Why you should stop taking photos!

An article I wrote about the theories involved with getting good photographs.

...Making art instead

Now I get it.

Todd,

I find it ironic that your under your user name it says, "I don't like titles". That is because I don't particularly care for the title of this article!

I disagree with the author from a semantic standpoint, as I do not think that the term "taking photos" insinuates that you are only there to capture the scene. In fact, I do not think that people should insinuate anything from words - they should simply go by the actual definition of words and terms, and thereby avoid any misunderstandings that may arise when insinuations or connotations are assumed.

I believe that "taking a photo" can (and often does) involve far more than only capturing the scene before us. If I spend countless hours setting up and composing particular photos that I want, I will still refer to that endeavor as "taking photos". I will not stop "taking photos", and neither should anyone else.

The article actually has a lot of good information and helpful ideas in it. It is a shame that the inaccurate title taints an otherwise well-written article. I know that the author chose that title to "grab your attention", but that is not really a viable excuse for wording something in a way that could be shown to be incorrect and/or inaccurate.

Hi Tom, since I am the author of that article I will weigh in -

The title was meant to stop and make you think. Which is the gist of the article itself, so I guess I fail to see how it is inaccurate.

I think you're reading too much into the title and semantics.

The point of the article was to make you change your mindset about photography. That's all. It was meant to make you think about why you're taking/making a shot.

Nonetheless, thank you for your comment and I appreciate your view.

Looks like click-bait to try and drive revenue to your personal site. I'll pass.

Just notice:

A travelling story with some photos, there is what National Geography doing...

Have fun

Luckless, I'm sorry you feel that way. I spent time writing that article and so I want others to see it and of course I make a living from ad impressions, so yes... You would be contributing to my income... But the decision is yours.

Thanks for posting your insightful comment in here though, I do appreciate that as well

Well, I thought it was a pretty good read myself
Coming up with some ingenuity to 'spice' up your shots, great idea

Thanks Jabtas!

A large part of my photographs are of stage shows & performances. I wouldn't dream of trying to alter the scene to make a better photograph. My job is to document the performance in such a way that's flattering to the performers. At most, I can slightly move (stage left, stage center, stage right), and I can frame looser or tighter to change composition.

Photojournalists can lose their credibility and their jobs by trying to add/subtract to a scene to make a better photograph.

Opinions, Todd? Can documentary-style photos never quality as "good" photos or "art," because the photographer didn't bother to alter the scene before mashing the shutter button?


[disclaimer: I generally don't consider my photographic work to be art. I'm not trying to tell a story; I'm trying to document the event or flatter the subject. I'm an engineer by nature, I make useful things but I don't make art.]

That's a good question Nathan!

I don't think altering a scene (by adding an element etc...) is required to make a good photo, no. I mentioned some of those things as they pertain to a lot of photo types, but the instance you mention is not a good candidate for that, I would agree.

However, my other points and probably most important, is that the photographer should "think" about what would make a the scene better. Would that yellow power cord hanging off the stage hurt your shot? Is there a way to remove it from view? Not necessarily moving it, but possibly moving the camera to frame it out of the shot?

It's not all about manipulation outside of the camera - in fact, it's mostly about manipulating your scene inside the camera viewfinder and composition.

In my opinion, composition is the #1 important element to photography, above all else, even exposure.

That said, don't get hung up on Art or not Art.... I think all types of images can be art... The artistic part for some types of photos comes from the photographer's eye, and being able to correct or lessen things in a shot. This is the photographer's most important tool... their eyes.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #17407392
However, my other points and probably most important, is that the photographer should "think" about what would make a the scene better. Would that yellow power cord hanging off the stage hurt your shot? Is there a way to remove it from view? Not necessarily moving it, but possibly moving the camera to frame it out of the shot?

Yeah, I do this with just about every shot. There's a lot of clutter to keep out of the frame.

I'll clone out stuff in post, too - at my favorite venue, there's a bright green "exit" sign that always shows up in wide shots. Usually one click with Lightroom's spot-healing tool will take care of it, but sometimes I'll brush on -4.0 stops of exposure and -100 saturation to make it blend with the dark corner of the venue.

Anyway, not arguing, just making conversation

For these kinds of photos, it takes composition and (perhaps most importantly) timing to make a good performance photo: Anticipate the pose, the dance move, the facial expression - and be ready for it. I can't alter it - but I certainly can be ready to capture that fraction-of-a-second opportunity. Artful composition is second to a flattering pose and facial expression - though I suppose they go hand-in-hand.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #17407392
It's not all about manipulation outside of the camera - in fact, it's mostly about manipulating your scene inside the camera viewfinder and composition.

I'm glad you said this, Todd. Of course we all want to put thought and consideration into the images we take (but it is still "taking photos" regardless of how much time and thought are invested).........but to do anything to manipulate the scene before us can be a real no-no for many forms of documentary and nature photography. The effort that those photographers put into their images usually comes in getting their camera where they want it to be in order to compose the most compelling image - NOT in changing the scene before them so that it looks different.

Gotta love the click bait trend sweeping through the interwebs nowadays. Without reading it I am guessing it could have been titled something like "Good photography requires good composition"

Wow... okay, I'm done. Screw you guys.

I'm not some spammer who has been on here for 3 days. I'd like to think that I've been here long enough and helped enough people to give something back to this community, but apparently with the new design, a bunch of idiots have come in with it.

If this is the crap you're going to get for trying to make something and share it with others, then I'm done with POTN, sadly. This place used to be a great resource and had lots of thoughtful conversations, but I guess that day has gone.