THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE Learning to See with a Camera
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REVISED EDITION THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE Learning to See with a Camera Michael F. O'Brien & Norman Sibley THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EYE Learning to See with a Camera Michael E O'Brien & Norman Sibley Davis Publications, Inc., Worcester, Massachusetts Copyright 1995 Davis Publications, Inc. Worcester, Massachusetts U.S.A. To the photography students of Seoul American High School, past, present and future. No part of this work may be repro- duced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechan- ical, including photocopying and re- cording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, unless such copy- ing is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Davis is not autho- rized to grant permission for further uses of copyrighted selections or im- ages reprinted in this text without the permission of their owners. Permis- sion must be obtained from the indi- vidual copyright owners as identified herein. Address requests for permis- sion to make copies of Davis mate- rial to Permissions, Davis Publi- cations, Inc., 50 Portland Street, Worcester, MA 01608. Editor: Claire Mowbray Golding Design: Greta D. Sibley Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Catalog Card Student photograph by Gregory Conrad. Number: 93-74644 ISBN: 0-87192-283-5 1098 765 Cover: Student photograph by Leah Gendler. 4 The Photographic Eye Contents 7 Introduction Part 1 Getting Started 11 Chapter 1 From Blurs to Big Business History • Photographic Careers Part 2 Elements of Composition 35 Chapter 2 Tools Manual or Automatic? • The Camera, Inside & Out • Exercises: Testing the Shutter & Aperture • Loading Film 51 Chapter 3 What is Composition? Snapshots vs. Photographs • Structure, Balance, Dynamics • Exercises: Mat Frame • Cropping 67 Chapter 4 Developing A Critical Eye Critique Session • Evaluating a Print • Exercise: Sample Crit 83 Chapter 5 Point of Departure (f!6 at 1/125) Starting Simply • Doing it Right 87 Chapter 6 Line Pattern, Structure, Direction • Exercise: Pattern 95 Chapter 7 Texture Expressing the "Feel" • Exercise: Leaves 103 Chapter 8 Shape Mass, Proportion & Relation • Using Negative Space * Exercise: Circles & Ovals 113 Chapter 9 Light Controlling Exposure • Information & Mood • Using a Light Meter • Other Functions of Light • Depth of Field * Exercise: Bracketing 129 Chapter 10 Motion The Science of Blurs • Stop and Co • Exercise: Blurred Movement 137 Chapter 11 Perspective Lenses • Different Ways of Seeing • A Point of View • Exercise: A Point of View Part 3 People, Places & Things: Exercises & Examples 151 Chapter 12 Things Exercises: Bicycle • Hubcaps & Taillights • Eggs • Object & Its Shadow • Bottles & Classes • Water • Old Things 167 Chapter 13 Places Exercises: Landscape • Architecture & Environment • Neighborhoods • Zoo/Farm • Store Windows * Construction Sites 181 Chapter 14 People Exercises: Hands • Elders • Children • Soft-Light Portrait • Side-Lit Portrait • Prop Portrait • Detail Portrait • Mood Portrait 197 Chapter 15 Putting It All Together Exercises: Fairs • Open Markets • Rain • Playgrounds • Sports Events 209 Chapter 16 Breaking the Rules Exercises: Night • Monotone • Silhouettes • Grain and Diffusion • Double Exposure • Photo-Copy Photos • Panel Panorama • Text and Image Appendixes 227 Appendix 1 Processing Processing Film • Printing • Manipulation 243 Appendix 2 Color From B&W to Color • Technical Considerations 253 Appendix 3 Manipulation & Presentation Presentation * Manipulation 265 Appendix 4 Advanced Techniques Tools 272 Mat Frame (template) 273 Cropping L's (template) 275 Bibliography 279 Glossary 281 Index 287 Acknowledgments 6 The Photographic Eye Introduction hotography is both an art dimensional scene. The process by control each of these factors to and a science. As an art, it which this is done may seem like achieve the effect you want. But it P expresses a personal vision. magic. (In fact, when cameras were will take time. As you may already As a science, it relies on technology. first introduced, many people all over know, it's often hard to keep all of This double nature is not unique to the world thought that they were them in mind every time you take a photography. Every kind of creative magic.) Fundamentally, however, picture. expression —such as music, dance or there's no magic in the camera. It's Fortunately, it is possible to begin painting —has both a purely artistic just a box with a hole in it. You more simply. This book is designed side and a more scientific or tech- supply the magic. When you, the to help you do that. It begins with a ological side as well. For example, photographer, use a camera creative- brief summary of photography's paints are a kind of technology, and ly, it changes from a simple, past, present and future, including a using them well involves a consid- mechanical machine into an artist's discussion of photography careers. rable amount of technical skill. The tool. Instead of making random This is followed by an introduction main difference between photogaphy copies of things, it begins to say to the camera itself. Chapters 3 and and more traditional visual arts, such something about them. 4 provide a set of guidelines for com- as painting, is the complexity of its Here are some of the technical posing and evaluating photographs. technology. questions a photographer must Chapter 5 explains a simple way to In any of the arts, the first step answer for every photograph: How start producing correctly exposed toward excellence is mastering tech- will the lighting affect the clarity and photographs. As soon as you get that ique — learning to use a specific tech- mood of the photograph? How fast basic background behind you, you ology skillfully and effectively. In should the shutter speed be? How will begin your first photograph photography, this means that you large a lens opening should be used? assignments. Chapters 6 through 11 must learn to control the camera and What should be in focus? What deal with specific "elements" of darkroom equipment, rather than let- belongs in the frame, and what photography. At the end of these ting them control you. doesn't? What lens should be used? chapters are exercises that will help No artist, however creative, can All these factors influence each you learn to recognize and use each produce a masterpiece without a other, and they all affect the final element discussed. sound basis in technique. On the photograph. A photograph is "suc- The remainder of the book is com- other hand, no amount of technical cessful"—in the technical sense — posed of additional exercises (with skill can make up for a lack of artistic when these factors all work well examples) and an Appendix, cover- vision. Both are essential. The goal together and are combined with cor- ing most of the technical information of any artist is to use good technique rect darkroom procedures. When a (including a section on color photog- creatively. creative composition is added, the raphy). Finally, there's a glossary to Simply speaking, a camera is a photograph becomes aesthetically clarify any confusing terminology machine that produces a two- successfully as well. and a bibliography to help you locate dimensional (flat) copy of a three- Eventually, you will learn how to more detailed information. 7 part 1 Getting Started Student photograph by Edward Maresh. 9 Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, 1936. Gelatin silver print. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. chapter 1 From Blurs to Big Business urprisingly few new art made between 1816 and 1840. Thrhe cent stone (one that would glow in the forms have been invented in first recorded discovery that certaiain dark). He mixed powdered chalk into I S the course of recorded his- chemicals turned black when exposed a nitric acid solution and was sur- tory. Depending on how such terms to light was made in 1725. The basic prised to discover that the mixture as "art" and "new" are defined, the design of the cameras we use today turned purple in sunlight. After in- novel as a form of literature may has been in use since the 1500s. The vestigating, he discovered that his ex- qualify, as may rock 'n' roll and Chinese figured it out even longer ago periment had been contaminated with other kinds of electric and electronic than that — as early as the fourth cen- silver salt (silver chloride) and that music. More recent candidates in- tury. So, photography is between this was causing the reaction to light. clude computer graphics and the 1,500 and 150 years old. Schulze was curious enough about current wave of digital creations this phenomenon to experiment with known as multi-media. Prelude it. He covered bottles of his mixture One form that certainly qualifies The first stage of photography's with stencils so the light would is photography. From its beginnings evolution in Europe was the camera "print" letters onto it, but the letters as a technological curiosity, it has obscura, which is Latin for "dark would disintegrate as soon as the mix- grown into one of the most impor- chamber" (camera = chamber or ture was disturbed. Evidently, he tant influences in our society and room; obscura = dark). The camera never thought that his discovery culture. Every day, we encounter obscura was a room, or a small build- might have any practical application. hundreds of images produced with ing, with no windows. One tiny hole, cameras and film. We learn about fitted with a lens, projected images Early Prints the latest fashion trends from photo- from outside the room onto the far In 1777, a Swedish chemist, Carl graphs — and about the latest war or wall inside it. Wilhelm Scheele, repeated Schulze's famine. We also learn about the re- The image was upside down and experiments. He also discovered that markable planet on which we live not generally very clear, but it was ammonia would dissolve the silver and about the people with whom we good enough to become a useful tool chloride and leave the image intact.