set your passion free
DESCRIPTION
Originally presented to the Ridgewood Camera Club and New Jersey Smug Group, the Set Your Passion Free presentation is now available free. Once you know what to do and not to do, you must put the rules aside and explore your own creative vision.TRANSCRIPT
Set Your Passion FreeScott Wyden Kivowitz
http://scottwyden.com
Once you know what to do & what not to do
Put the rules aside & explore your own creative vision.
Leave Your Comfort Zone• Take Risks
• Break Boundaries
• Open Doors
• Go Nuts!
• “Poke the Box” - Seth Godin
Where Are You?Where do you stand in the swarm of photographers?
What are you doing different?
What risks are you taking?
What rules are you breaking?
Thomas Edison Once Said
“We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present.”
Photography Rules
They exist for a reason,
to act as a guideline of
the photographic process
What “They” Don’t Tell You
You are allowed to break the rules
Darren Rowse - Digital Photography School
“While you probably won’t want to break these rules in every photograph that you take – breaking them can bring about some fairly spectacular results.”
The Rules
• Rule of Thirds
• Golden Ratio
• Tack Sharp
• Clean Angles
• Low ISO
• Hold Steady
• Fill The Frame
• Follow The Light Meter
• Keep Still
• Get Down or Move Up
• Keep Horizons Level
• Avoid Lens Flare...etc
Keep It Steady?
Some photographers, like my friend John, throw & spin their camera in the air.
In fact, there is a Flickr group full of them!
note: I don’t recommend throwing a camera.
MacroWho needs it?
Have you tried photographing flowers with a wide telephoto
lens?
Macro...or photograph a macro straight on
without finding the perfect angle?
It could work better than you
might think.
BokehAlways fun, sometimes overdone.
FocusNot everything
has to be in focus for a photograph to be interesting
BlurThere isn’t one still part of this photo, yet it is fun to look at!
See the guy walking in the background?
ISO Shooting at the highest ISO may not be favorable, but it can add drama by using so much available light.
AnglesPhotographs do not
have to be straight, to be interesting
LinesIf this was
straight (horizontal lines)
it would be boring!
ColorPlay with color
and light.
This color photograph looks
black & white.
VintagePlay with
processing by making a modern digital photograph
look old.
CurvesYou don’t have to correct for them if you
don’t want to.
Let it go, have some fun.
Tilt/Shift
These lenses are meant for
correction, but can add a unique
look to architecture,
landscapes and objects
Negative Space
There is something about dead space that is so attractive in a
photograph.
Timothy O'Sullivan’s photographs had blown-out skies because of orthochromatic material, which makes all blue skies overexposed. (1871 - 73 survey of the American West)
Surroundings
Photographing your subjects, and their
surroundings.
Surroundings as Background
Photographing your subjects by using
their surroundings as the background
HDRHigh Dynamic Range
Love it or hate it. Either way, the technique can
make for a stunning
photograph.
Be SneakyDon’t let an animal know
you are there.
Be SneakyDon’t let an animal (or person) know you are
there.
Overhead“They” say to get down to
a child’s level.
How about standing over and looking down?
UpwardShooting from a low angle can
add a neat perspective
MobileExperiment with cell phone
photography and the many applications and accessories available.
Shoot Through
Shooting through people can add an
interesting perspective or
twist to a situation
Shoot Through
Shooting through trees can add an
interesting perspective or twist to a scene
No Detail
Let highlights blow out
Let shadows cut
explore the boundaries of your camera
No Detail
Deep detail-free shadows can
create a highly dramatic portrait
Cut OffIt is okay to cut the
heads or legs off people if it works!
FiltersThey don’t have to be on the camera in order to make
use of them
(two 10x ND filters in use)
Giving It A Try
• Wrong Lens On The Right Camera (e.g., DX on FX)
• Wrong Lens For Right Situation (e.g., Telephoto for Macro or Tilt/Shift as Prime)
• All Distortion
• Upside Down Camera
• Use A Different Eye
• Dead Center
• All Minimalistic
Final Thoughts
Be Aggressive
Be Kind
Experiment
Take Risks
Most Important
Have FunDoing It
Love The Rules
Set Your Passion Free
Scott Wyden Kivowitz
http://scottwyden.com
Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, 500px, Flickr, YouTube and more!
Title by Martin BieleckiCrowdsourcing A Photography Presentation Title
http://scottwyden.com/crowdsourcing-a-photography-presentation-title/