Monday, October 20, 2008

Art Wolfe Creative Sessions (Nathanael Gass)


Last weekend, I went to a photography workshop held by Art Wolfe. He talked about his experiences photographing and how he composes an image. It was a great weekend and I learned a lot. If you have the chance to hear him speak, I would recommend you do so.

His main point was that the longer the viewer looks at the image, the more interesting, and therefore better, the photo is. By adding mystery to the photo, the photographer can pique the viewer's interest and make him look at the photo longer. He frequently uses texture to highlight his subject and add interest.

I was particularly interested in his discussion on texture because I had already begun to experiment with texture in my photos. For example, in this photo, I chose to use the opposing textures of the tortoise's shell and leg to add interest to the composition. I also moved in close to give the viewer fewer clues at what they were looking at to add mystery.

Metadata: f/5 at 1/20th of a second at ISO 100
Tripod, Nikon D-80 with 180mm macro lens

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