by Gloria Hopkins excerpt from Natural Design: Image Design for Nature Photographers For those with an understanding of visual design there can be nothing more satisfying than reading a thoughtfully designed nature photograph. We read the image in a language that isn’t obvious to the casual observer and look for things that others would never see. Here we take our viewing experience further than most and attempt to communicate with the photographer on an artistic level. We delve deep into the image, looking for its meaning, strength, structure, and appreciating its aesthetic qualities and photographic attributes. Learning to read photographs is best accomplished by starting simple, making note of the basics such as sharpness, exposure and basic composition. As we learn to identify various aspects of a photograph, we become more probing and critical in our evaluations. Reading a photograph typically goes from the basics like seeing shape and judging exposure to more advanced scrutiny including dissecting compositions, evaluating the quality of light, and forming personal interpretations. When evaluating any kind of art our observation skills are called into action. For example, when viewing the Mona Lisa would you see a plain looking young woman with a pleasant smile or would inspect her surroundings and try to let her eyes tell you why she’s smiling? Would you see an average three-quarter frame portrait or would you notice the single perspective point behind her head, the vanishing lines and the triangle composition? Would you see the pretty skin and delicate hands, or would you recognize the ground-breaking technique of transparent layering of paint used to build up her skin with no lines? We can marvel at an image as long as we like, but it is our ability to read it and understand it that gives it deeper meaning to us. This fosters a heightened viewing experience and can result in a deeper appreciation for the image and/or technique used to create it. * * * excerpt from Natural Design: Image Design for Nature Photographers Revised June 23, 2008
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