Newsletter No. 93: April, 2013
© Chris Harris. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS:
1. Wild Horses: Finding order and beauty within chaos
2. House Signs: A time before house numbers
3. Farwell Canyon: Abandoned homestead
4. Composition: Enjoying the search for visual harmony
5. Another Early Morning Walk: Beauty before the snow melts
Hi everyone,
The theme of this Newsletter could be “intercontinental architecture”.
I just deleted all that I had written in this introduction after looking at the overall selection of images in this Newsletter. Usually I am driven by colour, but these images are almost all monochromatic. With this lack of colour, there is a strong emphasis on architectural line and form.
Place any two images together, one from the Czech Republic and one from the Chilcotin, and a whole new conversation could be had around tonal contrast and the roles of line and form in composition.
In many ways they are complementary; different, yet each enhancing the others compositional qualities.
Think along these ‘lines’ as you explore the city of Prague and the wilds of the Chilcotin! Enjoy.
Our goal here at the Gallery is to share the creative process, and promote the arts; thus strengthening our artistic community. Please share this Newsletter with friends. Thank you.
1. Wild Horses: Finding order and beauty within chaos
As mentioned in Newsletter #92, David Williams, president of the Friends of the Nemaiah Valley, asked me to join him and members of the Xeni Gwet’in and Yunesit’in First Nation communities, to photograph the wild horses while they did their annual count.
While everyone looked for horses, I looked for compositions (photographs), knowing full well that whenever horses were spotted, their location would be quickly pointed out to me.
Line is one of the strongest elements of composition. In the image below, white snow provided contrast which beautifully accentuated the trees. You will notice that I rotated my camera slightly to make the tree lines oblique and thus the image more dynamic. This orientation eliminates the more ‘static’ feeling of vertical lines and generates a sense of ‘motion’.
| Notes on composition & technique: Colour, contrast and line create this composition. As there is no single centre of interest, the repetition of these lines becomes a pattern, and pattern in and of itself can be a photographic composition. To me this forest seems alive and active, which it is.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 400; f-9; 1/320 sec.; 24-105mm lens; handheld |
The chap opposite me in the helicopter kept looking out the window to see what I was photographing. As there were no horses, I am sure he wondered what I was doing! The burned forest, that I at first found disappointing, was now a source of photographic excitement!
This image is more static than the previous image because I allowed the trees to remain in their vertical position. I was also very aware of the more open white patches of snow between the trees. They are very important to the overall visual design.
| Notes on composition & technique: Contrast and line create this composition. As there is no single centre of interest, the pattern becomes one unified thought.
EOS 50D; iso 800; f-9; 1/1250 sec.; 100-400mm lens; handheld |
After fine-tuning my awareness of the beauty within various types of forest, I finally got the composition I wanted. The fact that there were three horses rather than two or ten was good fortune. I love the implied triangle of the three horses.
| Notes on composition & technique: The high contrast of the three horses makes for a powerful centre of interest. The two dark trees on the right are also very important in this composition. Although I have a full frame of this image, I am showing you a cropped version which places a greater emphasis on the horses rather than the larger environment.
EOS 50D; iso 800; f-9; 1/1250 sec.; 100-400mm lens; handheld |
2. House Signs in Prague: A time before house numbers
House signs were used in the Baroque architectural period when houses didn’t have numbers, but bore the names of the owners or actual symbols. This continued until sometime in the mid-eighteenth century.
Once Rita and I became aware of these beautiful signs, we looked for them and admired each one for their artistic beauty. For me, each was a simple miniature study in composition.
| Notes on composition & technique: There is not much to say about each of these three images. Simply enjoy them from a visual design and historical perspective.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-16; 1/10 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
| Notes on composition & technique:
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-8; 1/80 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
| Notes on composition & technique:
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-16; 1/13 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
3. Farwell Canyon: Abandoned homestead
On the last day of January, Mike Duffy and I drove to Farwell Canyon after an evening snowfall. The countryside was spectacular. Although I have been to this abandoned homestead on many occasions, each time renders new and different results. This photo shoot was no different.
| Notes on composition & technique: Of all the times I have photographed here, never have I noticed the beauty of this tree. By using it to frame the old house and root cellar, I made myself a new and fresh composition.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; f-22; 1/20 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
This is a study of line, form and tonal contrast. Without disturbing the snow ahead of me, I moved my camera inch by inch, to the left and to the right, foreword and backward, until I had the exact composition that spoke to me.
| Notes on composition & technique: I paid greatest attention to the size of the rectangular shapes of white snow below and above the building, and then to the rectangular window and door shapes which are within one another. Perspective, the result of choice of lens and placement of the camera, was critical.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; f-22; 1/20 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
I find the process of studying each and every compositional element exhilarating. Because of the complexity of elements, I found this image a particularly exciting one to make.
| Notes on composition & technique: The tonal contrasts, the shapes, the lines, and the textures are all elements to be evaluated, enjoyed, and juxtaposed with each other. Being aware of how your eyes move through this image is an important and worthwhile study. By doing this, I learn and make better compositional decisions on my next shoot.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 100; f-22; 1/20 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
4. Composition: Enjoying the search for visual harmony
Photography is a study of light.
Light values guide our eyes through a composition and hold our attention within a composition.
Light also determines form.
So as I walked throughout Prague, I tried to focus on form and light values.
| Notes on composition & technique: Synonyms for symmetry include balance, centrality, equilibrium, and harmony. All of these words speak to the arrangement of the various elements of composition or visual design found in this image.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-8; 1/40 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
| Notes on composition & technique: This image appears to be much more complex than the previous image in this article. But is it really? I simply saw three main triangular shapes which I arranged in a way that provided me with a sense of balance.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-11; 1/15 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
5. Another Early Morning Walk: Beauty before the snow melts
Setting off before dawn, we went to explore the “Hunger Wall”, which at a higher elevation above the city, was still coated with snow.
The “Hunger Wall” was commissioned from 1360 to 1362 by Charles IV. Tradition holds that the work was intended to provide work to the poor during a famine. In all probability, it was to strengthen the city fortifications!
| Notes on composition & technique: Within this study of compositional elements, I placed the road (a lead-in line) on the right of centre. This provides a sense of balance between the lighter black and white section on the right and the darker and more deeply coloured wall on the left.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-11; 1/6 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
I strongly remember walking up the road in the previous image and noticing these trees brightly revealing themselves against the ‘Hunger Wall’. Without thinking further, my tripod was up and I was making this image. Why?
| Notes on composition & technique: There are five vertical lines and two horizontal rectangular shapes. Was it geometry that evoked an emotional response in me? Enjoy!
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-16; 1/3 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
With most subjects, we have the choice of moving in closer and closer to the point where the subject becomes abstract. Is this photograph about the subject or about my imagination? I enjoy doing this.
| Notes on composition & technique: Just look at the elements and enjoy them!
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-8; 1/15 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |
In the case of this image, it was the ‘story’ of the tree having the power to destroy a huge constructed wall that drew my attention to this subject. Only then did I go about composing the elements at hand.
| Notes on composition & technique: There are four rather large and central shapes of rock, two smaller shapes of snow covered rock, and the single line of the tree trunk. The challenge, as always, is to arrange them in a pleasing and harmonious way. You will know inside yourself when you have it right. If not, make several compositions and decide which pleases you the most at home on your monitor.
EOS 5D Mark III; iso 200; f-11; 1/2.5 sec.; 24-105mm lens; on a tripod |