Navigating the criticism of Photographic Art

Navigating the criticism of Photographic Art

umbrella

 

So just how do you understand and deal with comments made about your photography, either to your face or on social media accounts you post on?

Here are a few of the comments I have had.

Why are you adding things to your photograph?
Have you changed the colour of that tree?
What is that object you’ve put into that image?
Have you touched that up?
Why have you done that to a perfectly good photograph?
That’s not real?
Have you added that house in?
Was that bird really there?

We can’t take away from the fact that most people believe that a photo should represent the facts exactly as they were seen by the naked eye. That’s after all what cameras were originally designed for. To record an event exactly, for a visual memory of what has gone before.

Along came editing.

Oh the joy of having some control over what the camera has captured. When I discovered editing it was so exhilarating I tried all sorts of colours and techniques

One particular day I was showing my images to some friends. One man looked at a particular photograph, (the surfing image below) and said, “Have you touched that up?” to which I replied, “Only a little.”
He said, “I don’t like that.” and handed my photograph back very quickly not looking at it a moment longer than he had too. He had a most disdainful look on his face.
I was deeply insulted, but found, as time went by, a similar reaction from a few other well meaning humans!

I found myself regularly trying to explain that I was a photographic artist and not a newspaper reporter.

Times have changed and now photography is more accepted as an art form.

However somehow their negative comments influenced my editing process. I would hear their words in my head and try to make my images what people wanted.

Let me tell you “That’s not a good habit.”

How I dealt with these comments:

1. I now edit exactly as I want and I try to understand that the  person firing the comments at me does not not know what I am doing or how I am doing it. (If it is a comment on social media, I delete it.)

2. I try to portray a feeling in my photographs. I am not offended any longer. If I have to …. I just simply say, “I’m an artist and it’s a wonderful privilege to be able to do with my images whatever I dream about.”

3. Discover who you are and what makes your heart sing and be proud of that. Hold your head up high, speak with authority on your subject and if you feel not to respond at all, simply smile and say nothing.

4. Do a little research and discover how to respond to well meaning humans.

5. The bible is full of wonderful quotes about speech and how to treat others. It also teaches us to rise to our full potential and not to allow others to destroy our journey with the abilities, gifts and talents we have.

Proverbs 15.1. A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15.2. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. 

 

 

Surfer

The above image is the photograph that I proudly showed to some friends when I first began my journey in the photography world.

Old house in the valleys
West Cape light house

The above two images are the same view but YES I have added an object in to the top image, namely the little white house. On the second image I have darkened the hills and added extra mist in the valleys.

Foggy day
Trees on snowy hill

With both tree images I have lightened and darkened far beyond the original image. In the top tree image I have used Silver Efex and left  dark brown in the lower half of the image.

Motion blur surfer

Motion blur applied to this image of a surfer. Slower shutter speed and higher aperture.

White clouds
Tree in the snow

It is obvious that the tree above is fake, but I dont mind because I liked it that way. It’s about what you enjoy and like, not all art is real!  It was an actual snowy hill but I darkened it in a programme called Silver Efex.

A thought……. I wonder how AI will change art?

Pink sand dunes
vintage yacht

The yacht above had no sails up, so I copied some red sails and edited them in using photoshop. Then added a vintage preset.

Umbrellas
Dust storm
Sunny summer days
White sail and grasses in foreground

All the images above have been altered for my enjoyment. It may seem quite obvious what the alterations are but that is how I like the photo to look. Ummm maybe not the line of umbrellas on the cliff edge. I am working on that image…

Can I reiterate, please create photographic art how you want, put aside negative thoughts and fill your mind with what it is you see with your heart. Your mind is a powerful tool and you have control of it, not someone else.

A winter holiday in New Zealand’s mountains

A winter holiday in New Zealand’s mountains

Snowy mountains near Lake heron New Zealand

Blizzards, below zero temperatures, snow, slippery surfaces, running nose, frost bitten fingers, hiking up steep mountains, aching legs…. honestly what more could a person want on a holiday??

 

This is exactly the reasons we take a holiday in the winter, not only do we encounter all the above phenomena, but also no crowds, completely silent landscapes, spectacular scenery, unimaginable clear starry skies, a winter wonderland and the possibility of photographing a multitude of white pristine mountains.

We live in Australia near the beach and experience summer conditions almost all year round. So I chose to have a winter holiday every so often…  Also having spent my childhood in New Zealand, I have a nostaligic longing for days of old.

The Southern Alps in the South Island of New Zealand are unbelievably beautiful.

This last winter we hired a cottage next to Lake Clearwater which was surrounded by snow and ice. A wood fire in the cottage was lit each day to enable us to warm up after our outdoor expeditions. A tiny possum climbed the outdoor stairs each night and tapped with his nose on the window. Frightened the life out of me the first night, but we soon got used to him, But we did not get used to tripping over his evening droppings which he proudly left at the doorstep each night!

Day one and two were spent sight seeing and photographing the pink sunsets in the area.

On day three we climbed a 2 kilometere walk up to the snow line of Mt Potts, located along Hakatere Potts road. The fog meant we were not able to see the top of the mountain. However I took photographs of our climb as we ascended, (Mt Potts and all the surrounding mountains.) Many shots are totally white but we found it completely exhilerating and I figured some shapes must come out in my photographs. Skiers call days like this a “A White Out.”

A helicopter kept flying over and  we realised the mountain peaks would be above the fog and probably great snow skiing would be the plan for those sporty tourists. It was actually on our descent that the fog cleared a bit and I got the peaks of the mountains through the cloudy mass.

If you are ever in this area Mt Potts Lodge is a great place to stay or take a leisurely coffee after your walk. AND if you do like a bit of coldness and silence, why not consider a winter holiday in some remote cool country.

It is truly an experience you wont forget.

mountains and snow
Chinamans Hat Island

Above, the twin peaks of the mountain in the Hakatere Conservation Park. To the left of the two peaks is where we began our climb.

Mountains and fog

Above, the road to Mt Potts.

Brown hills and mountains in the fog
Walking along the mountain track

Above, looking out from the track up the mountain

Walking along mountain track
Cold mountain stream

Looking down at a fast moving mountain stream

In rough weather.

Helicopter flying overhead taking skiers to the top of Mt Potts.

Mountain and fog
Chinamans Hat Island in a storm
Mountain and foggy day

Above, White, white and more white. Clean, dreamy and brilliant.

Chinamans Hat Island in a storm

Above, one of the basins of Mt Potts, not sure where the skiers where, but those slopes looked good for some powder skiing.

Chinamans Hat Island with a radiant sunset

Lake Clearwater in the early morning. Serene and so quiet.

Mt Potts New Zealand
Trees and snow
blue sky and snow on the mountains
Chinamans Hat Island

Above image. It was almost dark as we were driving off and the mountains certainly throw up many majestical and amazing sights. Things change rapidly as the wind comes and goes and blows the clouds into shapes and patterns. As we looked back the bright contrasting blue against the sweep of white was so beautiful.

View from our cottage snow and pine tree

View out the window of where we were staying.

A framed house in the mountains

A framed cottage high in the snowy hills

Reflections Lake Clearwater
Pink snowy mountain, New Zealand
Mt D Archaic. Hakatere Conservation Park

Sepia tones, beautiful ideas for prints on your walls

Sepia tones, beautiful ideas for prints on your walls

Birds on wires

Sepia tones are warm, comforting and add an old vintage feel to the image. Personally I really like them and have a few around my house. I have found an interesting site that looks into the history of the sepia image. Read here

It’s quite an extensive, informative article well worth reading if you have a spare moment or two.

I was at IKEA last week and their decorating style can be quite charming. I noticed quite a few sepia prints on their walls and it got my mind buzzing. So I dashed home and created these images below. 

I use Silver Effex for my editing. They have a a few sepia presets which I try and then chose the one that best suits the image. A sepia preset is often the best way to get that actual tone. Snapseed and Lightroom have a few sepia presets. However I have tried achieving it manually in Lightroom using the colour slider and adding yellow then desaturating the image a bit….but was not happy with the result.

I prefer a soft outline so do not go overboard with the structure tool.

Some of the prints below you can purchase on my Bluethumb shop. Just click the icon at the bottom of this page and you can browse through my photographic prints for sale. 

I hope you enjoy the images.

 

Gallery

Black and white images of our coastline

Black and white images of our coastline

 

Black and white images stand out as being simple and yet bold.

Two basic colours at the end of the spectrum provide room for our imaginations. Two extremes of light and dark with many shades of grey in between. It’s perhaps the shades of grey that provide the connections between the black and white. This makes it easier for our eye to roam around the image, appreciating the variations.

I have been experimenting and making some of my black and whites lighter. Not so much contrast. I enjoy doing this type of editing although I think it may not be so good for framed images on your wall. It could look a bit bland and monotone.

 

pink sunset and a distant lighthouse
pink sunset and a distant lighthouse
Big waves and distant lighthouse
black-and-white -simplicity
Seagulls resting
sailing boat and waves
Seabird flying over seaweed
Two yachts
Moon over ocean in black and white
Lighthouse in black and white
Girl fishing in black and white

Me fishing off the back of our boat. Gotta love a striped T shirt in black and white photos.

Black and white is timeless, unique and helps the viewer focus on tones, patterns, lines and texture instead of colour. Black and white is always a favorite of mine.

 

Beach House

The beach house, a dream coming true.

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|Jul 22, 2022

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Canola fields are here again

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How to photograph with your heart and soul.

How to photograph with your heart and soul.

 

If you could photograph with your soul, what would your photos look like?

Art is what you see in your soul. Art is a dream you have inside your heart.

 

How do you transfer what you feel in your heart and soul into a photograph???

1. I photograph what I consider to be some of the most beautiful elements of our earth. Then I add my own interpretation of how I see this picture in my heart. Therefore photograph what you consider to be beautiful. Photograph the things, the people, objects or landscapes that give you pleasure.

2. A painter can paint the thoughts of his heart. A photographer must photograph a scene that is, as it is. If you know what I mean?
Therefore I will remove a piece of rubbish, or add an extra star, or colour the sea a shade greener….and so on. I love to add the painters element to the things I see with my eye. So let your heart dominate when you are editing.

3. Photograph when you get that awesome feeling of…..YES this is what I have been waiting for. Get up early or stay up late. That feeling is often not there, but that is what we wait for. It can be pure chance that the light is right, the land is right, the weather is right….etc. The first image of the lighthouse was one of those days for me, truly magnificent.

4. Some images are when things were not quite in alignment with no awesome feeling, but I practised my art regardless. The sun does not always shine and the moon is not always full.  There are days when things just dont go right. Persist and persist again.

5. Be passionate about your art. Don’t leave it alone for too long. Your passion will come out in your images. They say… “Out of the adundance of the heart the mouth speaks!” We could change that phrase and say. “Out of the abundance of the heart, art is created.”

My images are of the distant lighthouse. Most times the lighthouse stands alone on these sparse and dangerous outcrops of land. Beacons of hope for sailors in the night. The wild ocean is to be revered and auspiciously navigated. A lighthouse illuminates that which is to be avoided.

A lighthouse gives us direction, a lighthouse can be a metaphorical word for a sailors safety…Psalm 119.105. Your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

 

pink sunset and a distant lighthouse
Big waves and distant lighthouse
Yacht and lighthouse
A sunset of soft orange and a yacht
waves and Althorpe lighthouse
Yacht race
Light house in the distance
Seaspray
West Cape
West Cape in the big storm
Yacht and Althorpe Island in background
West Cape light house sunset
Cape Spencer lighthouse
Cape Spencer lighthouse

 

A side note…The Althorpe Island lighthouse in many of my photographs is accompanied by three cottages. Three families lived there for many years manning the lighthouse. Their only access to the island was by boat.  A life devoted to preventing shipwrecks.