As I ponder the work of legendary nature photographers such as Watkins, Adams and Porter I find a common thread in their work: great image designs. Expert use of light, mastery of the camera and great image designs.
One of the greatest composers of nature today must be John Shaw. He is world-renowned for his clean, simple yet bold and exciting compositions. He strips away the unnecessary to capture the essence of his subject and he uses powerful compositions to make his subjects sing. When I look at his work I feel that it is his subjects, not he, communicating with me. It is as if they have a story to tell and it is up to me to listen. He gives his non-human subjects a voice and that is the mark of a passionate and skilled artist.
As observers, we need not be versed in image design and composition to appreciate a great work of photographic art. We need not even understand the work or subject matter to be moved or delighted. But it does help. Recognizing and understanding the subtleties of a design and the steps it took to achieve the final image can make the difference in a nice viewing experience and a meaningful, personal and artful communication between observer and artist.
There are few photographers who subscribe to the point-of-view that learning about composing and design is an activity reserved for painters and that it isn’t relevant to photography. To them I say this: every photograph, unless it is an image of nothing, has a composition. Yes, snapshot photography does exist and it can be fun, but if we want creative control over the outcome of our work, we need to understand the entire process of photography, of which design is an important part.
Image design can seem like a free-for-all world compared to the structured, scientific world of light and optics. But to deny an entire dynamic of photography because we’re unfamiliar with it or because we deem it inapplicable or unimportant is like an ostrich sticking its head into the ground. For those who deem themselves unreachable in this regard, the first step to understanding image design is to understand the concept of composition.
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excerpt from Natural Design: Image Design for Nature Photographers, Available Now!
Revised June 23, 2008
Text and images copyright Gloria Hopkins
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