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Tips and Tricks: What to ask before releasing the shutter
About this time every month the bell rings, the classroom door opens and the chalk board is wiped down in preparation for yet another installment of Tips and Tricks. We have covered all sorts of topics related to photography from the basics of composition, to some creative techniques. Certainly, a lot of information has been discussed, all giving you a peak into what it takes to create a really significant image. Today we will be discussing a rather abstract concept that sounds quite simple on the surface. However, as we are about to find out, the questions that we must get in the practice of asking before the photograph is created can prove rather involved. So, lets jump right in...
Everyone that has ever taken a picture has turned on the camera, pointed at the subject, and released the shutter without much more thought than "Hey, that is a cool scene!" There is nothing wrong with that at all, in fact many great pictures have been created in just that very way. However, the chances of capturing something significant in this manner is quite slim. I'm all about stacking the odds in my favor when it comes to anything that I do...certainly including my photography. So, what else is there to creating a photograph?
There are certain questions that you must ask yourself before you press that shutter release, and ones you must ask before you even get the camera out. If you will get in the habit of asking these questions every time you take a picture, your chances for success will skyrocket. Almost immediately, you will find yourself making a picture rather than taking it.
The questions you need to ask, which I am about to discuss, are ones that I came up with after reading about only one of the questions. A couple of years ago I recall reading that a photographer should always ask "why" they are taking a particular picture. If they can't answer that simple question, then they need to move on to something else more interesting. I have built on that single question by adding the basic journalistic approach....who, what, when, where, and why. Lets look at these questions individually and talk about what they all mean for the photograph.
Who?
Linn Cove Photo Copyright © 2006 G. Kiser
The question "who?" refers to who are you creating the photograph for? In most cases the answer to this will be yourself. However, as is the case with the above photograph, the answer could very well be somebody else. This picture was a commissioned shot of sorts. A client of mine had been proposed to on the Rough Ridge Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway and wanted to purchase a photograph of the area from me. I didn't have any at the time so I set out on a Trek to that overlook. As I was composing my photographs, I had to keep in the back of my mind that I had a specific person in mind for these images, and tried to create ones that would capture the moods that she was wanting.
As I said, most of the time, the answer to the question "who?" will be yourself. That gives you free reign to capture an image that only has to please you. As you can see, there might be some simple changes in the creative process based on who the picture will be for. Ultimately though, you will be the one that needs to be happy with the picture. This question needs to be determined long before the camera comes out of the bag.
What?
Midnight Hole
What is it you are taking a picture of? This is probably the most important question you can ask before setting up the camera. This will determine what it is about the scene that interests you. In the picture above, as I was looking at the scene, the answer to "What?" was not really the waterfall. The "What?" was the dichotomy between the rushing water cascading over the rocks, dropping into the very calm water. It was that feeling that drew me into the scene. The simple question "What?" helped me decide what was important about the scene.
I needed to be able to include the cascade, and the pool of course. I also needed some other elements to help tell the story. That is where the rocky foreground comes into play as does the trunk of the tree with the exposed roots. All of this was needed to tell the story, and make complete what it was that drew me to the scene. Many times the "What?" is dictated by the "Who?" so be sure that the scene that you are capturing will appeal to who you are creating the picture for. If the "Who?" is you, this becomes a no-brainer.
When?
Fire and Ice Photo Copyright © 2007 G. Kiser
When should you make your exposure? This is about the last step before you actually take your camera out. You know "Who?" you are creating the picture for, and "What?" it is you are photographing. Now you have to determine "When?" is the best time to photograph it. This is where previsualization comes into play. Every subject has a nearly infinite range of personalities depending on lighting and other environmental conditions. It is up to the photographer to choose "When?" to make the exposure. Hopefully you have given this some thought before heading off with camera in hand.
Many times, you are forced to deal with what nature is providing at the time, but you do have the flexibility to wait for a cloud to diffuse the sunfor a second, or maybe for the wind to die down to still the leaves. The photographer always has the ultimate control over "When?" the exposure is made. Ideally, the proper conditions are thought out before getting to the location.
In the photograph above, the "When?" is what made this picture so successful. In the summer this is a pretty fountain, even in the middle of the day. However, there is nothing particularly photogenic about it in this condition. Each winter I had seen this fountain freeze up to varying degrees which made it very different and interesting. However, it was at night that this fountain really turned into something special. A cold winter night...that was to be the "When?" for this photograph. Had I not asked this question, I might have missed the opportunity to capture the frozen base and the orange color cast from the street lights, and ended up with a bland fountain photograph.
Where?
Bare Necessities
Where should the camera be, to get the composition like I want it? Now it is time to get the camera out and find the best place to frame the picture. This could take a while so don't rush this part. With the "Who?", "What?", and "When?" questions answered, you know pretty much what you want to include in the picture. Now comes the time where you organize the scene. In the above picture, I had already determined that I wanted to photograph that beautiful tree, as well as the house. It took a while of looking before I found the perfect "Where?". The "Where?" was about a foot off the ground, and about four to five feet back from the tree.
By determining the precise "Where?" that I did, I was able to organize the scene in the viewfinder in a very simple manner that eliminated much of the extraneous elements that did not add to the photograph. In this step, it is important to look around the edge of the frame to make sure that nothing has poked into the field of view that you don't want there. Fine tune you position until the "Where?" enables you to include just what you want, and in the way that you want it. Something else that you don't want to overlook is the possibility of other "Where?" locations. Never stop with one shooting location. Move around and find other compositions that satisfy all of your questions.
One other question that will fall in with this one because it is closely related to the "Where?' is, Which lens and What focal length should I be using to make the best of the location I am shooting from? In the above picture, I wanted to accentuate the tree while visually shrinking the homestead behind. My 17-40mm f/4.0L was the lens of choice for this shot. It gave me the perspective that I needed at about 20mm.
Why?
Downtown By Twilight
After you have your camera set up, now comes the time for the most important question of all, and the one that started me asking the questions in the first place. As you look through the viewfinder, ask yourself Why am I taking this picture? You should be able to answer that question very quickly and honestly with yourself. At the time of exposure in the above picture, I had already answered the previous questions to myself...
Who? I was creating this picture for me.
What? I was including two iconic buildings of the Winston-Salem skyline for an offbeat downtown image.
When? I wanted to capture this image at twighlight because I wanted the added element of the artificial light, both on the buildings as well as on the street. The dark lighting conditions allowed me to use a slow shutter to capture the headlights of the cars traveling on the roadway to give some added interest.
Where? I had positioned my camera on a tripod at the back corner of a parking deck to get the perspective that I desired which could only come from gaining altitude. The positions of everything in the frame was considered and adjusted where needed and practical.
Having answered all of these questions all that was left was "Why?" am I taking this picture. I wanted to capture the Winston-Salem skyline, which I find to be one of the prettier ones in the triad. However, I wanted to do something different than I had seen before, while still including the most recognizable buildings. I wanted the lighting to be interesting, as well as showing a little bit of action to keep the viewer entertained. I also wanted to embrace the feeling of the slowing day as the sun was setting. All of this represented "Why?" I wanted to take this picture. I felt that I had successfully answered all of the questions with this image so I released the shutter, and after a mere 10 seconds of exposure, it was all done.
Conclusions
One of the themes that keeps popping up in my Tips and Tricks is that you must slow down the process when you are creating photographs. All too often we see something that we like and we snap a picture and call it a day. We are only cheating ourselves when we do this. If we were to just slow down the process a bit and go through these quick questions, I am sure that we would all find that our photographs would improve dramatically. If your intention is to have people looking at your photographs for more than just a second or two, then shouldn't you put at least that much time into the creation of the image? It is not uncommon for me to take well over an hour, and sometimes much longer than that to create one image where I am satisfied that all the questions have been adequately answered. Other times, this process can take only a few minutes.
Thatpretty much wraps up this installment of Tips and Tricks. I would like to thank all the readers of Photo Trek who helped me choose this topic. It has been a lot of fun looking back at the thought process behind many of my pictures. I hope that you not only enjoyed the article, but have benefited from it.
Until next time.....
Written by Greg A. Kiser
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I got a lot out of this article. If I am being honest, many times I do not ask myself these questions. I may think of "why" in my mind but I don't go much farther than that. I will be asking myself these questions. I love the Bare Necessities shot, I was drawn in to this picture as I could easily see myself living in that cabin.
Lisa -
very interesting. I will remember this the next time I go out to take pictures. I am thinking of doing the flowers in my yard in the order that they bloom and see spring spread it's beauty step by step.
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very interesting. I will remember this the next time I go out to take pictures. I am thinking of doing the flowers in my yard in the order that they bloom and see spring spread it's beauty step by step.
3/1/08 8:33 PM