Please visit my new website at www.svimages.com. The blog and galleries are all in the process of being moved to this new site.
Regards, Paul
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Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Photographic vision, gorilla suits and traffic studies
Learning to See
Part 1 - Photographic vision, gorilla suits and traffic studies
We have all been told that in order to take better photographs we need to learn to see as the camera sees. We are taught that our eyes see selectively while the camera records in exact detail what is in front of it. On an intuitive level we understand that there is a filtering mechanism in place with our eyes. Our brains process the information that our eyes take in. But just what is the mechanism by which this filtering occurs and how do we teach ourselves to see beyond the filters and develop photographic vision.
As I was reading a book, “Traffic and Why We Drive the Way We Do” By Tom Vanderbilt, I came across an interesting study that helped put everything in perspective. In a well known psychological test subjects were shown a video in which there was a circle of people passing around a basketball. Half the people had on white shirts and the other half wore black shirts. The test subjects were asked to count the number of passes while watching the video. At least half of the subjects involved in the study did not notice that a person wearing a gorilla suit passed through the circle of basketball players. These subjects suffered from a phenomenon known as “inattentional blindness.” (You can see the original video HERE )
How could someone miss something as obvious as a person in a gorilla suit? The explanation is that there is an unlimited amount of information around us, but our capacity to process that information is limited. The subjects in this test missed the appearance of the gorilla suit either because they were looking for something else or because something came along that they were not expecting. What this study shows is just how selective our vision is even when we think we are paying full attention. Daniel Simmons, a coauthor of the gorilla study wrote, “If you’re limited in how many things you can pay attention to, and attention is a gateway to consciousness, then you can only be aware of a limited subset of what is out there.”
What do gorilla suits have to do with photographic vision? The common belief is that we first see a scene and then interpret it. In reality there is evidence that what you have in mind actually precedes your perception and affects what you see. The concept that our expectations and knowledge influence what we see in a scene is the essence of photographic vision. We must train ourselves to recognize a set of values, an “attentional set,” that make for great photographs. In other words we must learn to see the gorilla in the picture.
Before you all jump on a plane to Rwanda, let me just remind you that that I am speaking metaphorically. The gorilla I refer to is the set of values that we must program ourselves to see. Not only must we be able to see the elements that make a photograph, but we must at all times be ready for the unexpected.
Photographic vision can be divided into 3 categories;
1. The decision to create an image which leads to choice of subject matter and style.
2. The nature of light which can be broken down into color, direction and quality.
3. Composition which is the arrangement of visual elements within the image.
Over the next few weeks in this Blog I will explore each of these categories as well as offer tips on how to train your eye, but, before I go I want to mention that there is a fourth area of consideration. That is the unintended photograph or “happy accidents” that can sometimes lead to great images or even whole new genres of photography. This is probably what John Szarkowski had in mind when he said "The camera has ideas of its own".
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Part 1 - Photographic vision, gorilla suits and traffic studies
We have all been told that in order to take better photographs we need to learn to see as the camera sees. We are taught that our eyes see selectively while the camera records in exact detail what is in front of it. On an intuitive level we understand that there is a filtering mechanism in place with our eyes. Our brains process the information that our eyes take in. But just what is the mechanism by which this filtering occurs and how do we teach ourselves to see beyond the filters and develop photographic vision.
As I was reading a book, “Traffic and Why We Drive the Way We Do” By Tom Vanderbilt, I came across an interesting study that helped put everything in perspective. In a well known psychological test subjects were shown a video in which there was a circle of people passing around a basketball. Half the people had on white shirts and the other half wore black shirts. The test subjects were asked to count the number of passes while watching the video. At least half of the subjects involved in the study did not notice that a person wearing a gorilla suit passed through the circle of basketball players. These subjects suffered from a phenomenon known as “inattentional blindness.” (You can see the original video HERE )
How could someone miss something as obvious as a person in a gorilla suit? The explanation is that there is an unlimited amount of information around us, but our capacity to process that information is limited. The subjects in this test missed the appearance of the gorilla suit either because they were looking for something else or because something came along that they were not expecting. What this study shows is just how selective our vision is even when we think we are paying full attention. Daniel Simmons, a coauthor of the gorilla study wrote, “If you’re limited in how many things you can pay attention to, and attention is a gateway to consciousness, then you can only be aware of a limited subset of what is out there.”
What do gorilla suits have to do with photographic vision? The common belief is that we first see a scene and then interpret it. In reality there is evidence that what you have in mind actually precedes your perception and affects what you see. The concept that our expectations and knowledge influence what we see in a scene is the essence of photographic vision. We must train ourselves to recognize a set of values, an “attentional set,” that make for great photographs. In other words we must learn to see the gorilla in the picture.
Before you all jump on a plane to Rwanda, let me just remind you that that I am speaking metaphorically. The gorilla I refer to is the set of values that we must program ourselves to see. Not only must we be able to see the elements that make a photograph, but we must at all times be ready for the unexpected.
Photographic vision can be divided into 3 categories;
1. The decision to create an image which leads to choice of subject matter and style.
2. The nature of light which can be broken down into color, direction and quality.
3. Composition which is the arrangement of visual elements within the image.
Over the next few weeks in this Blog I will explore each of these categories as well as offer tips on how to train your eye, but, before I go I want to mention that there is a fourth area of consideration. That is the unintended photograph or “happy accidents” that can sometimes lead to great images or even whole new genres of photography. This is probably what John Szarkowski had in mind when he said "The camera has ideas of its own".
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Ethics for Nature Photographers
Sadly, it has come to my attention that Carol Leigh has decided not to continue publishing the "California Wildflower Hotsheet" . Over the past 15 years this has been not only a valuable resource for nature photographers and wildflower enthusiasts but also fostered an online community of like minded souls. In Carol's words, " Right now I cannot in good conscience continue to distribute 'where-to-go' wildflower information. Private property is being destroyed. Flowers are being trampled. Rude and inconsiderate behavior abounds." (visit www.calphoto.com/wflower.htm to read Carol's entire message).
As the wildflower season comes to its peak here in California please follow these simple rules;
- Always obey park rules.
- Respect private property.
- Watch where you step and where you lay your camera bag.
- Take only pictures, leave few footprints.
In Point Lobos State Preserve leaving the trail is not allowed. To photograph wildflowers, such as the Iris pictured here, I use a 400mm lens with an extension tube to capture images in restricted areas. This combination allows me to get close up images from a distance of 7-8 feet. This is helpful not only in obeying regulations, but when safety or environmental ethics issues prevent me from approaching the subject.
I also find additional benefits from this combination of lens and extension tube. Many times when I am walking down the trail a potential subject will catch my eye. When I approach the subect with a shorter lens, such as a 100mm macro, the back ground and angle of view change significantly from the image that first caught my attention. Having the longer lens lets me capture the image as I first saw it by narrowing the field of view and maintaining the angle that made the first impression.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Welcome
Welcome to Silicon Valley Digital Photography Workshops Blog. Please come back and visit in a week or two. I will be posting information about photographic techniques, locations and general musings on the subject of digital photography that will be of interest to beginning through advanced photographers.
In the meantime check out my calendar of workshops. April wildflower and May Carmel workshops will be posted soon on the calendar. I am just lining up the last details and permits for what will be 2 weekends of spectacular photography.
Workshops and classes are led by me, Paul Dileanis. I began my career in 1974 as a Photographer and Diver with the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet Combat Camera Group. After the Navy I worked as a staff photographer for Ocean Sports International Magazine and as a Civilian Scientific and Technical photographer for the Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC). In 1995 I started Silicon Valley Images specializing in commercial, architectural and aerial photography. My work has been published in magazines as well as appeared in two PBS series, “Nova” and “The New Explorers”.
In addition to teaching my own photography workshops, I currently teach beginning and advanced digital photography classes for San Jose Camera and Video. I am an experienced outdoor instructor having taught for the REI Outdoor Schools where I was a member of the curriculum development team to set nationwide standards for REI photography classes. I am currently a photography advisor to the Mission Valley Regional Occupation Program putting my experience to work helping define curriculums to train future photographers and videographers.
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In the meantime check out my calendar of workshops. April wildflower and May Carmel workshops will be posted soon on the calendar. I am just lining up the last details and permits for what will be 2 weekends of spectacular photography.
Workshops and classes are led by me, Paul Dileanis. I began my career in 1974 as a Photographer and Diver with the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet Combat Camera Group. After the Navy I worked as a staff photographer for Ocean Sports International Magazine and as a Civilian Scientific and Technical photographer for the Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC). In 1995 I started Silicon Valley Images specializing in commercial, architectural and aerial photography. My work has been published in magazines as well as appeared in two PBS series, “Nova” and “The New Explorers”.
In addition to teaching my own photography workshops, I currently teach beginning and advanced digital photography classes for San Jose Camera and Video. I am an experienced outdoor instructor having taught for the REI Outdoor Schools where I was a member of the curriculum development team to set nationwide standards for REI photography classes. I am currently a photography advisor to the Mission Valley Regional Occupation Program putting my experience to work helping define curriculums to train future photographers and videographers.
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