Thanks, Mark, for your comment on my photograph, and to Linda, whose
words inspire.
I just posted these thoughts in my Facebook:
I have three rules for knowing a great photo, all starting
with the letter N: Nice, New, Nifficult.
Nice is the result of following traditional advice about composition,
background, color, subject, lighting, and details in shadows and
highlights. Nice is what you see repeatedly displayed in sleek men's
magazines -- the same, monotonous poses of beautiful women. You've seen
one, you've see all. Because nice is the product of education.
New is innovation in approach, such as shooting from an unexpected
angle, from a tree for instance, or from an extremely low position, or
presenting a subject never seen before, such as a transparent frog, or
arranging the elements so that a strikingly new combination comes out.
New is beyond education. It is the realm of discovery, and makes the
viewer find excitement again in a drab world.
Nifficult is the mark of rare talent and makes the viewer, and even a
professional photographer, wonder: "How did he do that?" Nifficult is
the product of patience and unusual technique -- of spending days and
nights in the forest, waiting for the elusive beast to spring into the
frame of recognition, or inventing a gadget to bring a live human fetus
into focus. The process of making a Nifficult photo is difficult to
duplicate, if at all.
Many pictures featured in National Geographic are not simply nice, but
usually new, and those that are made from a difficult journey or
contraption or angle usually comes out on the front page. Steve
McCurry's "Afghan Girl" is my favorite nifficult: a rare subject, her
eyes luminous jewels, sneaked out by a frightened princess from the
terrible landscape of war.
Elson
Writer Without Residence: http://elson.elizaga.net
Selling a Sacred Mountain: http://tinyurl.com/c35tzm
Mark Harris wrote:
All,
Here are my thoughts on this weeks
crowded gallery:
Bobbie Blazy: I really like the
viewpoint. The flowers could have use a little fill but it is a very
nice image.
Rob Miracle: A very good example of
panning with a moving subject. You are very good at this.
Valery Firsov: Beautifully made!
This would not have worked at all without the black background.
John Palcewski: A nice juxtaposition
of the women. The one on the left looks really angry about something.
Guy Glorieux: I like old cemeteries
too. This is a nice composition of the headstones. Have you ever
considered photographing this in B&W?
Emily L. Ferguson: This is a nice
capture. The gannet is slightly too centered for my taste.
Roy H. Miller: An interesting image.
The colors are a bit surreal.
Sherie Taylor: A nicely composed
image. I like the reflection of the pink roof glowing under the bridge.
It might have been even better if there was a bit more contrast in the
sky.
Elson T. Elizaga: This is a very
good action shot of a child. You never really know what might happen
when you give children something new to experiment with.
Thanks to the gallery staff for
putting this together every week. I look forward to any feedback, good
or bad, on my photograph.
Mark Harris
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