INTRODUCTION...how you build a picture, what a picture consists of, how shapes are related to each other, how spaces are filled, how the whole thing must have a kind of unity."PAULSTRANDDhilosophical, lyrical, sometimes obscureGerny in the 1920s,talking about color in art,vital, but the best it can do is to help realize ideastold his students:"If you, unknowing, are able to [ commentaries on how photographs are deand perception.Photographers have always had create sterpieces in color, then unknowledge a complex and shifting relationship with their and what they mean are thick on the ground, is your way.But if you are unable to createusually by non-photographers.Not that thereequipment. In part there is the fascination withsterpieces in color out of your unknowledge, the new, with gadgets, with bright, shiny toys. is anything at all wrong with the perceptivethen you ought to look for knowledge." ThisAt the same time there is,at least among thoseoutsider's view; indeed, the distance of this kindwho are reasonably self-confident, a belief that of objectivity brings new, valuable insights.applies to art in general, including photography.Roland Barthes even held his non-understanding their innate ability overrides the mere mechanics In shooting, you can rely on natural ability or on a good knowledge of the principles of design. In of cameras. We need the equipment and yet areof photographic processes("Icould not join the other graphic arts,design is taught as a tter cautious,sometimes even diissive about it.troupe of those...who deal with Photography-of course.In photography it has received lessaccording-to-the-Photographer")as an advantage One of the things that is clearly needed forattention than it deserves, and here I set out toin investigating the subject(“I resolved to startsuccessful photography is a proper balance in thisredress some of this lack.conflict. Nevertheless, there have been very fewmy inquiry with no more than a few photographs A relatively new element is the rapid shiftattempts in publishing to deal comprehensivelythe ones I was sure existed for me. Nothing to do from film-based photography to digital, andwith composition in photography, as opposed towith a corpus...”).the technical issues. This is a ridh and dending this, at least in my opinion, has the potential This book, however, is intended to be different, to explore the actual process of taking to revitalize design. Because so much of thesubject,too often trivialized even when notige workflow between shooting and printing ignored outright. Most people using a cameraphotographs.I think I'd like to callit an insider's for the first time try to ster the controls butis now placed on the computer in the hands ofview, though that acks of hubris, because I'm the photographer,most of us now spend much ignore the ideas. They photograph intuitively, drawing on the experience of photographers,likingor disliling what they see without stopping myself included, at the time of shooting. Amore time looking at and doing things to iges. This alone encourages more study,more ysis great deal goes on in the process of king an to think why, and framing the view in theofiges and their qualities. Moreover, digitalsame way. Anyone who does it well is a natural exposure that is not at all obvious to someonephotographer.But knowing in advance why some else seeing the result later. This will never prevent post-production, with all its ny possible adjustments of brightness,contrast,and color, art critics and historians from supplying theircompositions or certain combinations of colors seem to work better than others,better equips own interpretations, which y be extremelyrestores to photographers the control over theinteresting but not necessarily have anything tofinal ige that was inherent in black-and-whiteany photographer.film photography but extremely difficult in color do with the circumstances and intentions of the One important reason why intuitive ratherThis comprehensive control inevitably affectsthan informed photography is so common isphotographer. What I will attempt to do here is to that shooting is such an easy,immediate process. composition, and the simple fact that so muchshow how photographers compose their iges, Whatever the level of thought and planningaccording to their intentions,moods,and abilities, can be done with an ige in post-productionand how the ny skills of organizing an igeincreases the need to consider the ige and its that goes into a photograph,from none to possibilities ever more carefully.considerable,the ige is created in an instant, in the viewfinder can be improved and shared. as soon as the shutter release is pressed. This The important decisions in photography,means that a picture can always be taken casually digital or otherwise, are those concerned withand without thought, and because it can, it often the ige itself: the reasons for taking it, andis. Johannes Itten, the great Bauhaus teacher in the way it looks. The technology, of course, isINTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 6INTRODUCTIONhow shapes are related to each other,how spaces arePan in pont-produrionCHAPTER 1THE IMAGE FRAME