<----------> The first book I purchased today was the picture book "Wilderness Scenario, Peaceful Images of the Wild," by Pat O'Hara, American & World Geographic Publish, 1991. This one I bought used at Goodwill for $2.99. It's missing the jacket but is otherwise in almost new condition. It is of the coffee-table style and about 12" x 12".
You can tell from the title the subject matter but I was so impressed that I wanted to offer my comments on the photographic style of Pat O'Hara. This book contains many colorful and peaceful scenes from a range of geographical areas. It didn't take me long to notice some of the striking, and pleasing, patterns in his photos, as well as some ideas on how to take impressive photos of my own.
The most common recurring pattern is the split image. In one of the first photos he has grey rock butted up against a bed of wild red flowers. Another has a sillouette of mountains bordering sunset-lit clouds along an irregular forty-five degree angle. Some photos have water on one side with trees on the other. The contrast is clear but the sides are complementary and natural. They are beautiful yet simple to accomplish, on the order of "Why didn't I think of that?"
Another common theme is the water drop. Unlike many photos of flowers and plants sprayed with water Pat often goes in very close so that the water drops form images inside images keeping the viewer's attention and adding an extra dimension to the image.
Pat does things with lines that I haven't seen in other works or teachings. In one closeup of a lupine leaf all the petal edges form spokes and converge on the center where a large water drop magnifies the very center. Another is a closeup of the spines on a barrel cactus sidelit to form colorful stars. Another is a backlit yucca leaf with one strand curled outward catching the light. And then there are water grasses curving out of the water, complete with their perfect reflections in the still water backed by images of clouds from the sky.
In this book Pat offers an amazing study in contrasts including shapes, textures, colors, materials, and such. Many of these photos are of ordinary items and terrain but somehow he manages to make them extraordinary by making those contrasts the main theme.
<----------> The second book, actually a magazine, I purchased today was "Petersen's Digital Photography Guide, Volume 4, 2009" Interlink Media Publications. I already have volume two which I liked so well I decided to get this volume when I saw it on the book rack at the Albertson's at 20th W. and K. for $5.99. I checked Petersen's website, http://www.photographic.com/, and it appears that volume five is now out.
For those who haven't seen one of these guides they are not thick, as magazines go, nor are they overly verbose, but they let the photos do most of the talking. In the first article in this volume, "Outdoor Portraits, Working with Natural Light," the photographer (Jim Zuckerman) shows the harshness of mid-day light and how earlier/later sunlight can be used to improve an outdoor portrait. But he also shows a couple of the exceptions to the rule. In this section he displays outdoor light on people from just about every angle using 25 beautiful examples.
Another article I found personally valuable is "Studio Photography, A Basic Setup Might Be All You Need." Thanks to Lyle giving Bonnie and me some lessons in his studio I know that the standard studio lighting, such as that which Hank Morris uses, is intended to provide illumination on the face and hair which is pleasing and flattering. It can also be classified as "formula," that is you can set it up by following a step-by-step guide. This four or five light setup will almost always give you quality, professional portraits. It's also been said that they can be boring because this setup is so common. In this article Jim talks about alternatives, such as using his garage, a $10 light, and a prop to create a stunning image of a young girl. Then he goes on to show, by way of a many photos, "four basic types of lighting arrangements for illuminating a face." These types, "Beauty," "Butterfly," "Sidelight," and my favorite, "Rembrandt," are also standards but less common than the traditional studio lighting. They also require fewer lights. With a couple more photos he talks about "Thinking Outside The Box."
I've tried my hand at window lighting and found it simple yet capable of producing very striking images. In this volume, Jim writes about "Window Light, Classic Illumination, Proper Exposure." Through nine photos he explains some of the variations and techniques to get classic window light portraits. Other articles in this volume include taking photos of families, children, people in action, travel, and using the digital darkroom to create special effects. You can view some of these articles at the website.
<----------> These books will be available for review at this coming Friday Night Discussion Group meeting. I can't donate my books to the LPA library because I have my own library which I use for reference but I can be talked into loaning them out by special request. http://www.lpaphotography.org/Calendar/PastEvents/PresentYearDesgroup.html
<---------->
The first book I purchased today was the picture book "Wilderness Scenario, Peaceful Images of the Wild," by Pat O'Hara, American & World Geographic Publish, 1991. This one I bought used at Goodwill for $2.99. It's missing the jacket but is otherwise in almost new condition. It is of the coffee-table style and about 12" x 12".
You can tell from the title the subject matter but I was so impressed that I wanted to offer my comments on the photographic style of Pat O'Hara. This book contains many colorful and peaceful scenes from a range of geographical areas. It didn't take me long to notice some of the striking, and pleasing, patterns in his photos, as well as some ideas on how to take impressive photos of my own.
The most common recurring pattern is the split image. In one of the first photos he has grey rock butted up against a bed of wild red flowers. Another has a sillouette of mountains bordering sunset-lit clouds along an irregular forty-five degree angle. Some photos have water on one side with trees on the other. The contrast is clear but the sides are complementary and natural. They are beautiful yet simple to accomplish, on the order of "Why didn't I think of that?"
Another common theme is the water drop. Unlike many photos of flowers and plants sprayed with water Pat often goes in very close so that the water drops form images inside images keeping the viewer's attention and adding an extra dimension to the image.
Pat does things with lines that I haven't seen in other works or teachings. In one closeup of a lupine leaf all the petal edges form spokes and converge on the center where a large water drop magnifies the very center. Another is a closeup of the spines on a barrel cactus sidelit to form colorful stars. Another is a backlit yucca leaf with one strand curled outward catching the light. And then there are water grasses curving out of the water, complete with their perfect reflections in the still water backed by images of clouds from the sky.
In this book Pat offers an amazing study in contrasts including shapes, textures, colors, materials, and such. Many of these photos are of ordinary items and terrain but somehow he manages to make them extraordinary by making those contrasts the main theme.
I'm not impressed by Pat's web site, http://www.patohara.com/, but he also shows at the Mountain Light Gallery in Bishop http://www.mountainlight.com/workshops.html. For those who like to travel Mountain Light advertises some interesting workshops, some by John Shaw.
<---------->
The second book, actually a magazine, I purchased today was "Petersen's Digital Photography Guide, Volume 4, 2009" Interlink Media Publications. I already have volume two which I liked so well I decided to get this volume when I saw it on the book rack at the Albertson's at 20th W. and K. for $5.99. I checked Petersen's website, http://www.photographic.com/, and it appears that volume five is now out.
For those who haven't seen one of these guides they are not thick, as magazines go, nor are they overly verbose, but they let the photos do most of the talking. In the first article in this volume, "Outdoor Portraits, Working with Natural Light," the photographer (Jim Zuckerman) shows the harshness of mid-day light and how earlier/later sunlight can be used to improve an outdoor portrait. But he also shows a couple of the exceptions to the rule. In this section he displays outdoor light on people from just about every angle using 25 beautiful examples.
Another article I found personally valuable is "Studio Photography, A Basic Setup Might Be All You Need." Thanks to Lyle giving Bonnie and me some lessons in his studio I know that the standard studio lighting, such as that which Hank Morris uses, is intended to provide illumination on the face and hair which is pleasing and flattering. It can also be classified as "formula," that is you can set it up by following a step-by-step guide. This four or five light setup will almost always give you quality, professional portraits. It's also been said that they can be boring because this setup is so common. In this article Jim talks about alternatives, such as using his garage, a $10 light, and a prop to create a stunning image of a young girl. Then he goes on to show, by way of a many photos, "four basic types of lighting arrangements for illuminating a face." These types, "Beauty," "Butterfly," "Sidelight," and my favorite, "Rembrandt," are also standards but less common than the traditional studio lighting. They also require fewer lights. With a couple more photos he talks about "Thinking Outside The Box."
I've tried my hand at window lighting and found it simple yet capable of producing very striking images. In this volume, Jim writes about "Window Light, Classic Illumination, Proper Exposure." Through nine photos he explains some of the variations and techniques to get classic window light portraits. Other articles in this volume include taking photos of families, children, people in action, travel, and using the digital darkroom to create special effects. You can view some of these articles at the website.
<---------->
These books will be available for review at this coming Friday Night Discussion Group meeting. I can't donate my books to the LPA library because I have my own library which I use for reference but I can be talked into loaning them out by special request.
http://www.lpaphotography.org/Calendar/PastEvents/PresentYearDesgroup.html
Glenn Olson
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