Janet Worne - Thoughtful Photography

Workshops

I am now teaching workshops at the Albuquerque Photographers' Gallery and so far, it has been going very well. My first, Personal Vision: Taking Control of the Creative Process", was held on September 12th. It was sold out and everyone seemed interested and engaged.

I've just scheduled my second workshop for Wednesday, November 7th, 2012:

“People Photography: A Photojournalist’s Approach”

Ever wonder how some news photographers are able to photograph people in a way that looks natural and captures their personality? The ability to approach strangers, to connect with them quickly on an emotional level and come away with a revealing photograph, is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. But it can be learned. 

“People Photography: A Photojournalist’s Approach” draws on the instructor’s nearly thirty years ofphotojournalism experience to give participants insight on how to create meaningful photographs that show emotion and tell a story. Learn how to connect with and relax your subject, how to use environment to make a more telling portrait, how to capture genuine moments as they happen, and how to use available light to your advantage. This is not traditional studio portraiture. 

This two-hour class is geared toward advanced beginning to intermediate photographers, or those at any level who are looking for a little extra inspiration. You may bring one or two of your own photos (either a print or jpeg on a flash drive) for critique, depending on available time at the end of the class.

For more information check out the APG website, or email me. You can also check out my work at www.janetworne.com

*Janet Worne has been a professional photographer for more than 30 years, most of that time as a photojournalist. While working for newspapers in three states, she has covered a wide variety of subjects, including sports, news, features, and art. She has won numerous awards from ANMPAS, Associated Press and the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), among others. Some of her work is in the permanent collection at The National Museum for Women in the Arts in DC. She has taught college level photojournalism and served as a mentor for NPPA. Janet currently lives in New Mexico, pursuing fine art photography.

 

Living With Photography

You have acquired a stunning collection of photographs. Now what? There is nothing more paralyzing than facing that blank wall and wondering how to begin. The good news is that there are a few guidelines and suggestions that will help you make that commitment, hang the pictures and still keep the “Wow!” factor that drew you to the images in the first place.

Start by studying your collection and looking for patterns or themes. Are they mostly Black & White? Do you prefer color landscapes? Or is it an eclectic mix? How about your room décor? Is it traditional and formal? Or do you lean toward casual and unstudied? You can choose an arrangement that complements the space.

If you have one large eye-popping image, your job is a little easier. But a small or medium sized photo can look lost on a large wall. Grouping a collection of photos can have more impact than dotting them around the room. Group photos by topic (architecture, landscapes, rusting cars, etc), style (black & white, color, dark and somber, etc), or by frames (black metal, brown wood, barn siding, etc). And sometimes the unifying theme is its diversity.

This process is highly personal and there are no right answers, only results that make you feel good. Here are a few tips to get you started:

-Use newspaper or brown craft paper cut in the size and shapes of your art and try out different arrangements by taping them on the wall. Or lay the artwork out on the floor to help you visualize the result.

-A grouping of photos works best with 2-3 inches between frames, you can tack strings on the wall using a level to keep a consistent space between photos.

-For a graphic, traditional look, arrange photos in a precise grid pattern:
-For a more informal look, organize a collection of random-sized photos along a unifying horizontal central line:

-Framed photos can be grouped on shelves.

-Step your photos above a stairway. Have the center points of the frames follow a line parallel to line of the stairs. They can be touching, frame-to-frame or spaced a couple inches apart: -Arrange smaller pictures around a large anchor picture.

-A row of photos hugging a chair rail emphasizes the architectural detail.

-Anchor your art to a large piece of furniture. As a general rule of thumb, a large grouping of pictures over a sofa should be about two-thirds of the width of the sofa and about 6 or 7 inches above the back.

-When not anchoring to furniture, hang at eye-level.

-But the most important thing to remember is; always follow your gut and break the rules when it feels right.

How To Find Story Ideas

These ideas are not new and you probably have heard them before but sometimes we all reach a dry spell where we need a little nudge. Something to get the creative juices flowing again. This list will get you started and you can take it from there.

1.    Read—newspapers, want ads, phone books—everything and anything. Even the smallest item can trigger a big idea.

2.    Cruise—drive around town without agenda. Venture into unfamiliar areas and just look with an open mind and see what you see.

3.    Talk with people—take the time to chat everywhere you go, especially on routine assignments. You’ll be surprised what people will tell you if you take the time to listen.

4.    Eavesdrop—in restaurants, while standing in line, everywhere…

5.    Listen to the scanner—not everything will be exciting enough to run right out to immediately, but it may trigger an idea to follow up on later.

6.    Keep a notepad with you all the time—it’s a cliché, I know, but I get many great ideas in the middle of the night or when I’m driving.

7.    Get involved in the community—you hear of many things while at church or club meetings.

8.    Network—make friends with police, firefighters, jailers, doctors—anyone who will keep you plugged in to what is going on in their world. Hand out your card and encourage them to call you if they hear of anything photo or story worthy.

A police friend called me at home to tell me about this mentally ill woman. She had been arrested 3 times in the past month alone for wandering into neighbor's homes looking for milk. The police were frustrated by outdated laws that required them to arrest the mentally ill instead of taking them directly to a mental hospital. Here the officer was trying to find someone to help her before finally cuffing her and taking her to jail.

9.    Steal ideas from old contest and other papers—I'm not talking about plagiarism, academic style. Just peruse other papers and magazines for ideas that can be recycled and changed enough to make them your own.

10.    Localize a national news story—the obvious thing is to watch the national news but don’t overlook publications like the Wall Street Journal which is known for spotting upcoming trends.

11.    Check the calendar—you can find “on this day in history” calendars online. Look far enough ahead and find an idea to work on and have ready for publication at the appropriate time.

12.    Make a tree—by this I mean brainstorm. Start with a universal theme like Love as the trunk of the tree. One branch might be Romantic Love, another might be Parental Love, etc. Smaller branches would break it down further and further until you come up with a more specific, usable idea.

13.    Newsletters—get yourself on lots of mailing lists. The junk you have to wade through is a pain but worth it when you find a good idea.

14.    Piggyback—many stories you may be working on have another life or two or possibly more. Check in with past story subjects and see if there is anything worth following up on.

Self-Promotion

Self-promotion is the most difficult part of being a freelance photographer for me and for many other freelance photographers I know. If you are not careful to guard against it, your work becomes a part of who you are, your essence--your soul, which in an artistic sense is not always a bad thing. But in the commercial world of freelance photography we all know how hard it is to lay that part of yourself open to the dreaded REJECTION. I'm still struggling with that issue.

In an earlier post I mentioned John Kaplan's book on portfolios; now here is a book I found helpful along the same vein called "Successful Self-Promotion for Photographers" by Elyse Weissberg. It deals with putting together a portfolio but is a little heavier on marketing. John's book touches on marketing but is much heavier on the portfolio side of it. The two books complement each other very well.

How To Put Together A Portfolio

This post is for all those young photographers out there who write to me for advice on putting together a portfolio. Come to think of it, photographers at any stage of their careers may have reason to put together a new portfolio, so this is for you too. A good friend of mine, John Kaplan, wrote this book packed with great suggestions. And John would know. He is a Pulitzer winning photographer and is now a professor at the University of Florida and all around great guy. I call him a good friend even though we touch base very infrequently. He's just one of those people I think fondly of. I met him when he worked at the now-defunct Pittsburgh Press. We had both interned at the Wilmington News-Journal, although not at the same time.

If you're looking for good advice on the subject, get this book, you can't go wrong with John Kaplan.

Creative Storytelling Tools

Here are a few storytelling suggestions for your photographs because as photojournalists that’s what we are—storytellers, right? But these are tools only. They are only valuable as a means to an end. The technique is not the point, the final result is the point. The viewer should notice the image and the message, not the technique.

1.    Vary the viewpoint—By using a worm’s eye or bird’s eye view you can emphasize different storytelling elements in your photo.
2.    Framing—Shooting through a window or branches on a tree will not only clean up a cluttered background, it will add visual interest and create a sense of isolation.
3.    Details—Zeroing in on small, poignant details can often say more about a subject than showing the whole scene. The detail above was taken in the Red River Gorge in a protected area. I thought it was ironic to find the word "Care" carved into the rock along with all the other graffiti.
4.    Symbolism—Try to find a detail or overall scene that evokes some powerful symbolism that can carry your message for you.
5.    Shadows—Shadows are a way of taking the subject and reducing it down to its basic black & white shape. No other extraneous details get in the way and we can concentrate on body language. Silhouettes fall into this category as well.
6.    Rule of Thirds Composition—You hear a lot about this and it sounds very Art School Stuffy. All it really means is don’t always put your subject in the very center of the frame and don’t always put the horizon line in the middle either. When you use that “Bull’s eye framing” it looks static and boring, so avoid it unless you are going for that look for effect. Putting the subject off-center tends to show a more dynamic personality.

These are just a few Photography 101 tips that can improve anybody’s pictures but what I’m really trying to emphasize here is that these are tools just like a fish-eye lens is a tool. You need to use them thoughtfully when the picture warrants it and not just because it would be “cool”. Remember, you are trying to say something with your image and you need to use the tools at your disposal much the way writers or anyone else uses their tools.

Visual Storytelling

As a mentor I am often asked about shooting stories. This is a skill that goes beyond just being able to shoot a great photograph. I have seen a collection of award-winning photographs that fall flat as a story. The key skill in storytelling is editing. I have jotted down a few thoughts about editing photo essays that may help you get started. These are not hard and fast rules, they are only meant to give you a place to start.

A good story should include:

VARIETY
--Visual variety. (close-up shots, wide shots, scene-setter shots, and telling details or very tight pictures)
--Story variety. (content should not be repetitive. Make sure each photo tells a different part of the story. If it doesn’t contribute something unique, throw it out.)

EMOTION
--Emotion elevates a story into one that people are drawn into and can relate to. (don't just show what something looks like, show what it feels like to be there)
--Try for interaction, little moments.

FOCUS
--Sometimes focusing on one person helps draw in readers and gives more of a feel for what is happening.
--Or you could focus on one theme or message.

STORYLINE
--A lead photo or one storytelling shot that introduces the topic.
--Several supporting photos that contribute to the story and move it along.
--A nice closer or ending. Sometimes it is a chronological thing, sometimes it's more of a mood shot.

BIG PICTURE
--Ask yourself what is the story really about? Go beyond your first answer. Is it about an Oysterman? Fine, ask again and keep asking until you get to the bigger issue. Is it about a job? A lifestyle? Passion? The disappearance of a way of life? In other words, each story is about something on a surface level but what is the underlying theme or struggle? This is a lot like writing fiction or screenplays because it IS a form of storytelling, although a photojournalist's stories should be truthful and accurate.

You can start with a shopping list of photos to look for but stay open to other things. When you get there, it may be totally different than you think it will be ahead of time. This list is only a starting point and should not stifle your spontaneous, on-the-spot creativity.

Pinhole Photography

Taking pictures with a pinhole camera is like peering through a small hole in a wall and finding yourself looking into the past. The resulting photos look as if they have been taken at least a hundred years ago, which makes sense considering Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to use the pinhole concept with his "Camera Obscura". The basic idea is that light travels through a tiny hole and casts an image, backwards and upside-down, onto the negative. Exposures range from 30 seconds to nearly 2 minutes depending on the size of the hole.

To make this historic camera you can use an oatmeal box painted black, inside and out.  The lens is a piece of aluminum pie plate pierced with a needle and taped over a 1.5 square inch hole in the side of the box.  I use black and white photographic paper as a negative, which is placed inside the box (in total darkness) to fit the curve of the wall opposite the lens.  The emulsion side faces the hole. It is this curve that gives the extreme wide-angle look to the pictures.  Use a heavy piece of black paper secured with rubber bands over the lens as your lens cap.  After setting the camera in position for the picture, with a rock on top to keep it steady, remove the lens cap for 30 seconds or so. You will need to try a few times to find the correct exposure.

Back in the darkroom, develop the paper negative in the normal manner (there are many good books that describe this process in detail) using black and white chemistry.  Sandwich this negative with another piece of paper (emulsion to emulsion with the negative on top) and shine a light through it to produce the positive, which then must be developed like the negative.  If done correctly the result is a photograph similar to the ones you see here. 

There you have it, cheap and easy photographic thrills.  Amateur photographers quite often ask me what kind of camera I use and how much it costs.  They are impressed with expensive gear.  I tell them it doesn't matter what equipment you use, a photographer can make a good picture with an oatmeal box.

I admit I still have a few bugs to work out here.  With a little refinement and experimentation I could clean up some of the extra lines and strange flares of light in these pictures.  But I kind of like them.  It adds a little of the old world feel that these images have.  And who's to say that the smudges of light in the cemetery picture are flaws in my lens and not civil war ghosts?

Summer Storms

We are in the middle of the summer storm period where the sky puts on a light show for us nearly every night. In the past week we have had rainbows over the Sandia Mountains five times. And last night Mother Nature turned on the electricity.
To get pictures of lightning strikes over Albuquerque I used a tripod and a slow shutter speed. Specifically, my settings were: 250 ISO at f 10, with a shutter speed of 5 seconds. I kept the ISO low to keep the digital noise down and the aperture stopped down so that I could shoot at a slower speed. I wanted the shutter open for 5 seconds to make it easier to catch the random strikes. Unfortunately, the storm was over the city instead of the mountain. The city lights are nice but lightning over the mountain might be a bit more dramatic. I'm sure I'll get plenty of chances to try again.

Photographing Fireworks

The Fourth of July is almost a week away. In anticipation of that holiday I thought I would recycle a story I wrote for the Herald-Leader which includes ideas contributed by my co-workers.

                                      *********

There are two classic images that have come to represent the Fourth of July: American flags and fireworks. Both stir up feelings of patriotism. Both are plentiful on the Fourth. Both figure prominently in our childhood memories. Only one is easy to photograph.

Flags are portable, can be photographed day or night and will hold still or wave at you, depending on the wind.

Fireworks are another matter. Even professional photographers have some trouble getting good fireworks pictures. It takes patience, perseverance and a little experimentation.

What follows here are a few guidelines to get you started. Remember, these are only starting points. Try a variety of exposures and angles and see what works best for your camera and situation. Many of the suggestions here will only make sense to photographers with a basic understanding of how a camera works. But I’ve tried to include a few suggestions for those with no background knowledge as well.

Camera
I would suggest an SLR 35 mm camera, digital or film, preferably one that you can operate manually. A wide-angle lens works best in most cases.

Point & Shoot
Cameras that only work in an automatic mode do not generally work well. But it can’t hurt to try. Some cameras may adjust the exposure without a problem. There are now several Point & Shoot cameras on the market that have a fireworks setting. My Point & Shoot has a Night Scene mode that will use a slower shutter speed. Read your manual and try several different modes. Turn off the flash if you can or cover it with tape. You may still end up with a blurry picture or no picture. But you could also be surprised with a good shot. Sometimes a blurry photo makes an artistic statement.

Tripod
Most important is to use a tripod or set the camera on a steady surface such as a wall. The exposure will be a long one so avoid all motion. (Unless of course, you want to deliberately move the camera or zoom the lens for a special effect.) This means that even with the camera on a tripod, you’ll need to use a radio remote or shutter release cable to fire the camera. You can get away with pressing the button yourself if you’re careful to squeeze gently without jostling the camera. You could also try setting the self-timer. The only problem with that is that it’s harder to coordinate with the firework bursts. Another trick you could try is to set the camera on an extra long shutter speed and cover the lens with black mat board while you press the button. The main thing to remember is, no motion. That also means no shooting pictures from a rocking boat.

Focus
Pre-focusing on infinity works best unless you have people in the foreground that you want to light. With a Point & Shoot camera, the Landscape Mode (typically it’s the icon with the mountains) will give you an infinity focus.

Location
Where you shoot from is an important consideration. You don’t want crowds clustered around jostling your camera. You’ll want to avoid bright streetlights. You need to decide if you want close, tight shots of just fireworks or if you want a wider view showing some of the surroundings.

Drive around at least 2 hours early to scout for optimum shooting locations. Avoid distracting elements such as telephone poles, electric lines, and trees that might blur during long time exposures (although that can be used for an artistic effect if you so choose). It's nice to frame up the fireworks with people, a building or a statue to give the fireworks a sense of location. Look for elevated shooting positions. Roofs of parking garages can provide an excellent vantage point.

Foreground
Including something in the foreground can add to the picture. It could be spectators, an interesting building or landmark or even a body of water with reflections. If you include people, you have the choice of letting them go dark as in a silhouette or lighting them. A nearby street lamp might add just the right amount of light or you might choose to use a flash.

Flash
Those who have more advanced cameras and strobes might try "dialing down" their strobe output while shooting fireworks with a crowd scene in the foreground. This will reveal some detail in the people, but won't over expose them. Look in your strobe manual for instructions on exposure compensation. On a tripod, you can still allow several seconds for fireworks while shooting with strobe fill. Also, many strobes allow a manual reduction in full power. Try experimenting with 1/8th power on the strobe using 400 ISO. But don't forget that turning the strobe off and thus allowing a silhouette of foreground objects, trees, and people can also be quite effective.

Exposure
Getting the exposure right is the experimental part. It will take many tries to get a good shot. Even if you come up with the perfect exposure, each burst will have a different intensity. Digital cameras make it easier because you can view the results immediately and make adjustments on the spot. The key is to “Bracket”, which means take shots at different settings so that you get at least one at the correct exposure. Here are some basic rules of thumb to get you started.

On a digital camera you can start with an ISO of anywhere from 100 to 400. Your aperture should be on f/8 or f/11. Your shutter speed should be anywhere from 1 to 3 seconds, although I’ve seen good pictures taken as fast as a 15th of a second. The longer exposures will give you more light trails from each burst. You can even leave the shutter open on a “bulb” setting and get several bursts in one picture.

This is just a starting point. Look at the results and adjust accordingly. The ISO needs to be low because at higher settings a digital picture will show a lot of “noise” or static, especially with a longer exposure. The small aperture setting is because of the intensity of the fireworks. The longer shutter speed will allow you to capture the whole blast.

A film camera is similar but you need to bracket more since you can’t see the results until later.

Many of these suggestions may not work for you. Use what works and ignore the rest. Since firework photography is largely experimental and unpredictable, don’t be afraid to try different things. You could end up with a “lucky accident”.