Thoughts on fine art photography

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
Albert Einstein

Introduction
What are the most important aspects of composing a Fine Art Photograph?  The answer to this question certainly varies from photographer to photographer because each of us places more importance on some aspects than on others.  What follows is what I personally consider to be the most important aspects of Composition. Writes alainbriot on Lightstalking

This list is excerpted from a longer list that I use for teaching during my workshops and seminars.  The decision to create a shorter list, with only 15 items instead of 37, stemmed from the desire to focus on the essential aspects of composing a fine art photograph regardless of the  subject we are studying or the specific project we are working on. The resulting list is free from a particular teaching emphasis and represents what I look for in a Fine Art Photograph.

1 – Composition is the strongest way of seeing
This is Edward Weston’s definition of composition. It is still my favorite definition of composition

You might like to think about our Composition Course – Seeing Pictures which starts 6th March

Read more here 15 Thoughts on Fine Art Photography Composition by Alain Briot (With Photos)

Light Painting Photography, 18 of the Worlds Best Artists Painting With Light

Light Painting Photography has been around since 1914 when Frank Gilbreth first use the form to study the motion of manufacturing and clerical workers. Light painting photography is also known as light painting, light drawing, light writing, light graffiti, light art, light art performance photography, LAPP, camera painting, and kinetic photography. All of these names are, in one form or another, long exposure photography. In Light Painting Photography the artist is leaving the shutter of the camera open for an extended period of time and using various lights to create color and design within the frame. Shutter speeds for light paintings can vary anywhere from 5 seconds up to 5 hours or more. To be a true light painting photograph the image must be created in one single frame without any post production manipulation whatsoever, a.k.a. NO PHOTOSHOP. Proper light painting photographs are known as SOOC or straight out of camera. This is a list of 18 of the worlds best light painting photographers.

Troy Paiva: Troy has been capturing his imagery since 1989 and is best known for his light painting work of abandon building and places that America has lost to time.

Dean Chamberlain: Dean began light painting in the late 70′s and has created stunning portraits of well known individuals such as David Bowie and Paul McCartney.

See the rest of the 18 here on the Tripwire Magazine site

Photos show another side of Andy Warhol

Photographs of Andy Warhol in ladies’ wigs and full make-up have gone on display in the UK for the first time. His friend and collaborator Christopher Makos, who took the photos, talks about working with the patriarch of pop art.  By Ian Youngs Arts reporter, BBC News...more

Christopher Makos is an unusual photographer and his website is worth a visit

Warhol and the Diva is at The Lowry in Salford until 25 September. Christopher Makos’ new book Tyrants and Lederhosen, a collaboration with Paul Solberg under the name The Hilton Brothers, will be published in October.

What the Dutch Masters Can Teach Us About Photography: The Center of Interest Click Here: Light Stalking » What the Dutch Masters Can Teach Us About Photography: The Center of Interest

Those clever people at Lighstalking have come up with another great tutorial

The Dutch golden age of painting in the 17th century produced some of the most incredible art the world has ever seen. These masters of light drew on a rich heritage spanning hundreds (and arguably thousands) of years and are still revered for their knowledge and mastery of composition and colour. But what can they really teach us about the modern art of photography? As it turns out, plenty. So much, in fact, that entire books could be written. So in the interests of brevity we’re going to briefly cover a single element of composition that the Dutch masters were brilliant at.

You will notice that in each case your eye is drawn to a specific area of the painting. The woman in the first painting, the peasants on the left of the second painting and the riders and man in the red jacket in the last. In painting this is known as a center of interest and it’s something that can be used to great effect in photography too. But how?....more

20 Inspirational and Free Downloadable Photography Magazines

“Inspiration is important for photographers, web and visual designers. It’s what gives you new ideas, shapes and influences your style, and energizes and increases your passion for visual art. And visual art that’s of a different medium from yours can be an even greater inspiration—like photography—since you’re getting a fresh outside perspective.”………..check out what magazines you can download here

How to Make an Impressionist Style Portrait

“The impressionist painters have taught us that it doesn’t take a whole lot of detail to suggest meaning in an image; so it is with photography. Instead of snapping what is literally in front of us, we can capture in a photo the images we have in our minds. With the right content, lighting, and a dash of post work, you can create a dreamy image. Here’s how I made these impressionist style portraits.”

alohal

Editorial fashion photographer and freelance correspondent based in Bangkok, Thailand. My main man is a Canon, but I flirt with Nikon sometimes. You can find me on Twitter as @alohalavina, blogging at http://www.pointofutterance.com, and my portfolio is at http://alohal.com.

4 Concepts for Collages, Diptychs, Album Pages,

Combining images for display in any form often creates a result that is greater than the sum of the parts.   We teach making collages in Photoshop on our course starting 7th March. When you assemble a book template, diptych, triptych or collage in Photoshop (or other editing software), do you arrange them so they work together or do you just pop them in? In this post, I want to talk about the things to consider when assembling an attractive collection of images that can work together nicely…..more

Read more: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/4-concepts-for-collages-diptychs-album-pages-etc#ixzz1CcQxn56H

The Haunting Photo-Composites of Jim Kazanjian

I think that in the future they may be less reliance upon photographers to capture a ‘moment’ but that photographers creating ‘art’ will be more constructivists  than anything else, that images will be created by combining parts of images and that the general concept will be as important as the final result. Jim Kazanjian has already a handle on this. These images, which in some ways remind me of the album artwork of Roger Dean (the artist that painted the sleeves for Yes amongst other bands), are spectacular in construction and still fantastic (in it’s true meaning)Jim Kazanjian has a vision that is not of the future but somewhere in between the future and the past but not quite the present. Portland artist jim kazanjian‘s body of work consists of crisply composed digital images that explore the surrealist side of space and architecture. drawing from literary influences such as h.p. lovecraft and algernon blackwood, kazanjian’s pictorials illustrate a fantasy-driven world that seemingly celebrates relics and decay. having worked as
a commercial CGI artist for television, fashion, and game production, his method of creating largely involves recomposing a number of photographs in bits and pieces.Have a look at his website and let me know what you think