Working With Visual Chaos
While it is true that I usually strive for the most graphically simplified image possible, there is a caveat here- such an outcome is not always possible. The world that surrounds us is a chaotic disorganized place with little if any concern for our stylistic preferences. What " graphically simplified" means can vary widely from genre to genre. When we are dealing with moveable subjects, people and/or things, we can decide to either shoot on location or the studio. In the studio, we have a high degree of graphic control based upon our choice of background, support props, wardrobe and lighting. Graphically, shooting with little or no context in the studio allows for the illusion of a less than chaotic universe. However, as I primarily work from a conceptual framework, from assignment to assignment, and project to project, creative decisions can vary widely especially related to context or lack thereof.
While people based work and still life usually allow us the option of the graphic simplicity discussed in the last blog, this is not the case when doing highly detailed macrophotography, or photographing in an environment. In these situations we are trapped by the actual appearance and complexities of our subject. To clearly make this point, I want to return to the Nori photo we looked at in an earlier blog, and opens up the slideshow sequence on my website. This still life of two pieces of the dried seaweed is an acutely simplified graphic image driven by under lighting of the subject to emphasize the visual complexities within each piece of Nori. The compositional decisions in the photo are primarily driven by the rectangular shape of the subject. If we were to zoom into either of our pieces of dried seaweed, we would be left in a highly chaotic place where there is a good chance we could not even begin to create an affective macro photo of our subject. This happens far more commonly than most photographers would like to admit. This pairing of images above starts to indicate that how we might approach creating an affective detail photo may require a very different strategy than how we approach creating a simplified still life image.
What we are actually discussing here is a complex "fill in the blanks" problem driven by tonality, texture, form, contrast and lighting. In the still life version of the Nori, we essentially have two rectangles surrounded by symmetric negative space. The detail version above lacks almost any sense of visual organization, and feels like a refugee from an episode of a CSI episode on TV at 3AM in the morning. Accordingly, the question we are grappling with here, is how do we create compelling photos of chaotic spaces independent of their actual size?
Above is the chapter page for the MACRO section of my website, and one thing we see across all the images is a high level of visual detail. There is no negative space to be found here. Once you go inside the internal geometry of a subject, there is little visual relief.
However if we look at these images closely, there is a visual internal logic to all of them based upon the use of the rule of thirds, and subtle soft side lighting to emphasize geometries and textures that go unseen in totally flat lighting. In this sort of visual environment, the
goal is to either find the geometry, or create it by how the subject is lit and/or arranged. As I am originally trained as a biologist, I tend to think of macro photography as a kind of stylized version of a microscopic slide photo with a higher depth of field, and data disrupting lighting.
At the opening of this blog above is a landscape photo that also addresses these issues in a scaled up situation. Intentionally, I have selected an image here that is a textbook example of how one begins to use the internal geometries of a situation to create an affective photo that is informationally dense. The crux of this photo is based upon two key elements; repetition of relatively parallel lines, and the fact that the upper and lower halves of the photo are comprised of differing types of sandstone that have their own unique coloration. In this way, a complex visual situation can pivot off of two geometric blocks that are slightly offset by an extinct earthquake fault acting as the horizon line in the photo. Please note, this photo makes the whole process look easier than it actually is, but over time you will begin to see these type of geometries inside of situations that initially appear to be chaotic and non photographic.
