Tips and Tricks

Its the end of another month, and time once again to head into the virtual classroom and learn about another trick or two of the photographic trade.  As you will remember, I held a poll not too long ago asking what topic you would like covered.  For the first time, I got a three way tie.  That is both good and bad.  On one hand, I must be picking interesting topics, on the other, there is no clear cut favorite for the month.  So, what I have decided to do is cover a topic that I have toyed with for some time now...Previsualization.

Alright, I've used this term from time to time when dealing with certain pictures of mine.  I've touched on what it means, but it is time to really share the true meaning of the word and the concept behind it.  Without sounding too much like an English teacher (I'm far from it), we can start by looking at the word itself. 

Pre(Before the fact)visualization(mental image of the subject)

Now you are starting to get the idea of where I'm going with this Tips and Tricks.  Do great photos just happen?  Of course they do...but not nearly often enough to count on.  When you are wanting to photograph a certain subject, you need to think about it before the fact.  This could mean thinking about a potential photograph days, or weeks, or even months before you even go to the location with camera in hand.  It could also mean simply taking some time to examine what you intend to photograph before letting luck take over the picture making process.

The next step is to form a mental image of the subject....essentially you are planning on how you want the picture to look.  Most of you do this to some extent already.  Think about it, you see something you would like to photograph, and you pull your camera out and press the button.  You have made a decision that the scene you are seeing would make a good photograph, and you have developed a mental image of how you would like that to look.  The problem is, too many photographers stop there.  they don't play with the image in their mind.  Thoughts are free...even cheaper than digital pictures.  Use your mind as the first step and survey what you are wanting to photograph.  Think about the light, what angle you want to shoot from, and what settings you want to use.

Can you previsualize a photograph if you are shooting in an automatic mode?  Sure, but you will be limited in your creative control.  However, some of the most important decisions about a photograph deal with composition and environmental factors (ie: lighting, seasons, and time of day).  These choices can be made whether you are using a camera phone or the latest and greatest medium format camera. 

Dealing with environmental factors is probably the cornerstone to previsualization...at least for me.  How many times have you read in my entries about Treks that started out with a look at the weather.  This is not for my benefit....noooooo....this is working to get specific lighting conditions for the subject I intend to photograph.  This stage only happens after the seasonal concerns are addressed.  Is the dead of winter (with no snow) the best time to photograph rolling landscapes?  Not really, there needs to be the color from any of the other seasons to really make the mountains "pop".  Conversely, is the middle of summer a good time to photograph a remote waterfall?  Not really, because the brush is often so thick that the views are obscured.  You see how this works out?

The trick here is to find your subject and then ask when would be the best time to make this photograph.  Sometimes you will have no option but to take the shot and hope for the best, but if you have the ability to return...why not do so when everything is working in your favor?  A really good illustration of this phase of previsualization can be found in a comparison of two photographs taken on two different occasions of the same subject.

Spilling Over the Rocks   Created January '08

Liquid Lace  Created April '08

When you look at these pictures you will see the similarities between them immediately.  However, in the first one, I was very disappointed in the flow of the water.  This was because at that time, we were still way behind on rainfall.  The second picture was made possible by several days of good soaking rains which raised the water levels significantly.  This was an environmental concern, and one that fit into my previsualization of how I wanted this waterfall to look.

As you can see, there is a good deal of thought that should be a part of the creation of your pictures.  Does the previsualization end when all the conditions are met and you are on your way to your destination?  Not hardly.  You have invested a lot of time in this picture so far...and haven't even pulled out your camera.  Now is the time to create the picture that you have in your head, taking advantage of the light, season, and all the other factors that you figured into the equation.

Now you have arrived, and everything is just like you pictured it.  Now you must let your camera in on your plans.  Remember, the camera is but a tool in the photographic process, it is the photographer that makes the picture.  This is where you really need to take control of your camera and switch it away from the auto modes.  Instead of the camera making random choices about aperture, shutter speed, and metering, you tell it what it needs to do to capture the image you have in mind.

Choosing your aperture

Some pictures require sharpness from near to far, while others do better with a small area in sharp focus.  This is depth of field, and is a product of aperture.  You will be able to read much more about depth of field by clicking the previous link, but essentially, as the aperture is opened up (smaller f-number) your area of focus gets smaller.  If you want a larger area of sharp focus, you need to close the aperture down (larger f-number).  This is probably the single most important tool at the photographer's disposal.  It will show relative distance, as well as tell the viewer's eyes where to look in the image.

How does this relate to previsualization?  Well, you have this image in your mind.  Look at it...is everything sharp, or is there one element that really stands out forcing you to look at it?  This is where the aperture, or depth of field comes in.

Needles and Cone

Winston Skyline

As you can see from the above photographs, depth of field is an important choice to make.  With the pine cone, the background is blurred causing the attention to be drawn directly to the branch and the pine cone.  This was achieved with the aperture wide open to f/4.  In the city scene it was important for everything to be in sharp focus to draw the eyes into the scene.  This was accomplished by using a smaller aperture, maybe around f/16.

Choosing your Shutter Speed

Nearly as important as aperture is the shutter speed you use.  This will show motion as a blur, or freeze any movement within the frame.  Different subjects call for different approaches.  Of course the shutter speed works in direct correlation to the aperture and as one changes the other has to change in the opposite direction to allow the same amount of light to enter the lens.  When you previsualized your picture, think about how you want things to appear in terms of motion (if there is any motion in your subject).  You might want to blur the image to show the wind, or water flowing by.  You might want to hide the fact that there was a breeze and use a very fast shutter speed to freeze the motion in the grass and trees.  Whatever your choice, make it a conscious decision, don't rely on the camera to "see" what you "see".

Carefree Days

A Sea of Blue and Pink

As you can see, the shutter speed is a very powerful tool.  In the first picture, a slower shutter speed showed the motion of the hammock relative to the woods and the tent.  In the second one, a drop of water is frozen in time above the rippled water.  Neither of these shots would have been possible if the camera was making all of the choices.

How Does Metering Fit Into Previsualization?

Metering is where you determine how dark or light the scene will be captured.  You might want to make it darker than it actually is to saturate the colors, or possibly you will want to lighten it up to give it a dreamy feel.  Maybe, you just want to photograph it as it appears in front of you.  These are decisions that the camera can't make.  It will meter everything and try to make it all a mid tone.  You can tell the camera what to do in these circumstances and really take control of the picture.

Unmanned Post

Sunrises and sunsets are great examples of a time when you want to underexpose a tad to really saturate the colors.  This image was underexposed about a full stop from the meter reading which introduced a good amount of color in the sky which was very faint when I was looking at it in real time.  However, This was exactly how I previsualized this image that morning.  This was how I wanted the colors to appear.

As you see, actually creating, or making a picture is quite a bit more involved than just taking a picture.  The more time you spend on previsualization the better you will find you pictures turning out...and more like you had envisioned them.  This is a technique that is worth some time and thought.  It applies to all levels of photographers and can work with any camera...for the most part.

Until next time, happy shooting!

Written by Greg A. Kiser

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• #1 Comment from rbrown6172 
  4/29/08 7:33 AM | Permalink

  this article is really good.  i'm too guilty of just pointing and shooting.  i'm learning, though...a little at a time.  this is another positive and good step for me to get in my head when i head out with camera....which hasn't happened much recently.  thanks!!
  gina