Rules Schmules

Maybe it's because of my personality to challenge all norms in order to find my own place in this chaotic world. Maybe it's because I just don't have the best visual differentiation abilities (ask my partner who likes to tease me about it all the time) and so I seem to see things a little differently than most. Maybe it's because of what my psychologist calls ADHD and I loving refer to as monkey mind, which keeps me from focusing on anything for more than 30 seconds at most. No matter what the reason, I don't think about rules of composition now and never have. Camera in hand, I give myself over to my mind's eye to capture things as I see them. I simply shoot and shoot and shoot, rarely even checking the images as I go. At the end of the day, it's all one big surprise.


Some of my favorite quotes on this matter are by Ansel Adams, who is a photographer I have learned many lessons from. Though I didn't know his position on composition until years after revering his work, it was a pleasant discovery to find that one of my heros thought as I do.

"The so-called rules of photographic composition are, in my opinion, invalid, irrelevant and immaterial."

"A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.” 

My other favorite quote is by Edward Weston. "Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk."

To me, a photograph is about visualization. A few posts back I shared a link to rare footage of Ansel Adams discussing his own visualization techniques. I encourage you to check it out! Here is an interview conducted by BBC in 1983 with Adams. Enjoy!

~beth

Colorizing My Life

When I first started to take photography seriously I only shot in Black and White film and that was the entire composition of my galleries. As I have branched into the digital age, I have also branched into the world of color. It was a slow process with much internal struggling, yet I am glad I accepted the challenge. I find that my portfolios are now much more balanced. Also, with color comes a entirely different emotional imagery that simply cannot be captured the same way in greyscale.


This week I explored my portfolios in search of various color combinations. I scoured for analogous photographs (ones in which the colors occur next to one another on the color wheel), complimentary color schemes (colors are opposite each other the color wheel), and representations of monochromatic pictures (all colors are different hues, or shades, of the same color). Though I set out to find two examples of each category, I simply could not eliminate ones once I got to these selections.


Unfamiliar with the color wheel? Take a looksie!

Courtesy Of

All Images ©Elisabeth Grace Wilhjelm. All Rights reserved.
Analogous Color


'Dam Reflections'. Original 4000 x 3000, Posted as 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 5, F-Stop 3.3, Exposure 1/125.
Taken in Morrisville, VT July 12, 2010 at sunset.

Original 3000 x 4000, Posted as 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 25, F-Stop 5.2, Exposure 1/500. Taken at the American Village pier in Chatan Town, Okinawa, Japan on Feburary 5, 2011.

Original 3264 x 2448, Posted as 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 5, F-Stop 2.8, Exposure 1/1250. Taken at Cape Maeda, Okinawa, Japan on January 20, 2011.

Original 3264 x 2448, Posted as 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 62.492, F-Stop 5, Exposure 1/80. Taken February 12, 2011 at Neo Park in Nago, Okinawa, Japan.

Complimentary

'Curiosity'. Original 3264 x 2448, posted 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 16.957, F-Stop 4, Exposure 1/1000. Taken June 2, 2010.

Original 4000 x 3000, posted 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 13.7, F-Stop 4.5, Exposure 1/125. Taken February 12, 2011 at Neo Park in Nago, Okinawa, Japan.

Original 4000 x 3000, posted 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 8.2, F-Stop 3.5, exposure 1/200. Taken at Neo Park in Nago, Okinawa, Japan on February 12, 2011.

Original 2448 x 3264, posted 480 x 640. RGB colorspace, focal length 60.276, F-Stop 5, Exposure 1/400. Taken February 25, 2010 in Morrisville, VT.

Monochromatic

'Morning Ripples'. Original 4000 x 3000, posted 640 x 480. RGB colorspace, focal length 25, F-Stop 5.2, Exposure 1/160. Taken August 28, 2010 at Crystal Lake in Barton, VT.

'Peek-a-Boo!' Original 2448 x 3264, posted 480 x 640. RGB colorspace, focal length 21.674, F-Stop 4.5, Exposure 1/160. Taken January 20, 2011 at Cape Maeda, Okinawa, Japan.

All Images ©Elisabeth Grace Wilhjelm. All Rights reserved.

~beth

Visualization According to Ansel Adams

Words of wisdom from one of my photographic heroes, Ansel Adams.

~beth