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Post works of great photographers and what you can learn from them. This thread is about analysis of great work and how what makes it good so we can learn to incorporate it into our own work. Recently I've realized I dislike the static feel of my images. They need more dynamic composition. I squat, even lay on the ground like a weirdo in order to compose as long as it results in a more interesting angle. Yoga has been helpful! However, one element I've been neglecting are angles. Angles seem to add the most dynamism to an image. Finishing up Mary Ellen Mark's The Book of Everything today, I noticed how often she takes advantage of the Dutch Angle. It's usually done to fit all the elements into the frame, but more than that, it makes her images feel more 3d. Take this one of a baby crying.  This could have been perfectly been taken from a standard, level angle. Granted, Mary Ellen is working with a medium format camera for this so she has less room to work with so she's framing it by putting the baby and mother on the right side of the frame so it looks like the baby is reaching out. But it's the angle that gives it the feeling that the baby is reaching right out of the page.  If she didn't shoot this at an angle, the boy on the left would have probably been cut out.  Angling helps tell more of a story. In this photo we see a crack pipe on the dresser. That's just as important as the family sleeping or the Jesus statue.  Often, dutch angles are said to be used to make a capture more playful. And that's fair as far as it goes. But the framing is almost as important. In this picture, you can tell Mary shoots at an angle because it's playful but also, more than that, because she clearly wants to include the cats feet. If it were level, it'd be cropped out. If she were further back she wouldn't be as intimate as she is there. Her decisions help create memorable, dynamic photos. These pictures were sourced from maryellenmark.com More angled shots.   More considerations with angles: due to warping that happens on wide lenses, shooting an angle can result in more distortion. There is a case to be said angles and straightness. Often one of the first things you learn in photography is maintaining a straight camera. With more knowledge and will to be creative, a tilt can result in a better, less boring image. Food for thought.
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Oct 7, 2020 05:06
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 14:08 |
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Don't know if he's considered a master or not but I've got some of Peter Turnley's shots stuck in my head.   He's magnificent at achieving a sense of place in his photos. Currently a big influence. I also have been studying Joseph Rodriguez. I checked out Spanish Harlem from the library and have been studying it for weeks.  What influences have you been studying, Dorkroom? Jupiter Jazz fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Feb 15, 2021 |
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Feb 15, 2021 07:33
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I also have this book on the way. It costs 20 bucks on Amazon and is amazing. I'm gonna wear this book out. I'll be studying this a whole lot. I've got my first documentary assignment and it's documenting a black muslim woman. I plan on wearing this book out. Lots of nice interior shots of daily life. Highly recommend! The writing is also stupendous. Photo books rarely have writing in them but this is wonderful as an accompaniment.
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Feb 15, 2021 07:47
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