Visual Eyes

by Mike Woeller

One night, while chatting on #Kites, I was asked an odd question. After someone *discovered* who I was, he asked me if “…people make good kite photo subjects…” After I answered, “Of course they do,” I sat and thought for a moment about how valid that question really was. It struck me that a lot of kiters take pictures either of just kites, or people with kites. So, with this in mind, I decided to expound two virtues here and give everyone a mission. With the myriad of activities at a kite event, we get to connect with friends of old and new and also participate in so much together, that photo opportunities of kite people doing kite things (other than flying them) abound. It’s only natural to have photos of kite people sans kites. So, how do we take pictures of kite people? The answer is quite simple. Actually, it’s primarily simplification. And the best part? This rule applies to ANY kind of photography, people or not.

Simplification: The Lost Mathematic

Simplification is not some arcane black art. In fact, it is, excuse the pun, very simple. All it takes is a little thought and some pre-visualization (remember that one? If not, go way back through our back issues). For a refresher, pre-visualization is looking at the picture before taking the picture. When looking to simplify, you are aiming to reduce unnecessary information in the photograph. Remember, as a photographer (photojournalist/historian/visual scribe/blackmailer, etc…), your job is to convey the event in your eyes, with your emotions and your feelings and your skill. So your first job is always to find things that are powerful enough to evoke an emotion. Then you can start to break this event down into elements. Choose the most important, then the next most, and the next, and so on. While doing that, it’s time to start the simplification. There are some tried and true techniques for this. The techniques don’t need much information, but a brief outline follows:

	*Domination:* Very easy, just zoom in. You want your main subject to stand away from the crowd or anything else unimportant. By zooming in (or getting closer, whichever is most feasible as you don’t want to make your subject uncomfortable) you make your subject bigger. Filling the frame is the easiest way to make your subject more dominant. It’s also the key to simplifying the image. If there is nothing to look at but the subject, it makes for a pretty simple photo.
	*Background Change:* Not quite as easy at some events. The background is almost always the main culprit of complicated snapshots. Busy backgrounds detract from your photo quicker than a noseplant in a 20 mph breeze. So how do we solve it? If possible, move to a location with a plain background. If you have an SLR, you can use DOF as explained below, but most compact/disposable cameras make this impossible. Even if you can’t move, you still have options.
	*Depth Of Field (DOF):* Alright, this one is for the Manual/SLR people only (I’ll get back to all cameras in a second). You guys have the best way to simplify a busy scene. If your background is busy, and you can’t move, open up your lens aperture as wide as you can. If you have DOF Preview on your camera, use this to make sure you don’t get too much or too little focus. Always remember that when using an SLR, your view is already at the maximum aperture of your lens. This is where long, fast lenses are great (albeit, very expensive). The longer your lens, the less DOF you have at a given F-Stop. An f/5.6 is shallower at 300mm than at 80mm. In other words, at f/5.6, you will have more in focus with an 80mm lens than a 300mm. Also, the longer lens allows you to be further away from your subject.
	*Fill Flash:* Bet you didn’t see this coming. Another easy thing to do is to take some control and use a flash 90% of the time. You’re outside you say? You have enough light you say? BAH! I say. Fill flash can usually help any photograph within the range of your flash, typically a maximum of 20 ft. on most built in flashes with ASA 400 film. Fill flash will do a few things. In a compact camera, it will color balance your subject and slightly darken your background. If you are as close as your camera can get you without zooming in, it can have a pronounced effect, rendering your background almost black. Experimentation is the key (as is good quality processing at a photo-shop. Drugstores won’t compensate properly most times). For SLR users, using your flash with your aperture control (experiment again) can control the effect best. Even if you are outside, this will work nicely, especially if you have a large light throwing or directional flash.
	Angle Of Attack: This one is fairly straighforward, and ties in with background and size. By changing your angle and looking at your subject from as many angles as possible, you might find one where the background isn’t as busy, or one that makes the people look taller. The mark of a good photo session (if it is a planned thing) is a variety of angles and lots and lots of different ideas.
	*Lighting:* This one is probably the most difficult thing, and sometimes it is beyond the control of the photographer, especially in a spontaneous situation like a kite event (no one wants to lug an entire studio of photo equipment, lights, and reflectors on a beach). About the only thing I can suggest here about light during an event is to pay attention to your subjects and how the light and shadows play across them. Look for things that simplify the subjects themselves and remove blemishes. Try to avoid harsh shadows. If possible, find a natural reflector to bounce the light back towards the shadow side. This can be anything white, like a tent side or a white wall. Avoid colors when looking for reflectors because the light will adopt the color of your reflector (unless you WANT this effect, far be it for me to discourage creative photography).

That’s pretty much all there is to simplification. As you can see, it looks like a lot on paper, but in the field, it isn’t so bad. It just takes some time and patience. I know that in a spontaneous place, it can be a royal pain to do it all at once, that’s why we have automatic focus and exposure. Those jobs can be left to the camera, mostly, so the photographer can concentrate on his image. So, now, about that mission. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go out and take pictures of kite people doing kite things, besides flying, at your next event. We’ll start with simplification for now and work on actual portraiture soon. Simplification is a good step, though. This article will self destruct in 10 seconds……

Let us know what you think! letters@kitelife.com

[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Next ]

Visual Eyes

Visual Eyes

by Mike Woeller

Let us know what you think! letters@kitelife.com

This issue of Kitelife was produced by Quicksites Webstudio/Gillard Communications. All Rights Reserved 1998-2000. Contact us for reuse information.

This issue of Kitelife was produced by Quicksites Webstudio/Gillard Communications. All Rights Reserved 1998-2000.
Contact us for reuse information.