Saturday, 28 February 2009

Art and Photography - Instruction and Inspiration

Over the last forty years or so I have occasionally read books on art techniques to help me with my painting (not that I have done much for a decade) and have read a few photography technique books. (Does anyone remember all those black and white – with a red cover – booklets on photography from Focal Press in the fifties?) Few of the former helped me much and of the latter only Heather Angel and a North American whose name I’ve forgotten (but who Helen may recall) inspired me at all.
However, over the last year or so I have learned an enormous amount and been truly inspired by fellow bloggers.

Digital photography concentrates less on skill (or lack of it) with exposure settings and focussing but those skills are still there and knowing how to alter them and use your camera to the maximum remains an important part of getting a really good shot.

What digital photography seems to have done is inspire people to find that better angle or that more unusual subject. Since so many people have good photos on their sites it seems invidious to single any out but I’ll do it any way –Sandi at Pixel Queen Photography, Lisa alias Bluestalking, Cloudscome , and Jen. (And I’ve mentioned my Finnish friends a few times).

For some real skill with a brush see Jeannette St Germain and Frances.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the mention! I really appreciate it! I recently took a photography class requiring the use of film and felt totally naked not being able to instantly "fix" my mistakes on a computer screen. It was a humbling experience but really taught me to concentrate on the basics (getting it right the first time) rather than on the easy fixes with Photoshop.

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