Creative Approaches To Photography

If you're dissatisfied with your current photos, and if you're determined to get better pictures, now is a good time to think about what it takes to make better pictures happen.

Part of the formula for making better pictures is to get the technical details right. Technical details include ensuring that your gear is in good working order, using fresh film suited for what you're shooting, and figuring out what old, unsuccessful shooting habits you want to overcome this season.

The more difficult part of the formula is refining your creative eye so that you see pictures as you encounter them, and can interpret them in fresh and innovative ways.

For some, a creative eye is a natural gift. For others, a creative eye emerges gradually through time, thought, desire, passion for a subject, experimentation, and a growing sense of personal style. Whether it is inborn or it evolves, a creative eye is less about imitation and meeting arbitrary standards than it is about gaining confidence in interpreting and photographing the world as you see it.

Seeing pictures  At first glance, the eye is drawn to the obvious and pretty subjects: striking expanses of landscapes, iconic subjects such as famous landmarks and symbols, and scenes that look like pictures we've seen before.

For most people, there is a compelling need to take the obvious pictures. In fact, for some, it may be necessary to take the obvious shots long enough to become thoroughly, incurably bored with the obvious. In other words, to reach the point of "been there, done that, want to do something new."

There are at least two benefits to taking the obvious pictures. First, it satisfies an internal need to get a shot like the one you saw on a postcard, and you can prove you were there to your family and friends. Second, and more important, by becoming terminally bored with the obvious pictures, you look harder and longer at the subject. Taking a longer look almost always leads to richer and more creative pictures.

But, you're probably asking, how do you see pictures? Part of seeing pictures is to train yourself to see what I call vignettes, or the smaller scenes within scenes that can be isolated to create a mini composition. To help train your eye to see the compositions, walk around with the camera viewfinder to your eye, and see as the camera sees.

Think of the viewfinder as your frame. Your job is to find the picture to frame. Move, change positions, look up, and look down to see what can be isolated as its own small picture. This technique applies as well to seeing pictures of people as it does to seeing pictures of nature and landscapes. There is no rule that says, for example, that you have to include all of a person's face to have a portrait.

Another effective technique is to study paintings, fine art photography, graphic design, architecture, and, most of all, nature. If you pay careful attention, the design elements that you find attractive will gradually begin to influence the way you compose your pictures. A more direct option, of course, is to take courses in fine art appreciation and the principles of design.

As you go about your day, begin to consciously "look for the light." In almost any scene, there will be smaller areas where the light play reveals texture, shape, or color in dramatic ways. The light is a spotlight revealing what might otherwise be missed by normal observation. Once you find the light, chances are excellent that a picture is waiting to be taken.

Note  Seeing takes time. Looking for the next level deeper is hardly possible if you are a tourist on a whirlwind tour, spending only a few hours or a day in one place.

After a while, seeing pictures becomes second nature. When it does, you can concentrate more on how you want to render the scene: what elements you want to emphasize, what message you want to convey about the scene, and so on.

The essential element  Combined with a creative approach is the essential element: the one element that makes the picture.

The essential element often depends somewhat on the subject. For example, if you're shooting sports and action pictures, the essential element may be timing: capturing the impossible hoop, or the taut muscles of a batter's arm in midswing. If you're taking nature photos, the essential element may be a kayak floating near a waterfall at precisely the right moment, or those magic moments when a golden light totally transforms the scene.

To capture the essential element-the decisive moment, the magical light, or the defining emotion-requires not only quick reflexes, but also being in the moment, being aware of everything going on, and being ready to respond to it.

Let's say you enjoy photographing flowers. Chances are above average that you know how flower pictures "should" look. You've seen flower pictures that you like, and you want to take pictures like that. Your notion of what flower pictures should look like is a preconception. And if you photograph flowers based on what you think flower pictures should look like, then you'll surely be able to add a few more frames to the millions of flower images already in circulation.

But if you want more creative pictures, a good first step is to move beyond your preconceptions. Try exercises that make you think of flowers (or your favorite photographic subject) differently. For example, find or buy some flowers, and spend 10 minutes studying the flowers closely. Walk around them, move them to different rooms, or wait for different light in the garden.

As you study them, ask yourself what it must be like to be a flower in a crowded cluster of flowers. Although it seems silly, think about the effects of overcrowding on your ability, as a flower, to bloom and thrive. Or consider the advantages all that closeness brings. Do flowers have bad-hair days? If you stay with this type of approach long enough, you'll begin to see flowers from a different point of view.

If you're uncomfortable with anthropomorphism, try a more conventional approach. For example, how would you illustrate in a single image the fleeting lifespan of flowers, the riot of color, or the silence and tranquility? How would you convey photographically the joy that flowers bring to the gardener or to you?

While the questions may seem silly at first, the answers can become the basis for your creative interpretation of the subject. In turn, and in time, your creative interpretation can evolve into your personal photographic style.

This article includes examples that are interpretations of flowers from a flower's point of view. Obviously, different viewers interpret the photographer's interpretation in their own way, and that is a good thing. You want to trigger a response beyond "Isn't that a pretty picture?" from viewers.

As you work, concentrate fully on what you see in the viewfinder. Your picture is not going to include the ambiance of the surroundings, such as the warmth of the sun or the robin chirping nearby. To bring the magic of what you feel to the image, focus on using strong compositional elements-color, shapes, textures, framing-to convey meaning.

Your picture will be even stronger if you factor in the principles of good design. Compose the image so that the viewer's eye flows into and within the image. Decide what the central focus point will be, and use the rest of the image as its supporting cast. Be aware of the lines in the image, and manipulate them to lead the viewer's eye into the picture and to the focus point.

Once you get the hang of letting go of your preconceptions, spend time experimenting with creative photographic approaches that help communicate your interpretation of the subject. Here are a few suggestions to get you started thinking about how technique can help you communicate.

Abstractions  Unlike pictures that sharply and literally define the subject, abstract pictures leave much more to the viewer's imagination. Abstract pictures may show subjects or parts of subjects that viewers ordinarily do not see, for example, extreme macro pictures of driftwood. Other abstract pictures may show a window or doorway, and rely on compositional elements such as line, texture, color, and pattern for impact. Try using an abstract approach to convey mood and concepts, and to reveal specific, compelling details.

Light  Because light is the defining element in any picture, use it creatively to set or change the mood of a scene, to reveal or conceal parts of the scene, and to silhouette subjects. With an off-camera flash, experiment with obscuring or eliminating some or all of the background. In other words, point the flash so it illuminates the background.

With small objects, you can sometimes use this technique to obliterate the background entirely. Add a gel over the flash or a filter over the lens to create a warm or cool ambiance for an image.

Begin to think of light as your opportunity to bend traditional photographic rules. For example, look for ways to expose backlit scenes so that the light emphasizes the subject you've chosen. Backlighting introduces interesting shadows you can work into the overall composition.

To determine exposure for backlit scenes, I take a meter reading on the lightest area and the subject. I average the two readings to determine the initial exposure, and then I bracket above and below the exposure. The series of images will variously display more or less detail in the shadow areas.

Color  Color is a tool you can use creatively to unify a photo, evoke viewer response, and even subjugate the subject. In short, color, or the lack of color, can make or break a photo. You can use color creatively to communicate your interpretation of a subject as being strong, weak, vibrant, or subdued.

Peter Burian, professional photographer and MSN Photos contributing writer, describes the importance of color in his photography. "These days, I tend to look for vibrant hues and tones, regardless of the subject. That might be a person in a striking costume or uniform, colorful handicrafts at a market, a scarlet macaw, or rich red blossoms contrasting against dark green foliage.

"At times, I'll notice a bold blue, yellow, or green building while traveling. Knowing that it would make for an ideal background, I'll stop and wait patiently for a subject to appear, preferably local folks dressed in contrasting colors, or even tourists in garish shorts and T-shirts. When the right people walk through the scene, I'll shoot a series of frames," Burian says.

He continues, "More and more publications are featuring images with striking colors. Even National Geographic has adopted this trend.

"After years of exposure to the various media, readers do tend to prefer images that are particularly striking. Effective use of color can certainly produce high visual impact, and I'm always aware of that fact. Red and blue are personal favorites. When I send magazine editors a broad selection of images, they tend to select the pictures that include these colors.

"Although I consider photography a form of personal expression, I do want to share my work with others. Hence, I try to keep their preferences in mind when seeking subject matter, favoring scenes with striking color as an accent to interesting content that will catch and hold the viewer's eye."

Filters, focus, zooming, and panning  Filters that soften the focus, or add the impression of fog or mist to the image, are creative tools to consider. Even without a soft-focus filter, you can create a romantic effect with a zoom lens by zooming slightly during a longer exposure. Be sure to experiment with both zooming out and zooming in to get different effects.

Experiment with panning to either let both the subject and the background blur artistically, or keep the subject in focus but blur the background. Panning is an art that takes practice to perfect. The technique is to hold the camera very steady (preferably on a tripod) as you move, using only your hips, to follow the subject's movement. Try setting the shutter speed at 1/30th of a second or slower.

Grain  Clusters of silver halide in film produce the grain in film images. The faster the film (the higher the ISO rating), the more noticeable the grain structure is in the final image. (In traditional darkrooms, different methods of film processing, developing solutions, and photographic papers can emphasize or de-emphasize the appearance of grain.)

Whether you shoot film or digital images, you can use the appearance of grain to create evocative, moody images. If you're shooting with a digital camera, just increase the ISO equivalency setting to a fast speed, such as 400 or 800. And many image-editing programs have filters you can apply to simulate the appearance of film grain or noise.

While many people think of grain as a way to enhance black-and-white images, it can be very effective on color images as well. Another option is a "screen" filter. This kind of filter simulates everything from a window screen effect to a commercial printer screen effect. Experiment with the filter options your image-editing program offers. In almost all cases, filters add a softening effect to images.

The possibilities for polishing images on the computer add another creative dimension to the work that began in the camera. Whether you like to make radical changes to images using filters and special effects, or prefer, as I do, to tweak exposures just enough to emphasize the original composition, you have unprecedented creative control with image-editing programs.

Note  Thanks to Jon Canfield, a Picture It! Photo testing manager and avid photographer, and Peter Burian, MSN Photos contributing writer and professional photographer, for contributing photographs for this article.