my goal for the new year: Stop relying on gear, and develop an eye for photography. There is nothing more important nor more simple than that. It's something that eludes all but the best, and it's something I'm determined to accomplish. How am I going to do this? I have no idea. I will shoot as much as possible and work with what I have. Hopefully at the end of this year I will have a better understanding of who I am as a photographer, and Hopefully I will be able to report back with what I have learned.
-Saxon
Hello everyone. I guess I will make this my formal introduction. I have been using the Buy and Sell parts of this forum for some time, and I think it's time I contribute to some discussion. The following is an article I wrote for my blog, and I would hope that everyone would take the time to read it. I understand it may be TLTR, so here is the synopsis:
I, as a self proclaimed photographer, rely too much on my gear and more specifically, bokeh when composing shots.
Here is the article, and I encourage everyone to check out my blog as well: My Tumblr
Composition and the Photographers Outlook on Things Like Bokeh, Lighting, and Subject.
Over the past few years I have been dabbling in portrait photography. While I tried to differentiate myself from everyone else, I tended to rely heavily on bokeh as a means of simplifying the message I was trying to convey. The message was simple, I wanted to make my subject or subjects stand out from the background. I took no time to consider what would happen without the background, and rather simply just posed and made sure the lighting was right. Now, After much deliberation, I have come to a place in my photography where I am not happy with what I am creating; it is almost as though I am at a standstill, at a point where I am creating someone else's work, using someone else's style, and relying too heavily on my equipment.
This is not a place I want to be. While I may be creating stunning and visually stimulating images, I'm not creating my images. They are somewhat disconnected from what and who I am about. I have no artistic input, and almost always find myself wanting more.
Enter the compact camera scene. I have for sometime looked down upon the compact camera, and well crop sensors for that matter. I felt as though they were much less of a tool, and much more of a novelty. For how was I to create "art" without beautiful bokeh? I've gone through countless upgrades with both cameras and lenses, and now it seams as thought I have settled upon a good kit. Having full frame leaves me no other place to go (I've had medium format, but wasted a lot of money and time lugging my Mamiya around). For me the 5D classic has hit my niche, but I still don't feel comfortable shooting without lenses that create unbelievable bokeh (think 135L, Sigma 50mm). I've challenged myself by finally picking up a compact camera. I purchased a Nikon P7000. It's got everything anyone would ever need, 28-200mm equivilent lens, Control dials for everything, a usable physical viewfinder, and good speed what's on par with DSLR cameras. I have chosen to use this camera as much more than just a tool for snapshots. I want to use it as my notebook. I want to be taking photos every day with it so that I know what I want in a photograph without being too worried about the technical aspects. What I want now is more than just a beautiful model with some hyper compressed background surrounded by mounds of luscious, creamy bokeh. I want a message, I want a theme, I want Composition.
Composition: to many it's just something that comes naturally and develops over time. To me it's something I've been somewhat scared of. I've never gone out an just tried to do composition. I've been much too busy looking up what lenses are sharper, which work best in what environment and which adds the best bokeh. Now though, I am determined to uncover it's mysteries. Not only do I want to use more composition in my photography, I want composition to be the main thing my photography is about.
I don't want to simply make a great shot using the rule of thirds, I want someone to instantly see what I saw, See the ambiance of the light, see the emotion of the subject looking off at something unseen and mysterious. I want the bokeh to be there, but I no longer want to use it as a crutch. I want to rely on my emotions and intuition more than my equipment.
2012. This year I am determined to learn and finally get my photography where I want it, and not where anyone else wants it. I have recently been doing a lot of thinking (much more thinking than shooting) and I am ready for the challenge. Right now my kit includes a Canon 5D, a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, and Canon 50mm f/1.8 (my forth 50mm). That has me covered. I can shoot almost anything. I am often reminded of a great photographer that I am lucky enough to know, Melanie Mansfield with Fresh Photography. One of our first conversations was about gear, and of course she is of sound mind. She told me a few things that have stuck with me. She told me that I had to go full frame eventually, and that she shot a good part of a wedding with the nifty fifty. That really astounded me. How could someone make do with a lens that most wouldn't even consider quality? I'll tell you how. She doesn't rely on her gear to take photographs, she relies on her eyes. When looking through her albums, it's clear she takes composition and bokeh into consideration, but more evident is how she takes and captures the mood. This is exactly what I'm after.
This is my goal for the new year: Stop relying on gear, and develop an eye for photography. There is nothing more important nor more simple than that. It's something that eludes all but the best, and it's something I'm determined to accomplish. How am I going to do this? I have no idea. I will shoot as much as possible and work with what I have. Hopefully at the end of this year I will have a better understanding of who I am as a photographer, and Hopefully I will be able to report back with what I have learned.
-Saxon