Exercise Title: Using extreme negative space
Purpose: One of the best things we can do when creating images is to give ourselves some kind of limitation. Anytime we apply a limitation we force our creative minds to get focussed on the problem. This one is about making use of boring overcast days or any large expanse of nothingness and using that to our advantage.
Method: Your exercise is to go out and find images where the predominant part of the image is empty and see what you can come up with. As with most of my exercises the idea is to concentrate your vision when you go out, but, always be mindful of that sub-conscious part of your vision that looks for other opportunities and don’t be concerned about getting those too :-)
Analyse: Send me through 2 or 3 images when you’ve done the exercise and let me know: -
- Why did you choose the scene you did
- Why did you choose the scene you did
- What settings did you use and why….in particular focal length and aperture
- What do you like/dislike about each image
- Would you use this approach again? Explain why you would or wouldn’t
- What do you like/dislike about each image
- Would you use this approach again? Explain why you would or wouldn’t
Feedback:
Well, I’ve been struggling on how to respond to the results of your exercise because saying ‘wow’ just doesn’t seem nearly enough on my part……but, well, wow :-)
Definitely worth your while trying similar shots in different conditions and see what resonates with you best. A completely overcast day with completely flat light is not usually the photographers friend, or so we are led to believe ;-). However, if you take a day like that and find something stark to photograph then you can approach it as a high key by lifting the exposure a couple of stops to make the sky almost white and then bring down the blacks and shadows in post production for a minimalist look. By way of an example if you look at the last couple of images on this months blog there is one of two trees. My post processing of that one is pretty much as I saw the light, however, if I push the exposure and then drop back the blacks and shadows I get a more minimalist image…..see below :-).
