Photography is fun when you treat it like visual experimentation!
Working the scene
Tip:
When you see an interesting scene, ‘work the scene’ by photographing the scene from different angles, perspectives, and experiment with different framing.
For example I saw these pipes, and took a series of pictures. These are three photos I was considering:
Now the question is this:
“Which is the best?”
Now, you cannot ascertain for certain which photo is the ‘best’. The better question is:
Which photo do I prefer the most?
Visualize the shapes
The first thing you can do is visualize the shapes. I shot these pictures on a phone, and processed them afterwards with the VSCO ‘distortia’ preset– which better helps us see the lines. This is one comparison:
Another comparison:
Another angle:
Ultimately I preferred the diagonal composition– because I found the composition to be more dynamic, with more interesting angles.
Clean background
Keep your pictures simple. If you want to do a nice composition, don’t show any other superfluous elements in the background. Just focus on the simple shapes.
Multiple-subject pictures
Add negative space between your subjects:
You can better see the human separation with the VSCO distoria preset applied:
Now with my own overlays:
Lessons
Treat yourself like a visual scientist. You make pictures for fun, as visual experimentation.
Use weird presets, experiment with novel compositions, and just ‘f*ck around’ with your camera! The more you experiment, the more likely you are to discover some interesting innovations and ideas in your photography.
Never stop experimenting,
ERIC