There is so much more to photography than techniques or rules.
Techniques should ALWAYS be the servant to your photographic vision.
Too often, techniques are all that are taught in books and at seminars.
One photographic teacher and author that is the exception to this is Freeman Patterson.
His book, ‘Photography And The Art Of Seeing’ ISBN 9781552636145, was the turning point that helped me connect with my personal photographic style.
In it, he helps you to break out of your photographic ruts and discover totally new ways to see and photograph the world.
He does this through a series of exercises such as, “Thinking Sideways”. In this exercise, you list, in a column, all of the things you normally do when you photograph. Your list of rules might include:
1.) Always hold the camera steady;
2.) Always use a fast enough shutters peed to prevent blurring;
Make your list as complete as possible but these two ‘rules’ are enough to illustrate how this works.
Now, in the 2nd column of the list, next to each rule, write down it’s exact opposite:
1.) Instead of holding the camera steady, you might jump up and down while you shoot.
2.) Instead of a fast shutter speed, you might use a very long shutter speed of several seconds.
Finally, go out and shoot several photos using the techniques in the second column that are the opposite of how you usually photograph.
Do this enough and you will discover some wonderful ‘accidents’ in the photos that result. Use these as a starting point to learn what it is that you like about them.
Freeman’s books are a wonderful guides to discovering things about yourself through your photography.
His exercises are artistically stimulating because they will liberate your personal creative mind from constraints placed on it by the ‘rules’ you’ve learned.
Follow Freeman’s exercises and you too, will discover your own unique personal photographic style.
