auntieannie

Some technical coverage and some arty coverage. Some in-depth coverage of how color, light, filters, etc. work. My favorite parts -- the photos and discussions and chapter 14: photographic problem solving and writing. "Think of talent not only as a characteristic but as a process that requires mental discipline. . ..Deliberate practice involves spending hours a day in highly structured activities to improve performance and overcome weakness. .. Persistence and the will to create are what enable photographes to transcend illustrative literalness. Getting ideas to solve visual problems entails becoming more aware and thinking independently. This also requires self-discipline and is accomplished by asking questions, acknowledging new facts, reasoning skeptically through your prejudices, and taking on the responsibility of gaining knowledge. It is necessary to believe in your own creativeness. Consider information from all sources. Do not attempt to limit your response to only the rational part of your brain; let your feelings enter into the process. Be prepared to break with habit and take chances. Listen to yourself as well as to others. If you are feeling stuck, loosen up by walking about and making pictures without using the camera's monitor or viewfinder. Another approach is to take an image, draw a grid on the back of it, cut it into equal pieces, put them in a bag, remove the pieces one at a time glue them onto a piece of paper in the order in which you selected them. What do you now observe that was not evident in the original? How can you apply this new data to move forward?" p.279tolerating failure. "If a photographer added up the number of frames produced, a typical photographic batting average might be about 1 percent. However, what an average does not reflect is all the intangible joys involved with the process of photography that require the integration of abstract ideas and concrete operations. Good photographers overcome their fear and make pictures. Don't be afraid of experience." p.281Birth of a problem. Acceptance. Analysis. Definition. Idea formation and the possibility scale. Selection. Operation. Evaluation. Results. Writing about images. Begin by visiting online photographic collections or exhibition venueswww.photographymuseum.com/www.pbs.org/ktca/americanphotography/www.americansuburbx.com/www.cepagallery.com/www.eastmanhouse.org/www.getty.edu/museum/www.icp.org/www.loc.gov/rr/printmemory.loc.gov/ammem/index.htmlwww.lightwork.org/www.luminous-lint.com/www.masters-of-photography.com/www.moma.org/explore/collection/photographywww.nypl.org/digital/index.htmwww.photonet.org.uk/www.si.edu/Encyclpedia_SI/Art_and_Design/Photography.htmwww.womeninphotography.org/www.zonezero.com/Spend time interacting with the work and recording your thoughts. When permissible, photograph works that intrigue you and/or acquire postcards, etc. for reference. Next, write a well-structured review, having an introductory premise, a body of well-thought-out observations and evidence, and a conclusion based on the data you presented. Begin by selecting work you find affirmative, engaging, and stimulating. Relate your observations and opinions and support them with specific details derived from your experience with the work. Describe the work. Description comprises the physical character, subject matter, and its form. Form entails how a subject is presented. Can you determine the color and/or composition key? How are figure-ground relationships used? How do these qualities inform the overall nature of the work and the persona it projects? Evaluate the technique. What methods are employed? Is there anything unusual? Does the methodology work for you? Why or why not? Discuss exposure and use of light, along with printing and presentation methods used to generate the total visual effect. Would you do anything differently? Why or why not? Personal reaction: Pay attention to your first reactions. What initially attracted you to this work? Did the magnetism last? Did the work deliver what you expected? Would you want to keep looking at this work over a period of time, as in your living space? Does the make have a visual (representing reality) or haptic (roughly, sensational or sensual) outlook? How does this inform the nature of the work? Did you find yourself thinking or dreaming about the work later? Answer each question with a why or why not response. Interpretation: Ask yourself: Who made it? What is the point of view of the imagemaker? What was the maker trying to communicate? Does the imagemaker succeed? What is the larger context of the work? Who was it made for? Do the images stand on their own merits, or do they require an accompanying statement or explanation? What is your interpretation of the work? Does it present a narrative account or is it an open-ended visualization? Does it appeal to your emotions or your intellect? If the work is in a group or series, evaluate how selected images work individually and in terms of the group. Do single images hold their own ground, or are they dependent on being seen in the series? Does the imagemaker use any text? If so, toward which do you first gravitatge, the image or the text? How does the text affect your perception of the image's meaning? How would your understanding of the piece be different if there were no text? Present clear, succinct and persuasive arguments, giving evidence to back up your point of view. Integrate new ideas: Examine and define the work's attributes that appeal to you and affect you. Be specific and cite examples. Then consider how it might be possible for you to learn from and integrate these concepts into your way of thinking and working. Do the opposite: Go back to the same body of work and select work(s) that you find disconcerting. Repeat the previous steps to uncover what adversely affects you. Identify specific points, such as content, color, or composition, and ask yourself what you could do to avoid incorporating such unwanted characteristics into your work. Consider whether the disconcerting works have a greater impact than the pleasing works, and think about why? Seek out knowledge: Seek out someone who is knowledgeable and involved in similar work. Present the work to that person and engage in a friendly discussion. What are that person's views? Does that individual agree with you or disagree with your assessment? Do your opinions hold together and make a convincing case? Identify your persuasive and ineffectual points. How can they be improved? Can you see another point of view? What new territory did this other person open for you? How does this affect the way you view the work now? p.287-88