When you think depth of field, you might think of Ansel Adams, one of the greats in landscape photography. Adams captured the essence of America’s coast-to-coast landforms from scenic overlooks in U.S. national parks to the close-ups of flowers there. His imagery illustrated the fine
art of texture from smooth rocks to the jutting sticks of tree branches. If one word could be used to describe how Adams photographed landscapes, that word would have to be detail.
Adams worked with film: big format film, film several inches long by several inches wide, film that required a special lens. He waited for the right time to take a picture, and he got to know the places where he photographed. Emulating Adams using your digital camera can be pursued first by knowing a place where there’s nothing but nature around, knowing when the weather will be good, knowing a viewpoint from which to photograph, and knowing what time of day to go there for the best light.
You can get pictures from high-end digital cameras with the same clarity that Adams got, provided you find that special natural place that you know well and use a tripod when shooting. Try a variety of shutter speeds and exposures, and then pick out the best of a series.
01 April 2008
Macro or micro: That is the question
Close-up photography is another means of perspective.
But is it macro or micro?
What’s the difference and why should you even pay attention to these lenses/settings?
When you think of a micro lens, think of looking through a microscope lens to make really small things look bigger. Makes fascinating photography, but not the kind of best-selling art photography you would probably want to make.
A macro lens/setting works on the same principle — to make something small appear larger. However, macro lenses also allow you to get your camera/lens really close to your subject.
Compare this with using a telephoto lens.
Sure, you make something small appear larger, but a macro lens lets you get right on top of your
subject, capturing very fine detail and color.
Hey, wait a minute. Nikon calls its close-up lenses micro, but they’re really macro. Perhaps Nikon just wanted to be scientific about what it calls its lenses.
At any rate, a macro setting comes on a lot of cameras these days. It’s a quick turn of the knob (usually found within the Auto modes on your camera). You can catch anything up close, like my “flower” here.
To make a macro shot crystal clear, use a tripod when shooting to prevent blur.
But is it macro or micro?
What’s the difference and why should you even pay attention to these lenses/settings?
When you think of a micro lens, think of looking through a microscope lens to make really small things look bigger. Makes fascinating photography, but not the kind of best-selling art photography you would probably want to make.
A macro lens/setting works on the same principle — to make something small appear larger. However, macro lenses also allow you to get your camera/lens really close to your subject.
Compare this with using a telephoto lens.
Sure, you make something small appear larger, but a macro lens lets you get right on top of your
subject, capturing very fine detail and color.
Hey, wait a minute. Nikon calls its close-up lenses micro, but they’re really macro. Perhaps Nikon just wanted to be scientific about what it calls its lenses.
At any rate, a macro setting comes on a lot of cameras these days. It’s a quick turn of the knob (usually found within the Auto modes on your camera). You can catch anything up close, like my “flower” here.
To make a macro shot crystal clear, use a tripod when shooting to prevent blur.
Defining Yourself as a Photographer
Making art is one of the most rewarding activities that you can pursue because it’s something you create yourself with your own personal touch. How personal you want to get is up to you. Some traditional photography artists have work displayed in modern art museums, brushing the edge in controversy. For example, Robert Mapplethorpe, in the 1980s, made headlines when he used the medium to reflect on the pain of his personal life. The list of photographers who have taken a personal look at their lives is long, and there probably isn’t one who didn’t evaluate his or her life to come up with the subject matter for his photographs. To name but a few, look at the work of William Eggleston, Annie Leibovitz, David Hockney — and even moon-walker Neil Armstrong.
So if you’re going to be an art photographer, should you hang out at cafés and smoke hand-rolled cigarettes? Well, not if you don’t want to. (But if you see someone who’s smoking a hand-rolled cigarette in a café and who looks amiable to having his picture taken, by all means ask him. That
could be an art photo opportunity.)
Perhaps you have no interest in people or their interactions. This certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t be an art photographer. Take pictures of what appeals to you visually to help define yourself as a photographer.
For example, perhaps you’re drawn to
color (think carnivals, marketplaces filled with rainbows of fruit, or fields exploding with poppies).
Or maybe you’re attracted to the shapes and forms of nature, such as winding streams, gnarled trees, and majestic peaks. You get the picture.
To figure out what type of pictures you take the most, look at your pictures you’ve taken and sort them by categories. If you find that you take a lot of pictures of the same things — say, street scenes — you’re on your way to finding a subject that you like (and learning about yourself as a photographer).
Many well-known photographers choose the streets of famous cities as the subjects of their work. If you find that you have a tendency to shoot a particular subject then by all means, concentrate on that subject. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at capturing and finding different ways to showcase your fave subjects. When you really know your subject, you can better find niche markets for your photos, too.
If you find yourself gravitating toward classical poses and subject matter, study what well-known artists through the ages chose for their subject matter.
Notice how the subject matter evolves from cave men drawings to religious figures and still lifes to nature. The summary of the subject matter of the history of art ends with social commentary about the Great Depression.
Art has progressed to modernity through many evolutions. What comes next is up to you. For more detailed information about the subject matter that classical artists have used throughout the ages, you can look at Art For Dummies, by Thomas Hoving (Wiley).
After you study the classical masters, take a look at some photographic masters at www.mastersof-photography.com.
Works from all the biggies of photography are featured there. Check out Helen Levitt for some cool 1940s grafitti, Ansel Adams for the world’s greatest landscapes, Diane Arbus for weird but wonderful people, and E. J. Bellocq for early 20th-century characters. Throughout this book, I reference more artists to help you interpret the masters’ photos and refresh their ideas a bit so you refine your own photographic style.
So if you’re going to be an art photographer, should you hang out at cafés and smoke hand-rolled cigarettes? Well, not if you don’t want to. (But if you see someone who’s smoking a hand-rolled cigarette in a café and who looks amiable to having his picture taken, by all means ask him. That
could be an art photo opportunity.)
Perhaps you have no interest in people or their interactions. This certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t be an art photographer. Take pictures of what appeals to you visually to help define yourself as a photographer.
For example, perhaps you’re drawn to
color (think carnivals, marketplaces filled with rainbows of fruit, or fields exploding with poppies).
Or maybe you’re attracted to the shapes and forms of nature, such as winding streams, gnarled trees, and majestic peaks. You get the picture.
Shoot what you like
To figure out what type of pictures you take the most, look at your pictures you’ve taken and sort them by categories. If you find that you take a lot of pictures of the same things — say, street scenes — you’re on your way to finding a subject that you like (and learning about yourself as a photographer).
Many well-known photographers choose the streets of famous cities as the subjects of their work. If you find that you have a tendency to shoot a particular subject then by all means, concentrate on that subject. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at capturing and finding different ways to showcase your fave subjects. When you really know your subject, you can better find niche markets for your photos, too.
Study the masters
If you find yourself gravitating toward classical poses and subject matter, study what well-known artists through the ages chose for their subject matter.
Notice how the subject matter evolves from cave men drawings to religious figures and still lifes to nature. The summary of the subject matter of the history of art ends with social commentary about the Great Depression.
Art has progressed to modernity through many evolutions. What comes next is up to you. For more detailed information about the subject matter that classical artists have used throughout the ages, you can look at Art For Dummies, by Thomas Hoving (Wiley).
After you study the classical masters, take a look at some photographic masters at www.mastersof-photography.com.
Works from all the biggies of photography are featured there. Check out Helen Levitt for some cool 1940s grafitti, Ansel Adams for the world’s greatest landscapes, Diane Arbus for weird but wonderful people, and E. J. Bellocq for early 20th-century characters. Throughout this book, I reference more artists to help you interpret the masters’ photos and refresh their ideas a bit so you refine your own photographic style.
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