PDN asked photojournalist David Wells and other workshop teachers highlighted in “PDN Reader Survey: The Best Workshop Instructors” to share some of their best lessons for students. Here is Wells’s response:

New students mistakenly think that because their fancy new gear can instantly make a technically acceptable image, they are a photographer.  Eventually, they get past that to undertake the very slow process of learning how to really see photographically.

Probably the biggest eye opener [for my workshop students] is what I call the “dogs and giraffes” assignment. The student has to photograph whatever they want from a dog or giraffe’s perspective. That is, not from their standing height. This assignment prompts them to see how the photographer’s position can clean up backgrounds, make objects or people into abstract shapes as well as exaggerate shadows, for example.

I like to [have workshop students] photograph in places where people are proud of what they are doing so they are happy to be photographed. [That] enables the students to work longer and in greater depth. Locations do not have to be exotic or far away. They can be a train station or [a local park].

The key to getting a great photograph is “working” a situation to figure out where to position the camera, what lens to use, how to set the exposure, how to organize the composition, etc. For most photographers, the way to figure all of that out is to take a lot of pictures and keep experimenting until the final image is just right.  Accomplished photographers do this in their heads before they bring the camera to their eye and before they push the button, but they still go through most if not all of these steps.

Now photographers can use the monitor on their digital cameras, with its immediate feedback, to figure out what exactly is the best picture. The object of this process is to get students to the point where the technical is secondary and seeing becomes primary.

The one  thing students repeatedly tell me is how much they value my critiques of their work.  In the best situations, I first review each student’s work to select a top set, maybe 20 to 40 out of the 100 or more they made for an assignment. Then we share that so everyone learns from each other’s mistakes and successes.

The “success stories” in any class are when the students get beyond the technology and find their own particular interests/vision for their photography.  That results in a strong, cohesive portfolio [that] leads to exhibitions, publications, grants, etc.

(David Wells posts tips and podcasts for student photographers at thewellspoint.com)

Source: PhotoTravelShop, Sito ufficiale della manifestazione

Cos’è Bassano Fotografia?

Bassano Fotografia è un percorso attraverso l’immaginazione che sfrutta la genialità, l’introspezione e la creatività di fotografi importanti come Douglas Kirkland, Harry De Zitter, Marc De Tollenaere, Enzo Dalla Pellegrina, Sofie Knijff, Massimo Siragusa, Bassiano Zonta, e la passione di altre realtà più piccole dedite alla fotografia. L’intenzione di questo evento è quella di unire lo spirito di creatività di artisti del mondo della fotografia con l’immaginazione e la voglia di trasmettere emozioni attraverso un mondo di immagini e colori che richiamino la propria personale interpretazione.

Saper guardare la realtà da tanti punti di vista e mostrarla adeguando stile e atmosfera alla situazione del momento per raccontare storie di immagini in modo sorprendente è quanto Manfrotto School of Xcellence si è prefissata con questo grande progetto culturale che condividiamo con tutti gli amanti della fotografia e che siamo sicuri sarà molto apprezzato.

Manfrotto School of Xcellence vi aspetta dunque dal 17 Settembre 2011 al 6 Gennaio 2012 per una serie di mostre, workshops, seminari sulla fotografia tenuti da fotografi di fama internazionale che contribuiranno a rendere Bassano Del Grappa, centro della fotografia e dell’immaginazione.

Bassano Fotografia è un percorso attraverso l’immaginazione che sfrutta la genialità, l’introspezione e la creatività di fotografi importanti come Douglas Kirkland, Harry De Zitter, Marc De Tollenaere, Enzo Dalla Pellegrina, Sofie Knijff, Massimo Siragusa, Bassiano Zonta, e la passione di altre realtà più piccole dedite alla fotografia. L’intenzione di questo evento è quella di unire lo spirito di creatività di artisti del mondo della fotografia con l’immaginazione e la voglia di trasmettere emozioni attraverso un mondo di immagini e colori che richiamino la propria personale interpretazione.

Saper guardare la realtà da tanti punti di vista e mostrarla adeguando stile e atmosfera alla situazione del momento per raccontare storie di immagini in modo sorprendente è quanto Manfrotto School of Xcellence si è prefissata con questo grande progetto culturale che condividiamo con tutti gli amanti della fotografia e che siamo sicuri sarà molto apprezzato.

Manfrotto School of Xcellence vi aspetta dunque dal 17 Settembre 2011 al 6 Gennaio 2012 per una serie di mostre, workshops, seminari sulla fotografia tenuti da fotografi di fama internazionale che contribuiranno a rendere Bassano Del Grappa, centro della fotografia e dell’immaginazione.

Il programma completo:

MOSTRE

17.09.2011 – 6.01.2012
Museo Civico – Piazza Garibaldi
- DOUGLAS KIRKLAND
- HARRY DE ZITTER
- MASSIMO SIRAGUSA
- MARC DE TOLLENAERE

17. 09.2011 – 30.10.2011
Vie del Centro Storico
- FOTOGRAFI SENZA FRONTIERE

17. 09.2011 – 6.11.2011
Chiesetta dell’Angelo – via Roma
- SOFIE KNIJFF

18. 09.2011 – 6.11.2011
Palazzo Bonaguro
- ENZO DALLA PELLEGRINA

VENETO: Natura e Paesaggio
- FOTOCLUB CALDOGNO
- MAROSTICA FOTOGRAFIA
- FOTOGRUPPO-9
- CLUB FOTOGRAFICO IL CAMPANILE
- ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE EZZELINO FOTOCLUB
- GRUPPO IMMAGINE CENTRALE
- CIRCOLO FOTOGRAFICO SCLEDENSE B.F.I.
- CIRCOLO FOTOGRAFICO CITTÀ DI THIENE
- CIRCOLO FOTOGRAFICO VICENZA
- FOTOCLUB IL PUNTO FOCALE
- LUCIANO BERTOLIN
- PIERLUIGI LUCIETTO
- ASSOCIAZIONE CULTURALE MARGHERA FOTOGRAFIA
- CATHERINE FARDEAU
- DOMINIQUE BOURGEOIS

Torre di Guardia Castello Ezzelini – Piazza Castello Ezzelini
- RE. SOL. RETI DI SOLIDARIETÀ ONLUS
- PAOLO GASPARINI

100 Location tra gli esercizi pubblici del centro storico
- LA FOTOGRAFIA INCONTRA LA CITTÀ – Fuori Palazzo -

Ospedale Civile San Bassiano – via dei Lotti
Associazione Oncologica San Bassiano
- CESARE GEROLIMETTO

Palazzo Dolfin-Casale
Biblioteca Comunale di Rosa’, piazzetta delle acque
- ALDO PAVAN

01. 10. 2011 – 23. 10.2011
Palazzo Agostinelli – via Barbieri
- C. A. I. – DOLOMITI: IMMAGINI DI UN PATRIMONIO

15. 10. 2011 – 6.11.2011
Chiesa di San Giovanni – Piazza Libertà
- BASSIANO ZONTA
- ASSOCIAZIONE PRO BASSANO

13.10.11 – 26.11.11
Libreria Palazzo Roberti – VIA Jacopo Da Ponte
BILL FRAKES

EVENTI

21.09.2011 – mercoledì
ore 18,30 – Venezia, Caffè Florian incontro con l’autore
Harry De Zitter

22.09.2011 – giovedì
ore 18,30 – Venezia, Caffè Florian incontro con l’autore
Douglas Kirkland

24.09.11 Ore 16.00
Il Grifone Shopping Center (Bassano del Grappa)
LUCA ABETE DI STRISCIA LA NOTIZIA presenta:
“OnePhotoOneDay”

08.10.2011 – sabato
VII^ giornata del contemporaneo
ore 10,00 – Museo Civico
incontro con l’autore Marc De Tollenaere che illustrerà le opere esposte con una visita guidata

CONVENTION

sabato 24 e domenica 25 settembre – Convention
Palazzo Agostinelli – via Barbieri
- CONVENTION SULLA FOTOGRAFIA
sala conferenza, laboratorio, studio
info e prenotazioni www.bassanofotografia.com

INCONTRI

29.09.2011 – giovedì
ore 21,00 – Palazzo Bonaguro incontro con l’autore:
- Ampelio Pellattiero – proiezione

04.10.2011 – martedì
ore 21,00 – Chiesetta di San Giacomo di Romano d’Ezzelino
Associazione Culturale Ezzelino Fotoclub – “ Autunno con la Fotografia “: Valter Binotto “Natura in multivisione”

06.10.2011 – giovedì
ore 21,00 – Palazzo Bonaguro incontro con l’autore:
- Associazione Culturale Ezzelino Fotoclub – proiezione

11.10.2011 – martedì
ore 21,00 – Chiesetta di San Giacomo di Romano d’Ezzelino
Associazione Culturale Ezzelino Fotoclub – “ Autunno con la Fotografia “: Circolo Fotografico Veronese: ” Andalusia – Settimana Santa – Lisbona

13.10.2011 – giovedì
ore 21,00 – Palazzo Bonaguro incontro con gli autori in città
- Artisti Fuori Palazzo – proiezione

16.10.2011 – domenica
ore 10,00 – Palazzo Bonaguro
Nikon Day

18.10.2011 – martedì
ore 21,00 – Chiesetta di San Giacomo di Romano d’Ezzelino
Associazione Culturale Ezzelino Fotoclub – “ Autunno con la Fotografia “: Francesco Pomello “ OSHENVESH “

20.10.2011 – giovedì
ore 21,00 – Palazzo Bonaguro incontro con l’autore:
- Marostica Fotografia – proiezione

21.10.2011 – venerdì
Palazzo Dolfin-Casale,
Biblioteca Comunale di Rosa, piazzetta delle acque
ore 21,00 – incontro con l’autore: Aldo Pavan – proiezione

25.10.2011 – martedì
ore 21,00 – Chiesetta di San Giacomo di Romano d’Ezzelino
Associazione Culturale Ezzelino Fotoclub – “ Autunno con la Fotografia “ – Serata Fotoclub: Proiezioni soci Fotoclub

27.10.2011 – giovedì
ore 21,00 – Palazzo Bonaguro incontro con l’autore:
- Gruppo Immagine Centrale – proiezione

03.11.2011 – giovedì
ore 21,00 – Palazzo Bonaguro incontro con l’autore:
- Pierluigi Lucietto – proiezione

Si svolgeranno anche dei workshop e dei laboratori, nonché delle conferenze tenute da fotografi professionisti.
Sabato 24 settembre 2011

SALA CONFERENZA – PALAZZO AGOSTINELLI – Bassano Del Grappa (Vicenza), Via Barbieri

* 09:00-11:00 Douglas Kirkland – Immaginando… magici momenti
* 11:00-13:00 Bill Frakes – Emotional Motion
* 14:00-16:00 Harry De Zitter – Immaginando… un attimo nel tempo
* 16:00-17:00 Photofarm – I viaggi di Photofarm
* 17:00-18:00 Mirko Sotgiu – Iceland, la nuova terra

LABORATORIO – PALAZZO AGOSTINELLI – Bassano Del Grappa (Vicenza), Via Barbieri 34

* 09:00-10:00 Giorgio Trucco – Gestione colore
* 10:00-11:00 Francesco Parolin – Still Life Base – Lezione 1
* 11:00-12:00 Fabio Liverani – La composizione fotografica
* 12:00-13:00 Giorgio Trucco – Sviluppo RAW con Adobe Camera Raw
* 14:00-15:00 Fabio Liverani – Dietro le quinte del fotografo di natura e viaggi
* 15:00-16:00 Giorgio Trucco – Sviluppo RAW con Adobe Lightroom
* 16:00-17:00 Marc de Tollenaere – Fotoritocco facile
* 17:00-18:00 Francesco Parolin – Still Life Base – Lezione 2

STUDIO – PALAZZO AGOSTINELLI – Bassano Del Grappa (Vicenza), Via Barbieri 34

* 09:00-11:00 Mirko Sotgiu – Esporre in digitale
* 11:00-13:00 Monica Silva – L’io dentro di Voi
* 14:00-16:00 Marc de tollenaere – Ritratto con una luce
* 16:00-18:00 Bill Frakes – Personality Plus

Domenica 25 settembre 2011

SALA CONFERENZA – PALAZZO AGOSTINELLI – Bassano Del Grappa (Vicenza), Via Barbieri 34

* 09:00-11:00 Marc de Tollenaere Immaginando…il Veneto così vicino,
così lontano

* 11:00-13:00 Abete / Givone – L’autoritratto: Luca Abete incontra Elena Givone
* 14:00-15:00 Claudia Rocchini – Regole d’ingaggio
* 15:00-16:00 Ricci / Liverani – Viaggio nell’Amazzonia Peruviana
* 16:00-17:00 Milko Marketti – Emozioni naturali
* 17:00-18:00 Claudia Rocchini – E tu che social sei?

LABORATORIO – PALAZZO AGOSTINELLI – Bassano Del Grappa (Vicenza), Via Barbieri 34

* 09:00-10:00 Giorgio Trucco – Introduzione a Photoshop
* 09:00-11:00 Mirko Sotgiu – Foto Stiching
* 11:00-12:00 Milko Marchetti – Photoshop Base
* 12:00-13:00 Francesco Parolin – Still Life Avanzato – Lezione 3
* 14:00-15:00 Milko Marchetti – Postproduzione per Reportage
* 15:00-16:00 Elena Givone – Workflow per fotogiornalisti
* 16:00-17:00 Marc de Tollenaere – Bianco e Nero digitale
* 17:00-18:00 Francesco Parolin – Still Life Avanzato – Lezione 4

STUDIO – PALAZZO AGOSTINELLI – Bassano Del Grappa (Vicenza), Via Barbieri 34

* 09:00-11:00 Christian P.Ricci – Gestione e schemi flash, Still Life in natura
* 11:00-13:00 Monica Silva – Light there be light
* 14:00-16:00 Bill Frakes – Scolpire con la luce
* 16:00-17:00 Christian P.Ricci – Le basi della Macrofotografia

 

 

la mappa… Bassano del Grappa (VI)

Sito ufficiale: Bassano Fotografia

Iscrizione a corsi e workshop: PhotoTravel

 

 

In allegato la mappa delle mostre Fuori Palazzo.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but you will rarely find twenty words written about a photograph. There are many reasons for this. Having spent the past 26 years of my life as a professional photographer, a few of them stick out and worry me like splinters.

E’ proprio vero, ci perdiamo spesso a guardare belle foto (ma non necessariamente, talvolta anche quelle brutte catalizzano la nostra attenzione in modo inspiegabile) cercandone spesso i più insignificanti difetti, o paragonandole a quanto noi saremmo o non saremmo in grado di ricrearne una versione simile o migliore, ma raramente troviamo parole per analizzarne l’essenza artistica o per descriverla in modo non meramente tecnico. E’ solo retaggio culturale (a scuola viene studiata l’arte figurativa, pittorica, scultorea ed architettonica, ma non quella fotografica, e comunque la capacità critica si forma con una adeguata preparazione e con solide basi teoriche, che non sono a disposizione di tutti) e temporale (la fotografia come mezzo espressivo è abbastanza recente, quindi non c’è una concezione solida e diffusa nel tempo della fotografia come forma artistica) , o effettivamente si pone su un piano “inferiore” rispetto alla forma artistica?

Esiste una risposta a questo quesito?

Da fotografo (e conoscitore dell’arte) in erba non ho soluzione, se non quella di gradire assai la buona fotografia così come la buona pittura o la buona scultura, e mi sforzo di ricercare quando mi riesce nelle foto che maldestramente catturo con la mia macchina fotografica l’Arte della Natura e dell’Uomo (senza distinzione maschio-femmina), cosa che quasi mai mi riesce

Se c’è qualcuno che può dire qualcosa in più, lo spazio è aperto…

Un buon esempio di ritratti, alcuni pesantemente elaborati, altri più “naturali”… 100 (qualcuno in meno…) buoni motivi per amare la fotografia!

I preferiti sono (in ordine non di classifica):

Un altro buon esempio di ritratti è questo, pubblicato da Andy Adams.

Direct Impressions – A Language of Light No Less Rich

Adam Fuss I would say that the lens is a manipulation of an image. To me the photogram is a non-manipulation of the object and the interaction of the object with light and the direct recording of that. To me that’s pure photographic imagery. As soon as you have a lens, you’re reinterpreting the outside world. That’s it. Those are the glasses you’ve got on. That’s your rose tinted glass. It is not a great analogy, but the idea that every painter used a number 12 squirrel head brush and painted with a box of paint and everyone used the same box. That’s what most photography is. It’s pulling out of this extremely limited range, because the equipment has such a strong fingerprint and in that fingerprint you can see most modern photography. Whether it is your father or Helmut Newton. The difference in the equipment is not extreme. The vision is extreme. But because the equipment isn’t that different, there is something that shares a sameness in those images.

[...]

It sounds so easy; visit a beautiful location, shoot a few snapshots, and come home with a work of art in your camera. After dealing with the public for over 20 years, I swear most people think it really is that simple.

But really good landscape photography is much more challenging. Anyone can recognize the potential of a good subject, but turning that potential into a memorable image is another story. The task is even greater if it is a popular location. When you photograph a place that is photographed a thousand times a day, you have to find a way to create something different from the everyday snapshot.

Here are just a few tips for capturing the character of a landscape.

Tip#1. You Don’t Have To Fit Everything In. Some panoramic views are so huge that the only way to fit everything into your photo is to use a very wide-angle lens. The trouble is, this reduces everything in size, so that the grandeur of your subject is diminished.

It can be more effective to concentrate your composition around one feature of the landscape; a feature other people will recognize. With this approach, you can use a larger lens to add size and prominence to the the subject. You may also capture details that could be lost with a wide-angle lens.

Tip #2. Look For A New Angle. Why is it that so many photos of the great landmarks look the same? Simply because everybody photographs them from the same lookouts. It is easy to get a good shot from a major lookout; in fact, that is probably why the lookout was built in the first place. The trouble is, it is almost impossible to get a unique shot if your photo is taken from the same angle as all the others.

If possible, search beyond the established lookouts to see if there is a more interesting angle to take your photo. This may take a little more effort, and you may have to do some bushwalking to find the best spot. I don’t suggest risking your neck or trespassing, but in most cases there are alternatives to the established lookouts.

Tip #3. Use The Surroundings To Your Advantage. Anyone can take a snaphsot of a mountain range. But what about a mountain range framed through the branches of a tree in the foreground, or with a river winding away into the distance, drawing with it the eye of the viewer?

Every landscape can be photographed from a number of angles; the most obvious one is not always the best. By scouting around and looking for interesting foregrounds, you can add real character to your image and create something truly unique.

Always try to remember that you are not the first person to photograph this subject. To create a memorable image, you need to use some imagination and try something a little different.

Tip #4. Consider The Conditions. Capturing your subject in the best light can be a real balancing act. First you need to consider the time of day. Usually the ideal light is early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when the light is softer and more colourful. The trouble is, any photographer with experience already knows that. So how do you take your photo to the next level?

Keep a constant eye on the weather. You may be able to see something special, like a storm front, a good cloud formation, or even a good chance of a rainbow, starting to develop. If you choose your moment just right, you can be on location in time for something really special.

This is a measure of the commitment of a landscape photographer. The more effort you put in, the greater the rewards. You will spend a lot of time waiting for the right moment, but once you get that perfect image, you will see it was not time wasted. You will know you have done a good job when people start to say “I have been there – but my photos are nowhere near as good as yours!”

————–

Altri articoli interessanti:

How abstract a landscape could be?

Choosing viewpoints when photographing landscapes and people

Two years ago, photographer Steve McCurry heard the whispers. Due to the digital-photography revolution, Kodak was considering discontinuing one of the most legendary film stocks of all time: Kodachrome, a film which was to color slides what the saxophone was to jazz. McCurry spoke with Kodak’s worldwide-marketing wizard Audrey Jonckheer, hoping to persuade Kodak to bequeath him the very last roll that came off the assembly line in Rochester, New York. They readily agreed. And recently, McCurry—most famous for his National Geographic cover of an Afghan girl in a refugee, shot on Kodachrome—loaded his Nikon F6 with the 36-exposure spool and headed east, intending to concentrate on visual artists like himself, relying on his typical mix of portraiture, photojournalism, and street photography.

Herewith, presented for the first time in their entirety, are the frames from that historic final roll, which accompanied McCurry from the manufacturing plant in Rochester to McCurry’s home in Manhattan (where he is a member of the prestigious photo agency Magnum), to Bombay, Rajasthan, Bombay, Istanbul, London, and back to New York. (The camera was X-rayed twice at airports along the way.) McCurry’s final stop, on July 12, 2010: Dwayne’s Photo, in Parsons, Kansas—the only lab on Earth that still developed Kodachrome—which halted all such processing in late December.

What did he choose to shoot on the last frame of that last roll? A statue in a Parsons graveyard (in the section reserved for Civil War veterans), bearing flowers of the same yellow-and-red hue as the Kodak package. (See Frame 36.) “I saw a statue of this soldier, looking off in the distance,” says McCurry, age 60, “and he’s kind of looking off into the future or the past. I figure, This is perfect. A cemetery. Kodachrome—this is the end of this sort of film—[suggesting] the transience of life. This is something that’s disappearing forever.”

And what, pray tell, will McCurry miss most about his old trusty chrome? (He happens to have shot, at last count, 800,000 Kodachrome frames over the past four decades.) “I’ve been shooting digital for years,” he insists, “but I don’t think you can make a better photograph under certain conditions than you can with Kodachrome. If you have good light and you’re at a fairly high shutter speed, it’s going to be a brilliant color photograph. It had a great color palette. It wasn’t too garish. Some films are like you’re on a drug or something. Velvia made everything so saturated and wildly over-the-top, too electric. Kodachrome had more poetry in it, a softness, an elegance. With digital photography, you gain many benefits [but] you have to put in post-production. [With Kodachrome,] you take it out of the box and the pictures are already brilliant.”

Never more, alas. Unless, of course, some chemist some day comes up with a way to replicate the complex, expensive developing process. Until then, McCurry is biding his time. “I have a few rolls of Kodachrome in the fridge,” he claims. “I’m just going to leave it there. My fridge would be kind of empty without them. If they ever revive Kodachrome like they did Polaroid, I’ll be poised and ready to go!”

View slideshow

1 – Introduction
Creating a portfolio of your work is one of the most important things you can accomplish as a photographer. Unfortunately, relatively few photographers create portfolios because they find the process daunting or think their work is not good enough to be included in a portfolio. Others squirm at the idea that they will have to review thousands of photographs taken over many years. Yet others do not know how to select photographs for a portfolio. Finally, there are those who believe that a portfolio cannot be created by themselves, that such an endeavor has to be conducted under the control of a museum or a gallery or needs to take place in the context of a retrospective of the artist’s work.

[...]

2 – What is a portfolio?
Let’s start by taking a look at what a portfolio really is. Portfolio comes from the French porte folio, meaning a page carrier. A folio is a large page, roughly the size of a single newspaper page. Porte means to carry. A porte folio, shortened to portfolio in English, is a device designed to carry loose pages. The first goal of the porte folio is to hold these pages together in a secure place so they do not get lost or damaged. For artists these pages are works of art on paper.

[...]

3 – Portfolios and Portfolios
In today’s digital age, a portfolio no longer needs to be printed. It can be created solely through digital means, either from scanned or digital photographs which have been color corrected and optimized, then presented a platform independent format such as PDF or jpeg.

[...]

4 – Goal and Purpose
It is important to consider your goal and your purpose before creating a portfolio. Doing so will make the process a lot easier.

[...]

5 – Audience
You also need to consider the audience to whom you will show your portfolio.

An audience does not necessarily consist of a large group of people. Some of us have small audiences, consisting of only a few persons, while some of us have large audiences, consisting of thousands or millions of people. However, regardless of the size of your audience, you do have to consider the relationship between your work and your audience.

[...]

6 – Portfolios are not necessary aimed at showcasing a photographer’s best work

[...]

there seems to be a myth that goes something like this:

A portfolio can only show the best work a photographer ever created.

The problem with this belief is three-fold:

• First, it is difficult to know what our very best work is. As artists we are understandably biased about our work, making such a selection challenging to say the least.
• Second, it is difficult to tell whether or not we have enough excellent work to put together a “best work” portfolio.
• Third, many photographers find the concept of a “best work ever” portfolio both pretentious and intimidating. As a result they postpone creating a portfolio of their work preferring to wait until their photography “gets better.”

[...]

7 – The contents of a portfolio
Photographs are only part of the total content of a portfolio. After all, this is your opportunity to express yourself in ways other than with photographs. It is your opportunity to write, to talk about what you do, to explain why and how your images were created.

[...]

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