Exercise Title: Image likes and dislikes
Purpose: Start to figure out what sort of images do and do not resonate with you by looking at images from other people.
Method: Look at the supplied magazines and pick out a range of images that you absolutely love and some that you really can't stand.
Analyse: Use your understanding of photography to establish what it is about each image you like or dislike and try and figure out what type of lighting, white balance, lens, aperture and shutter speed were used
Output to Carl: Pick your 3 favourite images and the 3 least favourite images. Put those images into the folders in DropBox and send an email explaining how you analysed each image and why it is a like or dislike. What have you learned from this exercise that informs you on your personal vision.
Feedback:
Note that all of my comments are positive, i.e. I did not say :-
“ I need to avoid clutter and distracting elements in my image”
Output to Carl: Pick your 3 favourite images and the 3 least favourite images. Put those images into the folders in DropBox and send an email explaining how you analysed each image and why it is a like or dislike. What have you learned from this exercise that informs you on your personal vision.
Feedback:
This is a very cool exercise and one that I come back to every few years. The more we study art whether photographic, sculpture, drawing, painting etc the more we become in tune with the type of images that we gravitate to. Once you understand the images you like and don’t like then it becomes much easier to take more of what you enjoy and less that you end up throwing away. As with all things our style and tastes change over time which is why it is important to do this exercise yourself every few years. I’ve added some comments in red to your notes below to help with some of the technical deconstruction.
Once I’ve been through this process I then take a close look at both sets and try to summarise what it is that I like so that this helps to set my thinking when I am out creating images. As an example last time I did this exercise I summarised my results as:
“ For me to enjoy this image it needs a sense of space, purpose and loneliness. It should feel clean and simple”Note that all of my comments are positive, i.e. I did not say :-
“ I need to avoid clutter and distracting elements in my image”
I suggest you take a look at your own collection of images and find a sentence that works for you to help guide your work.