Assignment 2

We get to take pictures in monochrome! Oooooooh - I feel so cultured and intelligent! I believe I am starting to understand why photographs are so different to the real thing, even though they are an exact image.

1. We get to squeeze out all the rubbish, and only show the good stuff (wish somebody could do that with my double chin...)
2. We make a 3d image flat. Sometimes it is better NOT to see around corners (especially those involving my butt)
3. We control the perspective, and show the image the way we want it to be seen.


Not only that, now I am learning to control the amount of light and shade, and even the amount of colour. I find that black and white is a much better way to show light and shade (derr...), and that sometimes a dull image in colour can suddenly pop (I use that word at the danger of sounding like a DIY show host...) when the colour distraction is removed - and that the contrast is surprisingly pleasing.

Lesson 2 - releasing the artist

It's time to stop looking at stuff, and start looking at stuff. We brought in our stunning attempts at photography and discovered that something can be beautiful in real life, but we cannot truly help the camera to capture its beauty unless we frame the picture properly.

Oops - well NOW we know...

Pictures need to tell a story, draw the eye, interest the viewer, inspire them or tug at their heart strings. And the way you do this is by dividing your frame into nine squares and making sure the interesting stuff sits on one of the lines, particularly where it intersects. Amazing! Seriously, it's called the rule of thirds,
and I tried it with all my favourite snaps, and 95% of them had the subject on a third intersection.

Components to make your exposures interesting are subject matters with pattern, contrast and texture. We must consider taking pictures from other positions than eye-level, which is just like missionary - practical, but after a while, a little boring. Then, you mix that with a good splashing of perspective and depth of field, and presto! Life becomes art.