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Lesson in Colour: The power of Yellow

techniques

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Lesson in Colour: The power of Yellow

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“How lovely yellow is! It stands for the sun.” Vincent Van Gogh

Hello friends, 

How are you? 

I hope life is good and you are happy and well wherever you are. 

Today I want to dive into a lesson all about colour. I have already done articles on the colours purple and blue and one exploring many different colours.

I love to photograph colour, and am always ready to let colour take centre stage in my images. 

Because, and I repeat these quotes a lot, because I couldn’t say it better:

“Color is joy. One does not think joy. One is carried by it.” Photographer, Ernst Haas

&

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” Painter, Georgia O’Keeffe.

Even if colour doesn’t capture your imagination in the same way it does for me – because we live in a world awash with colour, you need to be able to work with the impact that it creates, and the power that it has, so that you can master using it in your compositions.

Just a splash of yellow in this photo – but doesn’t it make a huge impact?

You don’t want your photos to be hijacked by unintentional forces – and this is what colour that you haven’t fully considered, can do to your photos.

A splash of red can distract the eye, a dark grey sky can create a feeling of foreboding on a joyful subject and just the merest hint of green could create imbalance in an image. 

We want to be intentional about everything we are placing in the frame, therefore developing an awareness of colour is vital, so that we can be in control of our compositions. 

I like to think sometimes that we are just working with shapes and forms in different colours. It can make thinking about composition much easier. 

Even though Claude Monet is talking about painting here, this totally applies to photography:

“Try to forget what objects you have before you – a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, ‘Here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow,’ and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you your own impression of the scene before you”. 

We create the photos. We place all the elements that we want in the frame. 

Everything is intentional, and colour is really good to focus on because it’s one of the easiest compositional tools to become aware of and start working with. 

Today I want to explore a colour that is often associated with the feeling of joy, happiness, brightness, positivity. And that colour is of course YELLOW.

Now like everything in our universe, where there is light there is also dark. The ying and the yang. 

Yellow can also invoke feelings of decay, cowardice, fear, sickness and jealousy. 

But why do I talk about the feeling of colours? 

Because firstly – photography is all about feeling. Most photos don’t ignite any feeling because most of the photos we take are not good photos.

All excellent photos are made excellent because they create a feeling within the viewer. 

It could be any feeling – awe, joy, love, fear, apprehension, melancholy, desire etc. 

And this is because it doesn’t matter how great the photo is, your viewer will never remember it or take pleasure or interest in it if it feels meaningless, devoid of feeling.

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” Don McCullin

I always like to ask myself:

  • How do colours make me feel?
  • How do they affect the scene and my subject?

Yellow is a warm colour and sits next to orange and red on the colour wheel. 

It stimulates the nervous system and energises us (and painter Kandisky said that if colour were a sound it would be a joyous one) but if overused it can feel nauseating, tiring and be a strain on the eyes (rooms painted yellow are quite rare because of this fact.)

So let’s dive in and explore the different ways you can use yellow to create different feelings and messages in your photos. 

Bright yellow is very powerful, and grabs your attention, even the merest hint of it. It is bold, joyous, positive and uplifting. 

Bright yellow is used to attract attention. For example the combination of black writing on yellow is one of the easiest colour combinations for the eye to see on things like buses and signs.

It is also the colour of warning and danger. This is because it is the first colour that is seen with our eyes and that is why it is used as a warning all over the world.

What does this yellow say to you? What about the combination of bright colours? 

These splashes of yellow are so strong and vibrant, right? Bright yellow is such a dominating colour that you only need a few suggestions of it for it to really create a powerful feeling in your photos. 

For example, this photo below is very busy – but look how how striking the yellow elements are:

How about the yellow in this photo I shot in Morocco – how does it interact with the other colours?

To me the line of yellow is so bright and happy it connects with the smiling boys, and contrasts with the more sombre face of the woman.

Look at the photo below. Even though this is also a bright yellow, how do the textures of the street affect how you think about the colour?

Now to Istanbul and its famous tulips. To me this bright yellow is a burst of joy against the dull light and the grey wall. It says to me, the beauty of nature is amazing, even on the greyest, saddest of days:

Now, how about this – yellow is playing a big role in the photo – as a contrast to all the blue – and blue and yellow are complementary colours (opposites). Doesn’t the yellow here feel a little melancholy?

Let’s jump over to Cuba now. I love to place people against bold, simple and colourful backgrounds. Especially when you can contrast the colour of the outfit with the wall:

The yellow in the photo above is not as bright, and to me not a joyful feeling at all. What does it make you think of?

This photo below is one of my favourite images, and it takes on that more melancholic- decay feeling that yellow can imbue that I mentioned earlier. 

Do you think it’s the fact that it is tape on the street or the shade of yellow that creates that feeling – or maybe both? 

Now to the glorious glow of sunlight on the sea below. It’s so rich and golden. It has such a different feeling to the bright yellow, no? 

To me this golden yellow feels so opulent. It’s like summer in one colour. You can feel the radiance of the sun, its heat and almost feel this rich light on your skin. 

Now, how about the yellow glow of this street light, a totally different feeling, right? You can feel the atmosphere it creates in the early morning.

So that finished up my mini-study about the colour yellow.

Did this help you think about the role colour plays in your compositions? I would love to know – please share your thoughts in the comments below. 

Some updates from me: 

Become a Premier Member of Light Monkeys 

Vietnamese man meditating in mud

I am having so much fun in our new Membership program. We are about to migrate the Membership to a very cool new platform – the platform we picked initially has turned out not to be as dynamic as we wanted it to be. 

To celebrate building the most wicked new site for Light Monkeys and making our Photo Community the most amazing ever – we are opening up a new tier of membership. 

The next 30 people who join can join as Premier Members (with their own cool badges!). 

And you get a big discount on membership – 20% – so it comes down to $39 per month or $390 per year – Yippee! 

You get access to all the cool benefits the membership has to offer.

Including 

  • Live Classes
  • Live Q&A sessions 
  • Ever expanding library of courses 
  • Excellent Photo community 
  • Monthly Photo Challenges 
  • Monthly Critiquing
  • & 
  • More!

If you want to join us on this very fun journey of learning new skills + expanding your skills as visual artists – with me as your teacher and guide – email us on info@anthonyepes.com to get one of these new Premier Memberships. 

Join me in Andalucia Spain this October

We are super excited that we are now opening up to taking bookings for a couple of select workshops. 

We will be running two absolutely brilliant workshops in October workshop here in the incredible region of Andalucia. 

Capture the beauty, history and culture of Andalucía October 6th – 12th 2020

Join me for this photography workshop and creative retreat in Andalucia as summer turns to autumn. Capture the stunning nature and the mesmerising history and culture of this unique part of Spain.

Using Andalucia as your canvas, develop your personal artistic and creative vision with walks, demonstrations and lessons across this diverse region of ancient cities, beautiful mountain villages and the wild majesty of its coast. 

There are 3 spaces available for this workshop.

A few days after this workshop we will be running our first Digital Printing Workshop.

Digital Printing Workshop in Andalucia, Spain 

October 15th – 18th 2020

On this new workshop you will learn exactly what you need to make incredible digital prints – from me, a master printer!

Whether you are brand new to printing, or have already started on your journey and want to get better results – I will teach you my techniques to produce stunning prints of your photos.

I will simplify the printing process and you will leave this workshop with a toolbox of techniques and a portfolio of your images, beautifully printed by you! 

There are 2 spaces available for this workshop. 

If you want to book on to both workshops you’ll receive a 25% package discount. Hit reply to receive this package discount. 

Important notes for our upcoming workshops:

Given the uncertainty that is happening right now, here are the measures we are taking:

  • We are taking small deposits for each of these workshops of £197 
  • The balance for the workshop will be due 2 weeks before the workshop start date
  • All of the locations we are visiting and staying at will adhere to the government guidelines on COVID
  • If the workshop has to be cancelled or postponed we will be offer you the chance to join any of our other workshops 
  • Please purchase refundable flights – and travel insurance – to cover the other parts of the trip. 

If you have any questions about the workshops and the future measures please do hit reply. 

Have a really awesome day – and remember to email us on info@anthonyepes.com if you’d like one of my Premier Membership spots or have questions about our workshops in Spain!

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11 creative ideas from Henry Miller (to help you become a better photographer)

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Hey folks,

Today I want to bring you some very relevant and useful pieces of creative wisdom from the late, great writer Henry Miller.

In these days of 24 hour news, in these days of stress about the planet and politics, of uprisings and obstructions, of frustrations and injustices.

(And that’s before we’ve even thought about our own lives.)

It is important to not lose our minds to stress and overwhelm.

Photography, creativity, art can help.

I use my photography to revive my spirit as much as I use it to learn and notice and create.

I use my photography to show me what’s possible in the world, not what isn’t.

And I use my photography to guide me towards all that is beautiful and fascinating – to help my mind remember that the world isn’t just challenging.

I use photography to bring me exhilarating experiences so that I can remain connected to the good in the world.

Recently I was reading about the writer Henry Miller, and it struck me that some of his ideas were so relevant in our journey as photographers.

He wasn’t writing about photography – but about what it is to be human, a writer and a creative person.

But some of his ideas are so powerful that I think they will help you see your photography in a whole new way.

Let’s get started…

All the following quotes are from Henry Miller. 

“Strange as it may seem today to say, the aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. 

In this state of god-like awareness one sings; in this realm the world exists as a poem. No why or wherefore, no direction, no goal, no striving, no evolving.”

This is everything we need as photographers – being in a state of awareness. Not lost at sea in our minds, but here. Living. Paying attention to this life that we’ve been given.

And we can take that awareness to incredible heights. We can drink madly on the beauty of the world, we can deeply relish the gift of life.

With our photography we can set our minds (and our lives free) as we have no end point to focus on. No goal to reach. Nothing to achieve.

Being in a state of awareness is enough.

“For the artist there is nothing but the present, the eternal here and now, the expanding infinite moment which is flame and song.”

Isn’t this beautiful? To think that within the present moment, within our attention, there lives every element that we need for our photography, for our creative spirit to be nourished.

“[The artist] opens himself to all influences — everything nourishes him. Everything is gravy to him, including what he does not understand — particularly what he does not understand.”

There is fodder for our photos everywhere we go, everything we are and everything we do.

Be open, notice, look, see and be curious.

Look at light on your walk to the shop. Examine the textures of the food as you are putting things away in your kitchen. Notice the nighttime sounds in the world outside as you lay in bed waiting for sleep.

It’s not just an image based world we need to notice as photographers – fine tune all of your senses.

“One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things.”

Our day to day contains so many rich opportunities for photography that we just don’t see.

Always challenge yourself to see more.

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”

I love this, and use this idea all the time in my photography – to pay close attention to not just the obviously interesting – but to all of the things that we often ignore – the textures of walls, the lines of rubbish by the river, the mossy graffitied walls. Reality comes in different scales, from the micro to the grand.

Include everything in your curiosity.

“Everything we shut our eyes to, everything we run away from, everything we deny, denigrate or despise, serves to defeat us in the end. What seems nasty, painful, evil, can become a source of beauty, joy, and strength, if faced with an open mind. 

Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.”

The world is full of the full spectrum of experience. We can as photographers, as artists, use it all.

Every single moment holds something for us if we decide to choose to see the world as a series of ‘golden moments.’

“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without the benefit of experience”

To learn is to experience that discomfort of not knowing. To have a new experience you first have to step into the unknown. Discomfort is part and parcel of growth.

“Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music – the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself.” 

I don’t wake up every day inspired. Far from it. We don’t all have to be bundles of enthusiasm and excitement for life in order to create.

This is when I use my awareness to discover things that will pull me out of whatever mood I find myself in. I look for inspiration, I awaken my passions and curiosity by noticing the beauty of the rain, not just the inconvenience of it. Or the strange beauty of a steely grey sky, not the bleakness it creates.

“Every day we slaughter our finest impulses. That is why we get a heartache when we read those lines written by the hand of a master and recognise them as our own, as the tender shoots which we stifled because we lacked the faith to believe in our own power, our own criterion of truth and beauty. 

Every man, when he gets quiet, when he becomes desperately honest with himself, is capable of uttering profound truths. We all derive from the same source. there is no mystery about the origin of things. 

We are all part of creation, all kings, all poets, all musicians; we have only to open up, only to discover what is already there.” 

If you are moved by art, photography, music – anything creative, then you have the soul of an artist.

We can all be artists. It’s just that simple.

I think there is this idea that only certain people can be artists, that we have to be born that way (and stay that way) and if we aren’t artistic now, then we won’t be ever.

I have worked with hundreds of people who have said they aren’t creative, and so I know, and you can therefore trust me on this, that every single person on this planet is creative.

Everyone has the capability to dig into that inner creative spirit, that well of creative ideas.

It’s not something that is only gifted to people who are professional artists.

If we want to connect with our inner artist – we can. The only thing we have to do is believe that we can.

“No matter what you touch and you wish to know about, you end up in a sea of mystery. 

You see there’s no beginning or end, you can go back as far as you want, forward as far as you want, but you never got to it, it’s like the essence, it’s that right, it remains. 

This is the greatest damn thing about the universe. That we can know so much, recognise so much, dissect, do everything, and we can’t grasp it.”

I love that photography is a place in our lives where things don’t have to make sense. That we can use it to explore the mysteries of the universe.

Exploring the mystery of the world is the most exciting part of my life.

“It is the creative nature of man which has refused to let him lapse back into that unconscious unity with life which characterises the animal world from which he made his escape.”

Sometimes all the things going on in the world – and our lives – can make us want to retreat into that animal like unconscious. I know I feel that way sometimes – but look at this wondrous mind, our perception and then gifts we have been given.

Let us use them.

Let us use them to connect ourselves to the world, and to share beauty, wonder and curiosity with the world.

So – there are 11 ideas, that are overlapping in many ways, but so relevant I think to our journeys.

I hope you enjoyed them – and would love to hear what you thought – let us know in the comments!

Have a great day,

Anthony and Diana

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Seven inspiring ideas for your creativity

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I spend a lot of time shooting at dawn. I have created several projects around the cities at dawn theme. I love the light, the emptiness and the serenity of the hours around sunrise.

People often say to me about my dawn escapades – Oh I could never do that. I’m too much of a night owl! Or I really really need my sleep. I could never get up before dawn!

What I know about myself is that I am both of these things – a night owl who intensely dislikes going to bed. And a cat-like person who relishes sleep like, well, a cat.

But what I also know is that all of this, and most of what I am, is habit. And habit can be broken if you want something enough.

“As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge” Henry van Dyke

Did you know that something like 70-80% of the thoughts you will have today you also had yesterday? How crazy is that? And that 95% of who you are – your habits, beliefs, personality etc. is set by the age of 35 (unless you make an effort to change). That’s even crazier than crazy. That’s plain scary.

But.

And this is a big but. Science has discovered recently that actually your mind has the ability to totally reinvent itself – if you so desire.

And the reason I LOVE this idea is that we find out how it can affect us creatively. So I thought it would be cool to tell you some of the ideas that have totally blown my mind and inspired me (and none of them are about photography directly. But you can find inspiration anywhere.)

Remember – we don’t have to buy into our ideas about ourselves which limit our creativity.

So here are some ideas that are all about unleashing the creativity that’s deep inside us:

1. Life is long (if you know how to use it)

“The part of life we really live is small. For all the rest of existence is not life, but merely time.”

Seneca’s essay ‘On the Shortness of Life: Life is Long if You Know How to Use it’ is fascinating.

The concept is in the title, but you can also read the text which offers up more wisdom. Tim Ferriss has the full text on his website, and very helpfully he has also bolded out certain bits of the text if you only have a few minutes and want a quick read.

2. Curate your own life

There is nothing like one of Jason’s Silva’s shot in the arm two-minute videos to electrify you with inspiration. This talk I particularly love because he talks about how you don’t have to let life happen to you – you can instead curate your own life exactly how you want it to be.

3. Your mind is made of playdoh (well, almost)

When I grew up, the prevailing scientific thought was that our brain was fixed at a certain age and brains couldn’t be repaired or changed. That theory has now been blown to pieces and the concept of neuroplasticity is now gaining widespread acceptance.

“New research shows many aspects of the brain remain changeable (or “plastic”) even into adulthood.” Wikipedia

That is an amazing thought. So instead of being hardwired and unchangeable, our brains can still develop new neural pathways, we can still change how we think and what we believe, we can still learn new things – all the way into old age.

Lucky us right?

Have a look at this article, highly interesting stuff!: Neuroplasticity: You Can Teach An Old Brain New Tricks.


4. Start from where you are

A little while ago we received a comment on our site which to me was very touching:

“I had put away my camera 2 years ago because of my own pressure to achieve great pictures. With all the technology that’s to hand now I often feel over saturated with images, and don’t think that my photos are any good.”

And it made me realise that so many people get stuck (including me) because we get overwhelmed and our expectations of ourselves are not high enough to overcome them (or we get stuck in perfectionism, which if it has you in its embrace is a crushing vice to creativity).

To counter this, as well as to help you jet-fuel your search for your own passion, I fully advocate the ideas of Sir Ken Robinson, who is a very funny, brilliant guy and his talks about education are awe-inspiring (and changed the trajectory of my family’s life). He has a brilliant talk about passion aimed at all ages.

“Do you have the courage? Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that hidden inside you are hoping you will say yes.” – Jack Gilbert quoted in Big Magic a great book about ‘creative living beyond fear’.

5. What fear does to your life when you avoid doing what you want

Ok, I am slightly going to step into the morbid here, only to inspire you though, promise! This article about the book – The Five Top Regrets of the Dying – is incredibly moving. But it also clarifies how much we need to pay attention to the time we have on this earth – relishing, enjoying and experiencing as much as we can. Carpe Diem! When I’m getting weighed down with irritation about stupid, irrelevant stuff I read this.

On a lighter note, this article about John Gardner’s book ‘Self-Renewal’, on the chronically interesting site Brainpickings about What Children Can Teach Us About Risk, Failure, and Personal Growth – is super inspiring. We could all learn a lot from kids about being brave with our creativity (as I do daily with my kids).

6. We are all creative geniuses

For a long time most cultures (and some still do believe this) believed that creativity and genius came not from you but some other source (god, your subconscious, your higher self, the universe etc.) I like this theory because it takes the pressure off, doesn’t it?

So the theory works like this – all you need to do is get out of the way and allow this force that’s within you to do the creating. Awesome huh? Elizabeth Gilbert did a cool Ted talk on this.


7. And I will leave you with something both funny and beautiful

This is not directly related to creativity, but it is a wonderful, funny and powerful short film. Anything that can spread joy and put you in a good mood is always good for your creative juices right!?

It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen all year. Please watch it, it’s only 7 minutes long: Merci.

So – the guy in the video is a bodhisattva and he uses the power that is within all of us to affect everyone around him. It wasn’t magic, he realised his innate power, a power that everyone has, and brought joy to people’s lives.

I will leave you there. I hope those are some cool ideas for you. I would LOVE to know what you think – and if you have some mind-blowing inspiring ideas of your own.

Let us know below.

Anthony & Diana

Hong Kong lights

My most controversial photography article – ever

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Hey everyone,

I hope you are all having a great week and life is good. Di and I sometimes write for Digital Photography School, a fantastic photo website that runs tons of articles about different aspects of photography.

Last month I wrote an article for them that has turned out to be the most controversial article I’ve ever written. What was the subject, you may ask?

Shooting on manual.

Specifically, it’s a simple introduction on how to shoot on manual.

Some people seem to get pretty upset about the suggestion that I advocate shooting on manual.

“bla bla bla bla bla. Shooting in M mode does not improve your picture at all.” Capixaba

I believe that shooting on manual is more than just exposure – it’s about learning the Craft of Photography. To me, an artist knows their tools like they knows their limbs.

I would love to know what you think – do you agree? Or totally disagree?

Or maybe you are just struggling to learn manual and it’s making you frustrated? Should you keep going?

Please read the article on Digital Photography School – and share your thoughts with me here on my blog.

I would love to know your thoughts!

Have a fantastic week,

Anthony and Diana

Priest by wall, Havana Cuba

5 advanced composition techniques

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Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing very well today. I hope too that you enjoyed my last article – My Ultimate Guide to Travel Photography. I got some great feedback, so I hope you have found it useful.

Today I have another in-depth article for you – all about advanced composition techniques. These are all ideas and techniques that I haven’t written about before. I think you’ll find them both simple and powerful to use when you’re out and about taking photos.

At the bottom of the article you’ll also find links to in-depth articles I’ve written about other compositional techniques. So all in all, this is another jam-packed post.

So let’s get started.

 

  • Negative space

 

I love this technique. The aim is to place your subject on an unobtrusive background of space or colour. This ‘negative space’ will help define the shape of your subject. This makes your subject stand out, or ‘pop’ out of the image.

One thing I see a lot when looking at people’s images is that they place their subject on a busy background, especially when photographing people, and this can be where negative space is good alternative.  

You can use depth of field (DoF) to separate your subject from the background but it does give a more different feel to the image than negative space would.

I look for more negative space when I’m shooting with lots of DoF. This brings about that separation I want between my subject and its background, very useful especially when using a wider lens.

Using the technique of negative space is a great way to create this depth in a photo.

Look:

This photo above is an easy way to see the power of negative space. The plain background and the colours are very powerful, and they really help to define the shape of the subject.

In this image there is some space around the main subject, the tree, but the space isn’t clear or blank – you have the trees in the background emerging from the mist. But the effect of negative space is still there, as the mist surrounding the tree really defines its shape.

Now, my last example is also not so obvious as the subject is filling the frame. But it is negative space because the colour and space behind the tree, and the men in the tree, are defining the subject itself. Without that deep colour and space you wouldn’t be able to see either the complexity of the shapes of the branches or the two men.

The negative space here makes the subject really pop!

  1. Dynamic triangles

Now, I never go out thinking I’m going to go shoot me some ‘dynamic triangles’, but looking in my archives I seem to have lots and lots of them.  This makes me think that they are fairly easy to see and I like the way they bring lots of energy to an image.  

Dynamic triangles are kin to leading lines – sharing a vanishing point like in the image above. So for high energy and perspective control they are a great technique to use for just about any genre of photography.

  1. Golden Triangle

I read about these a while back and have been looking for examples in my archives to show you.

What we are doing here is again breaking the image down into triangles but with a very specific spacing.  The overlay on the next two images show the Golden Triangles at work.  At first you may not see it all and are looking for triangles as such but it is more about direction and how the viewer is influenced.

The photo above has a few very powerful leading lines and the viewer is led by them in specific paths through the image. See how you are brought from one section (triangle) into another. That’s Golden Triangles at work.

I like this example better because it is dealing mostly with the emotive feeling of how the triangles are working.  Do you see how the narrative is displayed by sections? The left triangle is leading out. The top one is leading into the right triangle.  And the bottom triangle is the bond holding it all together. Pretty cool stuff I think!

  1. Simplicity

“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” Frederic Chopin

I’ve talked before about how important it is to reduce the number of elements in a frame, because the more you have the more your eye is darting around looking at things, and the less impact your subject will then have.

Everything in your frame has to be there for a reason. It has to have a purpose, contributing to the overall image (check those corners!).

Simplicity is a great technique to think about for your images, because it will help you create images with more impact. It will train you to remove things that you don’t need and get you moving your feet and thinking about if you have the correct lens.

Simplicity, I think ,has the effect of provoking ideas of purity, or beauty or clarity. It’s very pleasing to the eye. Simplicity is creating order out of chaos.

Plus – sometimes we just want to celebrate our subjects. That’s where the aesthetic appeal of simplicity comes in. Remember – complexity is very easy, just look anywhere you are right now – simplicity takes thought and effort.  Weird huh…seems counterintuitive.

In the photo above we have a total simplicity of colour. Of course the colour is beautiful, but can you see that it brings the photo together, and creates an order to the simplicity?

It’s the fact that the colours are in aesthetically pleasing bands of colour. The lines going across the photo of colours fit in a sort of ‘rule of thirds’ type of style too.

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Albert Einstein

Now, the image below is also one in the theme of simplicity. I love finding shapes around me. In a busy city like London, where there are so many contrasting buildings it can be really helpful to think – I am going out to see shapes, not just photograph the city.  

I don’t usually like shooting up at things like balconies on buildings or buildings in general because of the converging lines and horrible perspective. But sometimes it works and it works because you make it simple and plain. Plain. Not boring.

I liked this building above for the perfect creation of shapes (and shapes within shapes! Look at all those neat little oblongs within the triangle-like shapes). I have shot this building probably 20, maybe even 50?!, times, and it is always better with a bit of cloud.

I recommend focusing on simplicity if you find your photos end up being too busy looking and you find it hard to create impact for your subject.

  1. Subject relationship

I’ve talked about building relationships between elements a few times.  I think it’s worth mentioning again as it is so important in creating a narrative when subjects can’t speak for themselves to tell you what and where they are – that’s essentially what ‘subject relationship’ is all about.

When thinking of subject relationships in your photography you will find yourself using other techniques to make it work: rule of 3rds, leading lines, negative/positive space are all key ones that help build these relations. The image above is about a place. London. There are just two key elements that are giving you the information you need to know about the where of it.  

There is nothing else (simplicity) to distract you from the fact of where you are – rule of 3rds creates the tension between the primary and secondary elements.  Overall a great shot – made the cover of my book 🙂

 

Here again is a combination of composition techniques that create a narrative and guide the eye. This time it’s dynamic leading lines that start the eye’s journey into the image – you go past the top worker in the negative space (easy to see!) and down into the image where you spot the second cleaner.  

Using the rule of 3rds helps the emphasis on position (relation) to each other. The top cleaner in the power apex of intersecting lines (Ro3’s) and the horizontal line somewhat implied on the bottom 3rd, leading the eye back to the centre. It’s not a simple image but the successful use of a few tools make it work.

Now I really hope you liked those interesting techniques, and you will find them useful to add to your toolbox.

Here are some links to more in-depth articles that Di and I have written about composition techniques

  • Thinking in Threes – Three is a magical number for the eye, it’s very pleasing. In this post I go into a very, very simple but powerful compositional technique I developed that is simple to understand and you can use straight away.
  • Shoot the third thing – a concept I developed to help you eliminate the obvious shot
  • Natural Framing – one of the traditional key compositional techniques, I love using this technique in a fairly subtle way. It’s not a technique to use often as it can make photos look very staged and hokey (in my opinion), but when it’s the right technique it’s wonderful.
  • Reflections – not a technique as such but a great subject to use in your photos, that I almost use as a technique
  • Rule of Thirds – in my article for Digital Photography School I explore one of the most well known composition techniques.
  • Juxtaposition – in this post I use the subject of London to explore how juxtaposition can be an excellent compositional tool.   
  • Take better photos by breaking the world down into elements – taking photos is essentially about organising the elements of the world into interesting photos. Here I help you understand how to do this.
  • Photographing Colour – not a traditional technique, but colour can be an amazingly powerful subject as well as being used to create mood, enhance your subject etc.
  • Leading lines – another of the key traditional compositional techniques, probably my favourite one.

That’s it for today! I’d love to know what you think. Do you use any of these composition techniques? Do you have a favourite? Let us know by commenting below. 

Have a fantastic day and happy photographing,

Anthony (photos + words) and Diana (words)

 

leaving-london-to-travel-the-world-anthony-epes-11

Free Photography Masterclass: Light and the Art of Seeing / 13th August at 8pm

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To sign up for my free Photography Masterclass on August 13th at 8pm BST – click here.

Hey folks,

I hope you are all doing very well and having a great summer. I have been really getting into teaching live online classes this past year and I have to say, I’m loving it.

I was so nervous at first, and it took me a while to not get freaked out by talking to what I felt was a black hole of empty internet.

Gradually, though, I’ve figured out how to engage with groups in my live webinars and classes, so they have a similar feel to my in-person classes. In fact this is why so far I haven’t done any pre-recorded classes. I am loving the live element so much.

I don’t like talking at people for hours, so working out how to engage people as a group online has been amazing. I love that feeling of back-and-forth in teaching. The discussion, the questions, the contrasting thoughts. That is what makes it so fun and what helps people learn so much.

One of my plans as I travel around the world is to keep teaching online wherever I am — so that I can bring learning and knowledge from the beaches of Sri Lanka, the jungle of Mexico and the misty hills of Kerala.

 

I want to bring you on my world adventure too! Plus share all the cool new things I learn along the way (learning never stops, people! Arrival is the death of inspiration, said my favourite photographer Ernst Haas).

Before I head off to my first stop of Arles and the French Riviera, I will be running a free Photography Masterclass on August 13th at 8pm BST. I will be talking about my two favourite subjects — Light and the Art of Seeing (although really they are one subject to me, which I will weave together), I’d love for you to join me!

When I take photos I am always photographing light. You might think it’s a photo of a chicken but, no, I am focusing on how the light falls onto the wings of the chicken through the barn doors, creating a beautiful pattern on the floor and enhancing the reddishness of the feathers of the bird. OK, I don’t have a photo of a chicken like that but you get the idea, right?

I love light! I focus on light almost exclusively — you could say that the cities, the people, the textures I photograph are mere light receptacles for me. Ways to show the myriad of wonderful things that light does.

 

I love what light does to the world! I love that it changes how everything looks and feels. Think of your garden on a day when the light is grey and flat — and how that looks and feels to you. Now think of when the light in your garden is warm and sunny. The garden feels totally different, doesn’t it — all because of the light.

That’s what I love about light — it communicates so much feeling, as well as just being beautiful, intriguing and interesting.

“Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” George Eastman

So in this free Photography Masterclass I will be discussing this fascinating subject — and give you some awesome tips about how to capture the many moods and feeling of light.

I also want to discuss the art of seeing! Another favourite subject of mine.

 

If you read my blog regularly, you will have seen that I write about how we what see is a very, very limited amount of visual information to what is actually out there. Our brains purposely filter what we notice, because otherwise we would become too overwhelmed with visual information.

Therefore you are only noticing a tiny portion of what’s out there.

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” Jonathan Swift

This is perfectly illustrated by a conversation I had with Di this morning.

Have you ever noticed that giant luminous green statue at the entrance of the park? She asked me.

Errr, yes, why?

Because I only noticed it this morning! I thought it was new but was told it had always been there. How weird!

This is at a tiny park near our house that my wife goes to every single day. I was a little surprised by this, but it shows that we often see less in our familiar surroundings because we are so used to them.

 

Now, this point illustrated in another way. This is a conversation Di and I have (apparently) all the time.

Me — calling from the kitchen — Di, have we run out of cheese?

Her — No, it’s in the fridge.

Me — I’m staring at the fridge and there is no cheese.

Her — It’s there, Tony! I just saw it, it’s on the middle shelf.

Me — It’s not Di!

By which time she will have got so annoyed that she has come down, immediately found the cheese (which was right there on the middle shelf! Who knew!) and given it to me in a huff. What can I say? We all have weaknesses 🙂

 

So what we are doing all the time in photography is learning how develop our abilities to see more in our surroundings — to go against that helpful brain and stop it from cutting out so much interesting visual data.

I will be offering my essential tips on how to develop your ability to see more of what’s around you — and how to discover those magical gems of subjects and elements so you can build them into incredible images.

Obviously I can’t help you in the art of finding things in a fridge, still something I’m terrible at, but finding great subjects for your photos — yes! I’m your guy!

I’ll also be spending some time answering your burning questions about these subjects — and I love this part because I get to talk to you and help you with what is really bugging you.

 

This will be a jam-packed session full of tonnes of useful and, dare I say, inspiring knowledge. You know why I do dare say that, because look at the review I just got from someone who took an online class from me last year:

“Although being a professional photographer for many many years, Anthony has still the fire and curiosity of somebody detecting the fascination of photography the very first time. Anthony’s still strong enthusiasm and curiosity and his ability to transmit his enthusiasm to the workshop participants is what impressed me most.”

Thank you Ivan!

Now — I have limited spots for this webinar — so sign up here.

To sign up for my free Photography Masterclass on August 13th at 8pm BST – click here.

(BST = British Standard Time, time converter here)

Can’t wait to speak to you then. In the meantime I am always here to help / advise / feedback. Just comment below!

Plus — please do share this with anyone you know who might love to join in! Word of mouth is great promotion for me, thanks 🙂

Happy photographing,

Anthony