Putting together a Series

[mgilbuena]

In the interest of becoming a stronger photographer and conveying a unified, visual message, I would like to discover your methodology for creating a photo series.

Firstly, I am curious on your ideas for conception, arrangement, selection and final presentation. If there are additional steps, I would like to hear what they are. Namely -- does the birth of a series become conceptualize prior to the creation of the photographs, or do several photographs fall to the floor during a darkroom session and form a powerful message not previously seen separately?

Are there best practices -- such as not mixing color and black and white photographs?

Most importantly: Let's share some of our photo series into this thread to help those of us, who I suspect as photographers, are visual learners.

 

[rf1552]

Series come to fruition for me in different ways:
1) As I look through my lightroom catalog, I start seeing simliar photos that convey a certain message and I bring them together via keywords.
2) As Im shooting I keep the different series that Im working on in the back of my mind.

I've been told a high quality series should take qute some time. Anywhere from 6 months to years depending on how much you shoot.

IMO black and whites should not be mixed with color in the same series. This is because I shoot each differently depending on what Im going for. I shoot color to emphasize well, color 🙂 So if Im working on a series that has a dark or gritty theme, black and white would work better to convey that through tonality and texture of black and whites. If Im shooting a happy theme I may choose color because color adds another level to the photograph that helps deliver the message. Mixing the two for the viewer may also be a bit confusing as well.

In the end, I think the most important thing is editing down your work to the really really great shots. In one year, I may shoot 3000-to 4000 photos and I edit them down to about 10-12 per year.

I also like to get cheap 4x6 prints made of my photos and tape them to my living room wall. As time goes by I arrange and re-arrange and throw away photos until I've got something IM happy with.

The order of your photos is also very important in series work and knowing when a series is complete is another difficut task for me.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Series come to fruition for me in different ways:
1) As I look through my lightroom catalog, I start seeing simliar photos that convey a certain message and I bring them together via keywords.
2) As Im shooting I keep the different series that Im working on in the back of my mind.

I've been told a high quality series should take qute some time. Anywhere from 6 months to years depending on how much you shoot.

IMO black and whites should not be mixed with color in the same series. This is because I shoot each differently depending on what Im going for. I shoot color to emphasize well, color 🙂 So if Im working on a series that has a dark or gritty theme, black and white would work better to convey that through tonality and texture of black and whites. If Im shooting a happy theme I may choose color because color adds another level to the photograph that helps deliver the message. Mixing the two for the viewer may also be a bit confusing as well.

In the end, I think the most important thing is editing down your work to the really really great shots. In one year, I may shoot 3000-to 4000 photos and I edit them down to about 10-12 per year.

I also like to get cheap 4x6 prints made of my photos and tape them to my living room wall. As time goes by I arrange and re-arrange and throw away photos until I've got something IM happy with.

The order of your photos is also very important in series work and knowing when a series is complete is another difficult task for me.

I'd agree with a lot of that, though I tend to copy 'series' ideas to their own folder and I don't put work in progress on the wall.

A 'series' never ends. The questions are (a) deciding when to exhibit what you've got and (b) deciding when to concentrate more on other series.

I've currently 4 pics from a current series in a small exhibition in a (very) nearby café-bar. I hope it'll be a MUCH bigger series in a year or two.

Cheer,

R.

 

[jsrockit]

Some people start with a concept and then go and photograph based on that concept. Some just go out and photograph, lump like ideas together into folders / boxes, and once those fill up with enough good photos to make a book, exhibit, etc, then deal with them and the "series."

I used to do the former, but now I do the latter. I got burned out too easily when I concentrated on one series. Now that I focus on many series at the same time, I don't get burned out as easily.

I have to admit, I like to go out and shoot... even if there is seemingly nothing to shoot (though there is never nothing in NYC). I have a few projects I'm working on that are easy to gain material for... and those come in handy when I just want to shoot for fun / relaxation.

 

[rhl-oregon]

I think mostly in series at this point. Even if I am not shooting obsessively on a subject/theme for an extended period, I'm on the lookout for images that will fit with current or recent series work. And I can reinforce the sensible comments about using keywords in in one's processor (mine is Lightroom, where I also create titled/themed collections).

I just finished an exhibit where 6 series of photos were delivered on 6 computers using LR's slideshow tool. Some series had as few as 50 photos; the longest included 145. Viewers tended to go from one slideshow to another and grow absorbed in the ones that most appealed to them (although my favorite viewers were those who wanted to pause the shows, and discuss this or that image, or the theme). I did hang about 16 prints in various sizes from all of the shows; these featured some of the images that worked best out of context.

This will be the first way I approach exhibit possibilities in the future--big-monitor slides reinforced by selected prints. But the desire to think and shoot in series, or what used to be called the 'photo-essay,' offers me primary pleasure and interest. So finding ways to share or compel interest in what I found compelling through the lens is a logical though secondary outgrowth.

 

[fwellers]

I sure hope this doesn't seem tacky in regards to your very serious inquiry. I have also been interested in doing a series for the same reasons you mentioned.
The other day a very very small and short ( 6 image )series fell into my lap while I was testing out my new 50 mm ai-s lens on my cat.

Not a truly well thought out masterpiece by any means. A bit entertaining though. 🙂))



Hey What are you looking at, don't you know what I want ?

You can't read my mind so I'll say it. I'm THIRSTY.

Thanks for turning the water on, but do you really have to stare ?

Yup. It's just the right temperature.

That hit the spot. Getting a little sleepy now.

 

[cz23]

Nice, Floyd.

Good topic, mgilbuena.

I've shot a few projects with a series in mind. And I've recently created three small books with a series approach. The latter are based on poems I've written and the text accompanies the photos. (See my web site under "Poems".)

I suppose I could now remove the poems and still have the series, although the intent would be less clear.

In either case, I think you first need a concept, preferably something you care deeply about. Then you need to visually explore various dimensions of that concept. You could brainstorm an outline or a web and shoot to it. Or, you could let your existing photos suggest various facets of the theme and their relationships. Or a combination of both.

To me, it's very much like writing an essay. You plan what you want to cover, but as you write, new avenues open up. That's where the real pleasure comes, I feel. Letting the concept and artwork lead you.

As far as sequencing, that's pretty easy to do in the software. In Lightroom, I create a collection for the theme and sub-collections for the sub-themes, then drag possibilities there. Turn on larger thumbnails, view them as a set, and drag to play with the sequencing. I do the same in InDesign.

I definitely would not mix color and b&w. I would even keep roughly the same post-processing treatment for the entire project. I think you want to use every variable to express an integrated body of work. If something feels out of place, it probably is. Rigorous editing is hard but important.

Good luck, and please share your project when it's done. This approach has made my photography so much more meaningful to me. Hope it does the same for you.

John

 

[Roger Hicks]

But where does the concept come from, unless you see it in the pictures you are already taking?

Cheers,

R.

 

[boomguy57]

I think you can mix color and black and white, if you're careful about it and if the thematic content ties the series together.* If the theme isn't entirely clear, then it helps to have a visual thread to tie it all together.




*DISCLAIMER: I have no formal art training whatsoever.

 

[daveleo]

1) I'm a hobbyist and no one hires me to make a series of images.
2) I'm not going to put myself up at the level some of these other guys are at, but . . .

I assemble a "series" of my stuff long after I have made many images. That is, anything of mine that I call a series is simply a set of images collected and grouped together after the fact.

 

[jbielikowski]

I can tell you about my latest series, İST-WEST. First, the concept, I had about two months for preparations before flying to İstanbul for three weeks (and I've been there four times before so I know the place well). It took me a while to create a vision of what I want to make. When I arrived I was fully focused on whan was my subject, no pictures "oh it look so nice". In three weeks of walking about 20km per day I made 144 photos. 64 were ok-good so I made small prints. After more than month 30 remained and the series is complete.

you can see it here.

 

[back alley]

..I also like to get cheap 4x6 prints made of my photos and tape them to my living room wall. As time goes by I arrange and re-arrange and throw away photos until I've got something IM happy with...

must be a bachelor...😉

 

[cz23]

But where does the concept come from, unless you see it in the pictures you are already taking?

Cheers,

R.

I think it's anything you are interested in that can expressed photographically.

John

 

[willie_901]

This is a great conversation.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Instead of saying "I need to put together a series", you should instead find something to document, something that interests you, not something you think will make people think you're a good photographer. It has to be something YOU care about, or it will feel and look contrived. Then, spend a long time and a lot of film (or memory card space!) photographing it.

As you work, if you're good, you'll see a unified portfolio automatically emerge from the photographs you make. Not every picture you make for that project will be good or will fit in the final portfolio you assemble from it, so don't worry about making every shot perfect. Experiment and take a lot of photos. Its best to do it over a long period of time, several months at least, so you can really immerse yourself in it.

You may find yourself becoming so interested in something that you spend years on it. Look at the projects on my site. Some have been lifelong projects that may never end. Some, like the Doll House and my Grandpa's House portfolios, I have stopped shooting (Grandpa died, and the Doll House was demolished). I'm still scanning pictures I made of grandpa because I am so far behind in my scanning and editing.

So, just start photographing things that interest you or that you care about. Your family, your neigborhood, your city, a subculture you're part of (eg. bikers, skaters, emos, gamers, car collectors, etc.).

 

[Roger Hicks]

Instead of saying "I need to put together a series", you should instead find something to document, something that interests you, not something you think will make people think you're a good photographer. It has to be something YOU care about, or it will feel and look contrived. Then, spend a long time and a lot of film (or memory card space!) photographing it.

As you work, if you're good, you'll see a unified portfolio automatically emerge from the photographs you make. Not every picture you make for that project will be good or will fit in the final portfolio you assemble from it, so don't worry about making every shot perfect. Experiment and take a lot of photos. Its best to do it over a long period of time, several months at least, so you can really immerse yourself in it.

You may find yourself becoming so interested in something that you spend years on it. Look at the projects on my site. Some have been lifelong projects that may never end. Some, like the Doll House and my Grandpa's House portfolios, I have stopped shooting (Grandpa died, and the Doll House was demolished). I'm still scanning pictures I made of grandpa because I am so far behind in my scanning and editing.

So, just start photographing things that interest you or that you care about. Your family, your neigborhood, your city, a subculture you're part of (eg. bikers, skaters, emos, gamers, car collectors, etc.).

Perfectly put, Chris. The only thing I'd add, in response to the highlight, is "and if you aren't good, you'll probably find yourself getting better."

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

I think it's anything you are interested in that can expressed photographically.

Dear John,

Isn't that a circular argument, though? How do you know it can be expressed photographically -- or at least, that you are able to express it photographically -- unless you try?

Cheers,

R.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Perfectly put, Chris. The only thing I'd add, in response to the highlight, is "and if you aren't good, you'll probably find yourself getting better."

Cheers,

R.

Thanks Roger, I agree with you on practice making you better. I've been thinking of that a lot lately, because I've seen a lot of 'how do I get better" or 'will this lens make me a better photographer' threads lately, and looking back on my life as a photographer, I got better with each passing year. I've been shooting manual cameras since I was 8 yrs old, and learned to develop and print my own film when I was 15. I'll be 37 next month, so that has been many years of work, and my old stuff really sucks compared to what I do now. There really is no getting around it, plain hard work (shooting a lot over a long period of time) is the 'magic bullet' that will make a photographer good.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Thanks Roger, I agree with you on practice making you better. I've been thinking of that a lot lately, because I've seen a lot of 'how do I get better" or 'will this lens make me a better photographer' threads lately, and looking back on my life as a photographer, I got better with each passing year. I've been shooting manual cameras since I was 8 yrs old, and learned to develop and print my own film when I was 15. I'll be 37 next month, so that has been many years of work, and my old stuff really sucks compared to what I do now. There really is no getting around it, plain hard work (shooting a lot over a long period of time) is the 'magic bullet' that will make a photographer good.

Dear Chris,

You're welcome. I started developing and printing when I was a year older, at 16, but on the other hand, I'm 62 now, so I've been at it longer. I won't necessarily say I've got better: just that I get better pictures more often, which is close to being another way of saying the same thing.

An interesting thought occurred to me as I was reading your post above. It was that sometimes, a particular camera or lens does make a difference, such as the 35/1.4 Summilux I got in about 1982 and am still using. Well, actually, I'm using another, because the first was stolen 18 months after I got it, and I replaced it immediately: my first ever new Leica lens. But the importance was as much 'fast, compact, good-quality 35' as any mystical flim-flam about bokeh. I seriously doubt I'd be any happier, or any better as a photographer, with any other fast 35.

Cheers,

R.

 

[fwellers]

Christopher I just have to say that your stuff is very compelling. The stories behind the photographs make it like reading a documentary of interesting places and people and the rich photography drives it all the way home.
I just spent about 30 minutes or more combing through your life and feel somewhat impacted by it.

I've defintely bookmarked you because all of that work needs to be gone through but cannot be gone through in one sitting.

Thank you for sharing your life so openly.