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Photography Movements – Abstraction

By gmiller | Published August 12, 2011

ocean beach, san francisco, ca

Abstraction has been an important part of art since the Impressionists appeared in the mid 1800′s. It began in Paris as a loose group of artists who wanted to break free from the realism of classical painting. These included artists like Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, and Camille Pissarro. This group set out to break the rules of classical painting where realism and accurate rendering were the highest achievement. They broke with tradition by using color and design for expression and not just duplicating the natural world. Their brush strokes became bold, short, and visible. They also began to paint outside of their studios, en plein air, on location. This allowed them to capture the subtle nature of sunlight. Their paintings became about expressing their feelings and were a new way of seeing the world. This group began to question what art really was and how it should be defined. I spoke about this in my recent post ‘Photography and What is Art?‘.

One of the elements that is attributed to the rise of Impressionism in art is the creation of photography. Before the invention of photography in 1839 the only way to record the world was through classical art forms like drawing and painting. When photography came along it’s main purpose was to reproduce the natural world accurately and ‘easily’. Many painters thought that photography was going to be the death of them and many rebelled against the new medium. But instead of killing off artistic painting, photography actually liberated these artists. Now they were free to express themselves in their art instead of just having to produce realistic pieces. So photography directly lead to the Impressionist movement. Later in 1890, when photography was trying to be accepted as an art form, just like the Impressionist were doing in the 1860-1870′s, photography borrowed the Impressionist look in the form of Pictorialism (see ‘We Will Always Have Paris‘). So the two art media feed off of each other and laid the groundwork for future art movements.

The Abstract art movement grew out of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists in the late 19th and early 20th century. Abstract art is a movement where form, line, and design can exist independent from the reality of the subject. Jonathan Steele had this to say about photographic abstraction, “…photographic art that is not representational of real objects in the natural world. By taking the essence of the photo or a portion of the photo and by using color and or the form in an aesthetic arrangement or combination, the photographic abstraction becomes art.” As the movement grew in the 20th century many fine abstract photographers emerged including Man Ray, Ernst Haas, and Aaron Siskind . Abstraction remains a large component of photography and other arts today. My work has been greatly influenced by Impressionism and Pictorialism.

Gary Miller

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Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography | Tagged Aaron Siskind, abstraction, Ernst Haas, fine art, fine art photography, genre, impressionism, Man Ray, movements, pictorialism | 1 Comment

I Love the Medium of Photography

By gmiller | Published August 12, 2011

wynn bullock ice photograph

“I love the medium of photography, for with its unique realism it gives me the power to go beyond conventional ways of seeing and understanding and say, “This is real, too.” ”
Wynn Bullock

The quote from photographer Wynn Bullock touches on something I mentioned in my recent post ‘Shutter Speed – It’s About Time‘. One of the subjects that I wrote about there was this thing I called ‘artistic blur’. For me this is using blur in a still photograph to illustrate motion and to relay a sense of emotion to the viewer. This is one form of abstraction in photography, another way of seeing. The ideal of seeing the world differently through photography becomes very apparent in black and white. Using black and white film or turning a color digital image into black and white immediately has the effect of abstracting it. As humans, we see in color. So the mere act of taking away the color creates another level of abstraction. For some helpful suggestions on photography in black and white you can read ‘Successfully Photographing in Black and White‘.

An important component to photography is learning to see your work in other ways besides reality. I have noticed over the years as I have been teaching that when students are early in their photography studies the goal is to capture a scene realistically. The exposure has to be correct and things in that photograph are supposed to look similar to the way that the scene did in the real world. In the beginning, when you are learning photography, this is a good goal. You need a way to measure your grasp of the technical nature of photography. The next phase of learning brings in more of an aesthetic principle. Now finer composition and lighting are added. Then, eventually students are encouraged to record photographs that do not look like the way that they did in the real world. This is where self expression comes in. A good example of this might be to create a silhouette of someone. The subject may not have been silhouetted but using careful exposure we can turn them into a black shape against a background. Black and white is another road into this abstract expression that Wynn Bullock refers to above. Even though we may not realize it an image without color is by its very nature an abstraction.

So don’t just stop with realistic photography all of time. People should experiment and incorporate their own vision and voice into their images. This is one of the later things that someone should do in photography because you need to know the rules before you can effectively break them. This is where your creativity can really shine.

Gary Miller

Red Photo Houston Wedding Photography

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Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography | Tagged art, blur, digital photography, fine art, fine art photography, motion, photography, shutter speed, wedding photography, Wynn Bullock | Comments Off

We Will Always Have Paris

By gmiller | Published August 12, 2011

boy at fountain

menu board

house detail

wall mural

Paris is my favorite city in the entire world. I love the culture, the language, the people, the food, and the beauty of the city. Paris is the photography center of the world. Photography was invented there by Louis Daguerre in 1839. Many of my all time favorite photographers have lived or worked in Paris or are living there now, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andre Kertesz, Richard Avedon and Sebastaio Salgado. But countless other great photographers have moved through that magical city. So I wanted to create a photography project in Paris that would reflect other photo-artists before me and add my own unique twist to the mix. I spent a month on this project so I rented an apartment in the 19th district (arrondissement). I chose this area because it was away from the touristy areas of the city and out in a real neighborhood with local people, local foods, and local culture. Since the Metro system is so great it was easy to get around each day. My project was to cover Paris through photographs using a romantic, turn of the 20th century look. I was after something relating to the Pictorialist style. The Pictorialists were part of a movement lead by Alfred Stieglitz in 1890 to get photography accepted as a true art form. Some people would argue that this battle is still going on today. Stieglitz had the idea that if photographs looked more like paintings and covered similar subject matter, then they would more easily be accepted as art. So the Pictorialist style was born in which you see a great deal of Impressionistic views of nude figures, landscapes, and still lifes with components like blur, grain, soft focus, and non-silver based printing methods including platinum, palladium, and cyanotype. You can read more about the Pictorialist movement in my post, ‘The Photography of Edward Steichen‘.

So my task each day was to go to a different district and to record images. This is a very reportage approach to photography which was made famous by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Andre Kertesz. I just wandered around and looked for interesting things going on; people, buildings, light, shadow. I was really a great way to see the city and many of its minute details. For me this is just the start of this project. I plan to go back and cover more types of shots. I would like to do more nighttime photographs in the style of Brassai. I am sure that I will have not trouble finding people who want to go with me.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, photography, photography techniques | Tagged Alfred Stieglitz, Andre Kertesz, Brassai, fine art photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson, impressionism, paris, pictorialism, Sebastaio Salgado | 4 Comments

Successfully Photographing in Black and White

By gmiller | Published August 11, 2011

“When you photograph people in colour you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their souls!” ~Ted Grant

Today’s quote from Ted Grant talks about the uniqueness and beauty of producing black and white photographs. Now when Grant made the statement you had to make the choice between color and black and white film before you started shooting. In the digital age one of the nice things is that you can shoot in color and then later convert the images to black and white. You also have many toning possibilities. I love black and white photography and I have been actively engaged with it for the past 12 years. When I began in the film days it was a true labor of love. I processed every roll of black and white film that I exposed, and believe me that was a lot. I made contact prints and then black and white prints in a chemical-based darkroom. The process was very time consuming, but very rewarding. Some of the things that attract photographers to black and white are its’ classic look, it’s beautiful tonal qualities, its’ flexibility for self expression, and its’ hands-on nature. I remember hearing the great photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado say that he only photographs in black and white because he feels that color distracts from the image. He does not want you to notice someone in a photograph merely because of the color shirt that he is wearing.

So to help to take better black and white photographs here are some tips and tricks:

1. look at shapes, textures, and details

These elements all look good in black and white because of the abstract nature of the medium.

2. composition is key

Since you have lost the important compositional element of color you should concentrate more on design and good composition. For suggestions look at my posts, ‘Good Composition in Photography‘ , ‘Photographic Composition with Jim Zuckerman‘, and ‘10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Photos (Part 1)‘ and (Part 2).

3. you can use harder light

Hard, contrasty light, see ‘All About Light in Photography‘, does not work well in color, but in black and white it can really add to the graphic nature of your image. Formalism and Film Noir made great use of this principle.

4. learn to see in black and white

With practice you will learn to ignore colors in your scenes, but it will take some time. Years of training you to see in color and make sense of it is not something that you are going to be able to turn off in a day. Be patient.

5. use your DSLR in color mode, not black and white mode

A common mistake made by beginning photographers is to think that if they want a black and white image then they should use their camera in black and white mode. Don’t do it! When you switch your camera to a b&w mode it throws away the color information. You do not want to be throwing away anything. The color information is important when you convert your file over to black and white. And also you want to have the image in color so you can have options later. Oh yeah shoot in RAW.

6. convert to black and white properly

Just as you do not want your camera to throw out color data you do not want to just use a ‘convert to grayscale’ command in Photoshop. This throws out color data in a predefined way that rarely is ideal. The best ways to convert from color to b&w in Photoshop are to use a Black and White adjustment layer or convert it in Adobe Camera Raw. This area is pretty big so I will have to make a separate post on it in the future.

7. shadows and silhouettes work well

Just by their nature shadows and silhouettes lends themselves to a black and white treatment. They are a good starting point. Now go out and photograph some black and white images y’all.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography | Tagged black and white photography, digital photography, improving your photography, monochrome, photo advice, tutorial | 1 Comment

Photo of the Week – Bodie, CA

By gmiller | Published August 10, 2011

bodie, ca

This week’s image is from a collection of work that I did in Bodie, CA. If you are not familiar with Bodie, it is probably the best preserved ghost town in the America. It is a State Historical Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California, near Yosemite National Park. It is a must place for any serious photographer to see. The town is perfectly preserved as it was in mid 1800′s when gold was discovered there. Bodie began as a mining camp of little note in 1859 founded by a group of prospectors which included W.S. Bodey. In 1876 the Standard Company discovered gold there and the town was transformed overnight into a boom town. By 1879 the town had up to 7000 residents and 2000 buildings. The town experienced a boom from 1877-1880. By 1880 there were mine finds in other areas and this lured many of the prospectors away with promises of instant riches and easy money. By 1910 the population had dwindled to about 700 people. The Standard Consolidated Mine closed there in 1913 and this was pretty much the last gasp for the town. By 1915 it was listed as a ghost town. The town was designated as a National Historical Landmark in 1961 and became a California State Historical Park in 1962. Today 170 buildings remain. The town is within 20 miles of Yosemite National Park, which is another must see for anyone, especially photographers. An ideal trip would include both. Bodie is open year round, but can be difficult to get to during the winter. The road in is not paved and it can be slow going, or at least it was the last time I was there a few years ago. Yosemite is a wonderful park to visit, but you have to plan your trip to miss the crowds of summer, but also to take advantage of when most of the roads are open. When I lived in San Francisco I used to go to this area all of the time. There are so many great places to photograph in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I highly recommend the trip.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, photography, photography techniques | Tagged Bodie, California, documentary, film photography, fine art photography, ghost town, photography, travel photography, vintage | Comments Off

Digital Infrared Photography

By gmiller | Published August 9, 2011

I first became interested in infrared (IR) photography when I was mostly a black and white fine artist. Although there is a color IR version, the black and white version is the most popular. With film, shooting infrared is no easy task. First, the film has to be loaded and unloaded in total darkness. So you just can’t drop the film canister into your camera in daylight as normal, or take it out in daylight. Since infrared film is heat sensitive, just being out in the environment of the sun and heat will fog it, even though it is in a protective canister. Then you have to be careful when you are handling it because not only is the emulsion on the film very thin and easily scratched, but you have to wear latex gloves, otherwise your fingerprints will be transferred on to the film from their heat. The thin emulsion makes processing and handing the wet film another area when scratching is almost unavoidable. After using black and white infrared film I was sure that it would be an effective way to punish prisoners. The other weird things about shooting it are that you need to use an IR (very dark red) filter over your lens. This filter screens out the visible light and only allows the infrared light through. That means you can no longer see through the lens when you are taking your picture. So you need a tripod and long exposure. How long an exposure? Take a guess because light meters do not read infrared light. Most often I found that the exposure was about 2 seconds at f/11. And things that move do not do well with infrared. Anything that is growing, green will come out bright white. Skies look really cool in infrared because they go a very dark black and the clouds turn very white. With film you get another bonus and this is glow or fuzziness around the bright areas. This is due to the fact that the film does not have an anti-halation dye layer on the back of it and light goes through the back of the film, hits the film plate, and bounces back to expose it some more. That is where the characteristic glowing infrared look comes from. Also, your regular focus scale will be off slightly because the infrared light does not focus the same way that visible light does. Lenses used to have IR compensation marks on them. Many do not anymore.

So enough history, what about digital infrared photography you ask. Well most digital SLR cameras have an infrared blocking filter over the sensor so they will not take infrared images. Some cameras can still be used. The older digital cameras work well, like a Nikon D1 and D1X, or Coolpix 950, but there are some new ones that will work too. You will have to do a bit of research to find the right ones. A good source to consult is the book’Digital Infrared Photography‘ . You will still have to use the infrared filter on your camera, a tripod, move your focus, and have a slow shutter speed.

Another alternative is to have you camera permanently converted to infrared by a company like Life Pixel for about $500. The advantage to doing this is that you do not have to use the infrared filter on your lens anymore, you can look through the lens, and you can take regular light meter readings and use regular exposure times. But to invest in the conversion you should be serious about pursuing infrared photography. Many people place their digital cameras in black and white mode for IR photography. You will still need to do some fine tuning in Photoshop. And you will have to add that glow if you want an authentic look. You can find some more good information here and on Thom Hogan’s site.

The images above are from the Taos Pueblo graveyard in Taos, New Mexico. They were taken with a Nikon D1x using an infrared filter at 2 seconds on f/11.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, photography, photography techniques | Tagged digital photography, film, film photography, fine art, fine art photography, infrared photography | Comments Off

Fine Art Photograph – Mississippi Delta Documentary Project

By gmiller | Published August 7, 2011

fine art photograph from Mississippi

This weeks photograph is another from my series on the Mississippi Delta area. You can read more about this project in my post ‘Mississippi Delta Photojournalism Project.’ This photograph really shows the idea of mixing fine art photography with the documentary photography style. I began as a documentary photographer. After I had been happily doing that for a few years I decided to go back to graduate school to get my Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in photography. My goal was to polish my photography skills and then to obtain the credentials that I needed to teach at the university level. I did my graduate work at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. It was a great place to go to school and a great place for art and photography. Shortly after I began school I was really drawn to the fine art side of photography. You can read more about my quest in my post ‘Becoming a Fine Art Photographer.’ My graduate school experiences led me both to becoming a fine artist and a teacher. I have been teaching at the university level now for the past 11 years. I still create fine art and I have had work in over 100 exhibits throughout the United States and Asia. When I started Red Photo I knew that I wanted to merge my fine art documentary style with a modern wedding style. I really enjoy creating unique images for my clients and also creating custom made fine art albums. Making these albums fills in my artistic desire to create a physical art piece. Just like when I was creating fine art black and white photography where the black and white print was half of the experience.

I am still working on my documentary projects today including this one in the Mississippi and another long term project on amusement parks. You can read more about my amusement park project in ‘Amusement Park – Wildwood, NJ.’

Gary Miller

Red Photo Houston Wedding Photographer

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Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography | Tagged blues, culture, documentary photography, fine art photography, Mississippi, Mississippi Delta, music, religion | 1 Comment

5 Sources of Creative Inspiration

By gmiller | Published August 7, 2011

As an artist I have many sources of inspiration for my work. Even when I am doing commercial work I am inspired by various elements that I encounter or have encountered in the past. Every experience becomes part of my photographs. It is the same way for you even if you are not fully conscious that this is happening. Every event in your life influences how you see and experience the world. This in turn gets encoded in your work. Here are five (5) areas that I use for inspiration.

1. Television and Movies

Visual media has always influenced me heavily. Watching television and movies can give me ideas for photography projects. Maybe I have been inspired or moved by something that I saw. Or may I like the way that a film or show looks. I have been influenced by theme and lighting in the past. So these media can be a really good source for creatives. I have even done art projects about the television and its role in society.

I think that I missed my calling in life. I probably should have been an architect. I have always been fascinated by buildings and their design. My style is heavily based on the beauty of lines, form, and shape. Architecture provides all of these. I also like the textural element involved. So buildings give me ideas about design and the use of space, along with order. Looking at good design helps to add that element to your work. I have always enjoyed creating photographs of architectural details.

degas painting

3. Art

Art has always been a big influence in my creative life. There are so many types of art from realistic to abstract. Since both painting and photography are two dimensional representations of the three dimensional world there is much to be learned from how artists through the ages have used light and shadow and color and form to replicate the three dimensional world. I am also inspired by the aesthetic of art or the story behind it. My favorite painters are the post-impressionists. Among them Edgar Degas is my most inspirational. I have spent many hours staring at his work and admiring his simple and elegant use of line and form. You can see a lot of his style in my work in the use of color, form, and impressionism.

4. Graphic Design

For the same reasons that I mentioned about architecture, I am also heavily influenced by graphic design, especially typography. Layout, color, use of space, and creating effective compositions have all effected me. For me I am most drawn to minimalism and the use of line, shape, and form. There is a large component of graphic design in all of my work.

5. The Internet

With so much information in front of you it would be hard for anyone today to not be influenced by the internet. You would not even be seeing and reading this if it was not for that technology. The internet is full of stories, movies, design, influences, and ideas. It is a great place to mine for influence. Just do not be lulled into believing because it has everything that it is the best source of inspiration. There is nothing like really going to a museum to see and experience a piece or art, or talking with friends, or looking through books, magazine, and other printed material.

There is no one best way to be influenced by the world. It is a good exercise to notice what things influence you and then try new areas. Variety can break you out of a rut or provide you with the inspiration that you need to start that new, great project.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques | Tagged creativity, fine art, fine art photography, inspiration, photography, tutorial | 2 Comments

Henri Cartier-Bresson Photograph

By gmiller | Published August 7, 2011

henri cartier-bresson photograph, paris, place de l'europe, gare saint lazare, 1932.

“ Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson

This great quote from one of the finest photographers ever is a prudent reminder that we need to constantly practice our art and craft of photography. It is interesting to me that Cartier-Bresson mentions that you need to get through 10,000 photographs before you really can produce some fine images. In recent years the idea of practicing something for 10,000 hours before reaching mastering has been a popular idea. While this is a simplistic view of the idea of what Dr. K. Anders Ericsson put forth in his research, it is nonetheless odd that the numbers are the same in both cases. No matter if this is coincidence or fate, the idea is still there and something that I have preached to many a student; you have to practice to get good. How much do you have to practice? Alot. Just remember that is is focused (no pun intended) practice. Don’t be one of those people that says they go to the gym 5 days a week so they are healthy. You see these people at the gym all the time just socializing and getting nothing done. Don’t be them. Go out and photograph with a purpose. Review your images and see what is working and what is not. Make refinements and do it again. Get your hands around one concept and then move on to the next. On of the key components that has come out of all this research on expertise is that you need to be constantly challenged to continue to grow and improve. Going back to my gym example, imagine if you lifted the same amount of weight the same number of times every time you went to the gym. You would improve at first, but then plateau. You must keep the challenges coming, making them a little more difficult that what you can already do, to keep increasing you skills. Conscious, deliberate practice is what you are after.

Gary Miller