FlyingLentris

flyinglentris · Dec 14, 2017

I'm an amateur and photographic artist who specialized in the tech aspects of both photography and art. But that is not to count out subject matter. Subject matter is always important.

What does tech mean in terms of photography? Look to Ansel Adams as a good example. Ansel was of course very familiar with his passion for photography, both in terms of equipment usage and technique. What I particularly find exceptional about Ansel is his viewpoints on Visualization and Image Management. The Zone System which many are familiar with, is just a small part of the tech aspects of this man. It is this sort of thing that is a photographic hallmark for my photography, but although I incorporate Ansel's concepts, I have evolved many of my own, many of which borrow from techniques in "painterly works." These have been known for some time, but are often not applied to photography as photography is for many, too rigid and does not allow the flexibility that drawing and painting do. I have found in my photographic journy, ways to transcend that rigidity.

Dean_Gretsch · Dec 14, 2017

Welcome to the forum! Your comment about " painterly " techniques made me revisit this post:
5 Blue Downers - April POTM
You may want to visit the op's website in his signature line.

flyinglentris · Dec 14, 2017

Dean,

No, that's not quite what I was alluding to in terms of "painterly works." But then when it comes to "painterly works" there are many different schools of thought, many followings, portraiture being only one of this cosmos of known categories. Because of the wide diversity, I don't blame you for linking this post back to what I stated based on the quoted "painterly works." But hey, I did say that it was difficult to use such techniques in photography due to its rigidity. Portraiture is easy enough in photography and can be easily shaped by lighting, development or digital tweaking as the case may be. Even Ansel didn't do quite what I do, although some of his works exhibit some of what I have a passion for. How framing is used when taking the shot is key. Ansel's visualization thing has a lot to do with framing, but he was more after exposure aspects. Image management then was how he evolved the negative. While framing a shot is an important aspect for me, there's more to that yet. I like to play with minimalism to train my visualization and recognition of "good shots." This should suggest that composition is a key element of what I try to achieve. Portraiture is only one type of composition. Some photo authors speak of it as "centered subject" and represent portraiture by a triangle analogue. Composition in art is a diverse topic and much of that diversity is difficult to achieve in photography, but can be done.