Share your photographer's eye

This is an interesting Demilked article I saw in my feed today. There seems to be some significant post work done in a couple of the photo's. However, the article does really illustrate that a trained or experienced can see more in a scene than the average person, regardless of how much creative license the photographer takes with editing.

http://www.demilked.co​m …al-beginners-photography/

What scenes have you captured that show off your vision and photographer's eye?

I have seen it referred to as "working the scene". Examining a location or subject to find what it is about it that appeals. Humans are good at instinctively/unconsci​ously seeing something that attracts/repels them, but often can't consciously describe why they feel the way they do.

When an "everyday person" gets that instinctive feeling they often just lift the camera and snap. Photographers learn to go beyond that, to spend time studying the scene to work out what it is they like about it. I think that is why several of the images are "zoomed in" on a key feature in the scene. Where a normal person would capture the whole scene (interesting item plus boring stuff around it) a photographer composes out the boring stuff so more of the image is taken up with interesting stuff.

This illustrates two of the most important differences between an amateur and good photographer. Knowing how to compose a scene and how the interplay of light and shadow in that scene will best bring focus to your subject. However, even pros can make mistakes

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Nathan wrote in post #18105703
. . . a trained or experienced (photographer) can see more in a scene than the average person . . .

I think that the trained artist sees the entire composition; everything in the frame, while the average person suffers from "subject fixation", in which they only pay attention to the subject itself.

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I hope this thread goes viral, I would like to see what the pros here on POTN sees that I don't see.

I have always had difficulty in 'seeing/visualizing' the image in the field no matter how much I work the scene.
My workaround is that I cheat...I almost always use a 300 mm f/2.8 lens, take a wide spread of numerous images and merge them.
Then, crop to the best view based on that monitor image.

My multiple BIF images use this technique.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #18109125
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I think that the trained artist sees the entire composition; everything in the frame, while the average person suffers from "subject fixation", in which they only pay attention to the subject itself.

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I don't think one needs to be "trained" in the formal sense. Some may gain the eye through experience and self-criticism. Others are born with it, curse them!

It's genetic, a right/left brain kinda thingy.

I think my high anxiety and frustrations keeps me from paying attention long enough to see anything.

Think of photography as art in the form of painting.


If your paintings are worthy of being hung in a gallery to be displayed for sale and people are crazy over them than you have a good eye.

If this is not the case than you might have a good eye only for how to put your equipment's features to best use. This of course doesn't mean anything without creativity but on the flip side creativity will push one to create stunning results with minimal equipment.

I looked at the three pairs of images in the link, and the first thing I notice is that in none of the pairs are the two photos truly taken from the same location. Same general area, yes, but not the same location, as when looking at details the perspective in each photo of the pair is different. I'm not sure that simply being handed a (out of focus in one case) cell phone shot of a location is really going to help anyone assess a location for possible use as a photographic location. If one were truly trying to suggest that some people have an eye for composing a beautiful image, and that others simply suck, should not both images also include the human subjects? Without the subjects being the same it seems a completely pointless exercise. Getting any scene to work is usually an exercise in placing both the subject and the camera to provide the best perspective, as well of course as the ability to control the depth of field, and even the lighting. The more you shoot any particular type of subject the better, and therfore quicker you are likely to become in realising where you are going to want to place both the subject and the camera for best results.

Alan

Well, my first reaction is that this is kind of a snarky article. I have no idea as to the point of "One is a version even your grandma could make with her phone (if she upgraded from a dial-up, of course)" since I'm sure many grandmothers (and grandfathers) are superb photographers, and one's method of Internet access has little or nothing to do with their photography. We all know that "professional gear" has nothing to do with skill, talent, or artistic ability, and there are so many people who do superb work with "only a phone camera".

As to the phrase "post processing wizardry" -- LOL.