Compositional beginnings with Brie Stockwell

In today’s episode we’re seeking to find understanding in our composition decisions and I’ve got the LPS Survey results. This is Latitude Photography Podcast, Episode 81 for May 17, 2020 Links Mentioned in today’s show: Find Brie’s images here: IG @asliceofbrie2020 Palouse Shoot-n-Print Photography and Printing Workshop Get on the list for updates on Latitude Photography School  Shop at lensrentals.com with my affiliate link and I’ll get a small commission of the sale. Use the code "latitude15" at checkout and you'll get 15% off your order. I also have an affiliate link with ThinkTank Photo  Thank you for your support! LPS Survey Results: Thank you to all who filled out the survey. For the past two months or so I’ve been conducting a survey on my soon-to-be-released Latitude Photography School. It’ll be a place for photographers like you to come together and learn how to better hone in on the creative process and to achieve more success in your photography. Let’s look at the results. There were just five questions, and then if you wanted to be entered to win a PhotoCross 15 backpack from ThinkTank Photo you could give me your email address. One thing to note on the results before I get to them, that is I did not restrict the survey to be filled in only once per person. I just trusted that you would do that. And in some cases I recognized at least one person who used two email addresses, so there is the chance that the results became slightly skewed because of it. Also, in the beginning, I had question 2 set to only take one answer when I had intended it to be multiple answers possible. A listener alerted me to that fact and I fixed it after about 17 or so people had already completed the survey. So it’s possible they came back and filled it out again as well. I’ll be looking for double entries and try and weed those out if possible. Additionally, while I received 84 responses in total, several were duplicates so I’ve deleted those  as that would skew the data. That left 69 responses total, as best as I can surmise, from individual people. Of those, 10 elected to enter the giveaway so for that there’s a 1 in 59 chance of winning the bag. I Greatly appreciate the time and effort you all put into filling out the survey. I’m just highlighting a few of the particulars here so we can better understand the data. For a service like this, community can be a vital part of what you find valuable. How important is it to have a way to communicate or be inspired with/by others in the community that isn't a Facebook group? 2.9% – 1 5.9% – 2 20.6% – 3 39.7% – 4 30.9% – 5 55.1% – Design and Creativity in Photography 43.5% – Making fine art gallery quality prints 31.9% – Astro Photography 33.3% – Destinations and how-to lessons from the field, assessing the scene etc. 27.5% – Macro Photography 23.2% – Basic Photoshop and Lightroom 39.1% – Advanced Photoshop and Lightroom 18.1% – Photoshop and Lightroom Alternatives 24.6% – Design items beyond photography (Web design, using InDesign, Illustrator and more) 27.5% – Using Instagram and other social Media for photographers 30.4% – How-to guides on specific pieces of equipment A few other items came in at less than 2% since I allowed custom suggestions. Many of them generally fit in with a few of the items already listed above. What are you interested in learning about? Please check all that apply. 58% – Yes 37.7% – Maybe 5.8% – No Would you like the option to ask for specific help with your question and have a video that directly answers your question posted to the site? 72.1% – Yes 17.6% – Maybe 10.3% – No Would you like live sessions where your questions can get answered? They would be recorded and posted to the site for later viewing if you couldn't make it live. 56.5% – Yes 23.2% – No 20.3% – Maybe Are video downloads important to you? This would allow you to keep them and play them off-line. Main Topic: Compositional Beginnings Today we’re talking about some ideas on getting the image set up just right. Things to look for when figuring out just what in the world you want to shoot, and how you want to shoot it. And We’re also getting to know another new Latitude Regular, Brie Stockwell, Brie, welcome to the show! First off, let’s talk a little about you and your work, what subjects move you? Where are you photographically? In your casting call application you said you’re a “newbie.” Finding new locations, especially nearby that are actually interesting. Figuring out settings and best times to get out for good light. “I need tips on scouting places” Things I [Brent] do in determining when and where to go. What difficulties do you have in photography? Determining beautiful locations vs photogenic locations Considering Composition Considering Focus How to focus on dimly lit subjects such as during blue hour Willow CIty Loop, Bluebonnet season Set up a shot, dissatisfied with results How often does that happen to me [Brent]? Returned to the site, tried it again Hiking and had gear along Difference between brights and darks Difference between textures Difference between time periods, ancient or modern Difference in movement Difference in size (also known as scale) Difference in color A component of visual formmaking lesson: CONTRAST “Design is the conscious effort to impose meaningful order.” Victor Papanek Not literally Deconstruct the scene, break it down Decide what’s important and what’s not. Emphasize what’s important Deemphasize what’s not important Establishing the composition from the ground up. Colors Value Size Placement Texture The same elements we talked about in contrast also affect hierarchy Hierarchy Tip of the Week? Brent: Keep trying, when you fail, look over your results and be honest with yourself. Why didn’t it work? And if you don’t know why, ask for help.  Brie: Take a safety/first aid kit with you Reminders Find us on the web at http://latitudephotographypodcast.com Find me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/brentberghermphoto/ Find the podcast facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1892577214293688/ Find me on instagram @brentbergherm Find me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/brentberghermphotography Find me online at https://brentbergherm.com