chapter 6: the icon photograph and inspiration
Your ICON images – those you set out to take even before leaving home – are those of your “shot” list. I started out seeking ICON shots when visiting Japan with my family. We traveled during spring break – early April – which thankfully coincided with cherry blossom time. So Icon shot #1 would be a cherry blossom shot. Since one of our destinations was Kyoto and its’ Gion district, I was determined to get a Geisha shot as well, however elusive this might be to be. And, finally, we were headed to Miyajima Island, off the coast of Hiroshima, famous for its floating Torii Gate. Doug Beasley, one of my favorite fine art photographers, led off his book on Japan with a photo of this Torii Gate which inspired both the destination and the potential icon shot.
I kept a number of things in mind as we traveled in Japan and I looked for the opportunities to create my icon images. First of all, keep your “shot list” in mind and keep on the lookout!
I kept a number of things in mind as we traveled in Japan and I looked for the opportunities to create my icon images. First of all, keep your “shot list” in mind and keep on the lookout!
This was especially true for the Cherry Blossom shot, since we hit all three of our destinations - Tokyo, Miyajima Island, and Kyoto – during their respective peak bloom periods. This provided considerable opportunity to get just the right shot; and lots of challenges as well, given the huge crowds of people celebrating the season.
Getting the right shot was much easier when the floating Torii Gate was involved: a) It was location specific, b) we were there for two days and two nights, and c) our ryokan was less than a ten minute walk from the object of my desire, making early morning or late evening shots all the more possible, and with no background people to deal with.
Keeping on the lookout was all the more important when it came to the Geisha shot – a fleeting glimpse is the norm and not conducive to setting the scene in advance. Though we attended a Geisha show where cameras were permitted and represented a great opportunity for my Icon shot – and I did get some great shots there that I’m proud of – keeping on the lookout paid off handsomely shortly after the performance when I came upon a Geisha, or more likely a Geisha apprentice, posing for a family shot. Quick action, tight in-camera cropping, and wa-la.
Second, take lots of Icon photographs. Try different angles; go back at various times of day if possible; look at both closeup and wide angle options. And investigate various ways of including or excluding foreground and/or background.
The more time you have for your icon shots, the more opportunities you will have to find just the right image and the more you will be able to pay attention to the lighting, framing elements and overall composition of the photograph. The key philosophy is to "make it your shot - avoid the ordinary - look for the extraordinary!"
The more time you have for your icon shots, the more opportunities you will have to find just the right image and the more you will be able to pay attention to the lighting, framing elements and overall composition of the photograph. The key philosophy is to "make it your shot - avoid the ordinary - look for the extraordinary!"
As I said earlier, the key to success is not to take the photograph that’s been taken hundreds or thousands of times before (or even that very day), but to create YOUR interpretation of the subject, allowing your emotion and point of view to take hold and be fully reflected in the image. While I was inspired by Doug Beasley’s photo of the Torii Gate, I did not want to mimic that image – standing in the same spot, with the same focal length lens at the same time of day. Rather, I wanted to create a unique image, one that brought the Torii Gate to life in a way that represented my interaction with the setting and the meaning of the Torii Gate – separating the worldly from the spiritual. And I succeeded beyond my expectations.
Sources of Inspiration
Thinking outside of the box, creating an image never before taken or shared, is a challenging assignment even for professional travel photographers. But travel photographers – you – can come up with images that reflect your individual point of view. And the more your eye and mind take in and process, the more likely that a creative image will result. One way to help the eye and mind in this creative endeavor is by looking at the works of others – not for mimicry but for inspiration and different ways of viewing, framing, and composing a shot that may be applicable to a future image of your own creation.
National Geographic magazine has probably inspired more photographers than any other. Sharply focused, well composed, colorful photographs that tell a story are their specialty. Once upon a time, NG was my principal source of inspiration and still sets a high standard for landscape and cultural photography. A more recent influence for me has been Condé Nast Traveler. As much a style magazine as a travel magazine, CN Traveler is more cutting edge, with angle shots, subtle colors, warm tones, less sharp (on purpose!) at times – creating moody images rather than a more documentary image. The New York Times Sunday Magazine and their periodic Style Magazine also highlight great photography, often edgy, with both color and black and white images. Much of the content can be found on the New York Times website.
Another good source are photography books – again, not necessarily “how to” books, but books of photographs that represent the best of the photographer. One of my favorites is “The Creation” by Ernst Haas, representing a lifetime of his work. Some abstract, some full of motion, wide angle and close-ups, animals, vegetation, mountains, and seas. All of these images represent a creative encounter between Mr. Haas and his environment.
The internet, of course, is “full” of photographs. Sites such as Flickr and Photo.net contain photographs almost without number – some very good, the vast majority less so. But I recommend searching out the websites of great photographers in your genre of choice and really take the time to examine the photographs – how they are framed and composed. Among my favorite travel and cultural photographers are Nevada Wier, Chris Rainier, Ami Vitali, and Doug Beasley. I’ve had the pleasure of working with and learning from each of them and have been influenced by their work. All have their own personal websites – just type their name in your web browser and you’re there.
Don’t limit yourself to photography, either. Painters have a lot to offer, whether the Realists or the Impressionists or Modern artists, each offers a point of view that can contribute to your understanding of what makes a “good” image. Again, the web is a great source of paintings and sketches though seeing the original artwork in museums and galleries can be particularly inspiring (if you can maneuver through the crowds!). If you need a starting point, look up Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, Vincent Van Gogh, Jack Vettriano, and Jason Cianelli.
When examining paintings, look at the light, the framing, the use of color, and the overall composition (foreground, middle ground, background). Notice that there is usually nothing extraneous in the image. It is one of the great plusses of being a painter – the ability to exclude what doesn’t add to an image and to include what you want in an image, even if not there in real life. While adding and subtracting can be done using Photoshop, Lightroom, or other photo software, the only way to do so during the image capture is though careful framing and composition and even then the camera captures all within the frame. And adding and subtracting during post-processing results in an altered image which should be so noted so as not to be confused with documentary photography.
So now, it's time to review some basics of photo composition in Chapter 7.
Thinking outside of the box, creating an image never before taken or shared, is a challenging assignment even for professional travel photographers. But travel photographers – you – can come up with images that reflect your individual point of view. And the more your eye and mind take in and process, the more likely that a creative image will result. One way to help the eye and mind in this creative endeavor is by looking at the works of others – not for mimicry but for inspiration and different ways of viewing, framing, and composing a shot that may be applicable to a future image of your own creation.
National Geographic magazine has probably inspired more photographers than any other. Sharply focused, well composed, colorful photographs that tell a story are their specialty. Once upon a time, NG was my principal source of inspiration and still sets a high standard for landscape and cultural photography. A more recent influence for me has been Condé Nast Traveler. As much a style magazine as a travel magazine, CN Traveler is more cutting edge, with angle shots, subtle colors, warm tones, less sharp (on purpose!) at times – creating moody images rather than a more documentary image. The New York Times Sunday Magazine and their periodic Style Magazine also highlight great photography, often edgy, with both color and black and white images. Much of the content can be found on the New York Times website.
Another good source are photography books – again, not necessarily “how to” books, but books of photographs that represent the best of the photographer. One of my favorites is “The Creation” by Ernst Haas, representing a lifetime of his work. Some abstract, some full of motion, wide angle and close-ups, animals, vegetation, mountains, and seas. All of these images represent a creative encounter between Mr. Haas and his environment.
The internet, of course, is “full” of photographs. Sites such as Flickr and Photo.net contain photographs almost without number – some very good, the vast majority less so. But I recommend searching out the websites of great photographers in your genre of choice and really take the time to examine the photographs – how they are framed and composed. Among my favorite travel and cultural photographers are Nevada Wier, Chris Rainier, Ami Vitali, and Doug Beasley. I’ve had the pleasure of working with and learning from each of them and have been influenced by their work. All have their own personal websites – just type their name in your web browser and you’re there.
Don’t limit yourself to photography, either. Painters have a lot to offer, whether the Realists or the Impressionists or Modern artists, each offers a point of view that can contribute to your understanding of what makes a “good” image. Again, the web is a great source of paintings and sketches though seeing the original artwork in museums and galleries can be particularly inspiring (if you can maneuver through the crowds!). If you need a starting point, look up Claude Monet, Edward Hopper, Vincent Van Gogh, Jack Vettriano, and Jason Cianelli.
When examining paintings, look at the light, the framing, the use of color, and the overall composition (foreground, middle ground, background). Notice that there is usually nothing extraneous in the image. It is one of the great plusses of being a painter – the ability to exclude what doesn’t add to an image and to include what you want in an image, even if not there in real life. While adding and subtracting can be done using Photoshop, Lightroom, or other photo software, the only way to do so during the image capture is though careful framing and composition and even then the camera captures all within the frame. And adding and subtracting during post-processing results in an altered image which should be so noted so as not to be confused with documentary photography.
So now, it's time to review some basics of photo composition in Chapter 7.