I feel that some amount of dissonance, complexity, or ambiguity can be meaningful or tolerable, but that in undiluted doses they serve no enlightening purpose. Then again, is art supposed to be enlightening? Perhaps. Perhaps not. I feel it should be, but your conclusion is a matter of personal choice. The question itself brings us to the most basic of all questions concerning art: “What is art?” An attempt to answer that question can be as elusive as grabbing a cloud. Despite the near impossibility of articulating a sensible answer, we can rely on the fact that every person has his or her own opinions, his or her strong likes and dislikes, and his or her own limits. It always boils down to the often-expressed phrase, “I don’t know what’s good, but I know what I like!” I feel that art should provide satisfying visual distillations of real or imagined worlds. For me, unity and simplicity are satisfying, whereas confusion and dissonance are relatively dissatisfying. (See Chapter 15 for further discussion of this issue.)
This is perhaps, the closest thing I’ve produced to a Jackson Pollack painting. Can you decipher what it is? Did you see it immediately, or did it take some time?
Figure 2-5. Camouflage
Another thought concerns the concept of simplicity alone and challenges its esteemed position rather effectively. This concept maintains that complexity is not only important, but also essential to any great work of art. By way of illustration, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is regarded as a greater work than “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” primarily because of its greater complexity, despite the fact that the latter is a rather “perfect” and pleasant tune. I endorse this thought completely.
That may seem to contradict some of the thoughts in the previous pages of this chapter, but the apparent contradiction can be easily explained. The Ninth Symphony is indeed highly complex, but Beethoven’s consummate mastery of music kept it under control at all times. A lesser composer could not have achieved such control. Beethoven harnessed the complexity and the dynamics. In a similar fashion, a photographer with a mastery of the medium can control greater complexity than a beginner. By striving for simplicity, the beginner can produce worthwhile photographs at the outset and then work toward gaining control over ever more complex compositions as his understanding of the medium—and his confidence in himself—grows. In doing so, he or she will probably create ever more meaningful images. I feel that complexity is essential to great art, but that it must be controlled.
A final thought that I want to consider is the concept of almost uncontrolled complexity as a core of artistic expression. Consider the paintings of Jackson Pollock, who is highly regarded among art critics. His paintings cannot be considered simple, though they can be viewed as unified in that the eye repeatedly finds the same elements as it travels through them. Scientific analysis of his paintings indicates that there may be an underlying fractal character to them—meaning that as you view smaller and smaller sections of the painting, you continue to find similar structures. This is fascinating from both a scientific and artistic aspect. Yet I must admit, Pollock’s paintings say nothing to me. I find them messy, formless, and utterly lacking in interest. I disagree with most of the critics, but that’s my right. You have to make up your own mind on such issues.
I have several photographs that are not easily seen or comprehended at first. One that I title “Camouflage” is almost like a Jackson Pollock painting, intended to have the objects of interest hidden from view (Figure 2-5). Another, Figure 2-6, features a center of interest that is so small (the woman sitting and begging at the cathedral doorway) that the viewer hardly notices her at first. But once noticed, she immediately becomes the center of interest.
I have brought up these points so you can think about them, incorporate them when appropriate to your way of seeing and thinking, and discard them when inappropriate. This process should become part of your own philosophical approach to photography. Photography is not simply the act of picking up a camera, pointing it at something, and pressing the shutter. It is a process of thoughtful consideration of your own point of view overlaid upon the scene. It requires creative thinking, which is not easy. The ideas expressed here are simply a means of stimulating further thought and creativity on your part.
From inside the Cathedral in Oaxaca, Mexico, I saw the beggar sitting on the stone entryway beyond the frosted etched glass panels. While heart-wrenching, there was a compositional unity created by the strong lines of the light pouring into the cathedral. Yet the beggar is the center of interest, but you don’t see her initially. She’s too small to be seen immediately. Once discovered, the image takes on a different character.
Figure 2-6. The Beggar Woman
Chapter 3. Elements of Composition
IF COMPOSITION IS THE MEANS OF LEADING VIEWERS through your photograph and holding them there until they see your message, there must be methods of composing to achieve maximum strength in your imagery. There are indeed such methods, and they can be put to use by identifying and understanding the elements of composition.
The following is a list of the many elements of composition. We will discuss them and consider how they can be used to enhance a photograph.
Light
Color
Contrast and Tone
Line
Form
Pattern
Balance
Movement
Positive/Negative Space
Texture
Camera Position
Focal Length
Depth of Field
Shutter Speed
This subject presented a perplexing dilemma: do I lower contrast to retain interior detail, or maintain contrast and lose outside detail? I chose the latter, eliminating the manicured bushes outside. The center of interest is this 100+ yard long refectory used by the nonecclesiastical workers (the lay brothers) who worked there. Although your eye goes directly to the blank white opening in the distance due to the draw of perspective, it is surely not the center of interest.
Figure 3-1. Lay Brothers’ Refectory, Fountains Abbey
There are two key considerations tying all of these elements together and making them all real which must be included as welclass="underline"
Involvement with the scene
Relationships
Light and color will be discussed separately in later chapters, for these two elements are so important that they deserve special attention. For readers who are primarily interested in color, the following discussion is still important; the concepts apply to color just as much as they apply to black-and-white.
Contrast and Tone
These two subjects are so closely intertwined that it would be nearly impossible to separate them. Every scene has its own inherent contrast range, but it can be increased, decreased, or maintained in black-and-white photography. Methods of contrast control are explained in Chapter 8 and Chapter 9. At this point, suffice it to say that surprisingly large—effectively, limitless—alterations can be made in the contrast level in black-and-white using film (Figure 3-1). Contrast control is also possible in color, but to a more limited extent through traditional film methods. Contrast in both black-and-white and color is also exceptional using digital methods.