Shadowplay Photography

Last night we had the opportunity to go to a lecture by noted photographer Jay Maisel hosted by Adorama and Nikon. I have to say, both my wife and I came away inspired. I loved Jay’s easy going, approachable attitude.

Jay has a wonderful philosophy on photography that he discussed while displaying a slide show of his past work. He breaks photos down into having three primary characteristics: Light, Color and Gesture. Light and Color are fairly self explanatory, but Gesture is trickier to describe. Gesture in this context is the form, action, or attitude of the subject.

He also delivered a few wonderful tips that can help our own photography:

1. “Always have your camera with you, it’s easier to take pictures that way”
2. The 180° rule – take a picture looking one way then turn around and take one looking the other, or shoot the same object from different vantage points. The idea here is to capture opposing lighting or opposing subjects.
3. “Be responsible for every square millimeter of the frame.” In other words be aware of everything going on in your frame to avoid extraneous stuff distracting from your message (i.e. trees growing out of people’s heads) or the flip side is purposefully using those elements for effect.
4. When shooting people on the street, it’s usually easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. If you’re shooting kids however, ask the parents. “They tend to get freaky about that.”

Events and Workshops

A recent trend here in NYC is for the major camera shops to host lectures, workshops and presentations. Many of them are free. Here are some links to the event calendars:

• Adorama Workshops
• B&H Events
• Calumet Events
• Apple Stores: SoHo, 14th St

These are great opportunities to hear from famous photographers, camera gear venders, software venders, etc. at little or no cost. Many require registration however, and the photographer workshops tend to fill up quickly. So keep an eye out for the upcoming events.