Photography_Breaking the Rules

EXERCISENightAssignment: Do a series of photo-graphs outdoors at night.

Goal: By now you should have agood idea of how the camera re-sponds to variations in daylight. Howdoes it respond to the night? Yourtask is to find this out.

Tips: For best results, select a loca-tion with some artificial source oflight. Streetlights, car headlights,lighted windows of a house or otherbuilding will ail work well. The mooncan work, but it requires good tim-ing, luck and patience.

Take some time to find a subjectthat is interesting enough to deservea lot of your time. Unless you're verylucky, you'll need to do a consider-able amount of experimenting to geta single photograph that is "justright." Be patient and creative.

This is one situation in which ahand-held meter can be very helpful.If you don't own one (or can't bor-row one), try shooting at f/5.6 forabout 1 minute to start. (Use a stopwatch to keep track of your time.)Then bracket in both directions: 2minutes, 30 seconds, 15 seconds, etc.

Remember that doubling the time(from 1 minute to 2 minutes) willhave basically the same effect asopening the lens one stop (from f/5.6to f/4). However, at very slow shut-ter speeds, the ratio is not accurate,due to what is called "reciprocityfailure." Basically, this means thatyou'll have to guess a lot. So be sureto experiment with a wide range ofexposures.

You might also try using a small("penlight") flashlight to "draw" yoursubject. Here's how to do it: Set your

camera up on a tripod. Place yoursubject carefully within the frame.Open the shutter, using the "B" set-ting and a fairly small aperture (try178). Stand behind the subject andt u r n on the flashlight. Move theflashlight quickly along the edges ofthe subject, aiming it so the light isvisible to the camera. After a fewseconds (try 15 to start), turn off theflashlight and close the shutter.Repeat the same procedure at dif-ferent shutter speeds.

Student photograph by TrevorBredenkamp.

212 The Photographic Eye

Student photograph by John Dean.

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Student photograph by TrevorBredenkamp.

EXERCISEMonotoneAssignment: Do a series ofphotographs with a very limitedrange of values: black on black, whiteon white, or gray on gray.

This assignment is similar to the"eggs" assignment, with two impor-tant differences: 1) variations in valuecaused by shadows, highlights, etc.should be avoided as much as possi-ble, and 2) any tone is acceptable (notjust white). In addition, you are notrequired to photograph your subjectagainst a background. You mayprefer to crop in so the subject fillsthe frame. The only rule is that theoverall tone of the photographshould be white, black or one shadeof gray.

Goal: A contrasty print, with a fullvalue range (from black, throughvarious grays, to white) is generallydesirable. However, limiting value toonly one tone (black, gray or white)can sometimes be very effective. Finda subject that lends itself to this treat-ment and make it work.

Tips: Proper exposure is vital,especially if the main tone is black orwhite. Meter off your hand or a graycard. Remember to bracket yourshots, just to be on the safe side.

Possible subjects include a blackcat on a black chair, an arrangementof plain white paper, a white chair ona white porch, a black car on a black-top road, a pear on a wooden tabletop (both of which would show up asgray), a straw hat on a beach, etc.

For white on white, you may wantto overexpose a bit, which will lightenany gray or black areas. For black onblack, you may want to underexpose(to darken gray areas), but be sure

your subject doesn't just disappear.With gray on gray, you may want anormal exposure, or one that isslightly light or dark, depending on


Student photograph by Helario Reyna.

what kind of gray is dominant andwhat else is in the photograph.Experiment.

Student photograph by Jack Backus.

Student photograph by Dave Hornback.


EXERCISESilhouettesAssignment: Photograph an object orperson as a silhouette.

Goal: Make sure that the silhouettedfigure makes sense as a silhouette,that it's clear and distinct. In addi-tion, be very aware of negative space,especially if the figure is entirelywithin the frame of your photograph.

Tips: This assignment is difficultbecause you'll be shooting an objectagainst the sky. As a result, your lightmeter will get very confused. The"point of departure" setting is no helpbecause you don't want a normallyexposed image: the figure should beblack against a white sky.

So, take a meter reading off thesky and then open your lens up twostops wider than indicated by themeter. For example, if the meter in-dicates f/16, shoot at f/8 instead.(Remember, the meter will want thesky to be gray, which is not what youwant.) Bracket a few stops in bothdirections to see what effect that has.

Try to clearly isolate your subject,unless other details work well with it.Good subjects include trees, people,playground equipment, machinery,objects with holes in them that allowsome light to show through. Avoidplain rectangular shapes like abuilding or door, since they don'ttend to produce interest ingsilhouettes.

Student photograph by Darrell Converse.


Student photograph by LynneMattielli.

Student photograph by Jay DavidBlumenfeld.


EXERCISEGrain &DiffusionAssignment: Use ISO 3200 film(for enhanced grain) with some formof diffuser over your lens to producea very "soft" image.

Goal: To experiment with the ef-fects produced by deliberately avoid-ing crisp focus and lighting.

Tips: There are a number of waysto diffuse the light (and with it theimage) coming through your lens.You can use a conventional fog filter,available at modest cost at manycamera stores. Or you can shootthrough textured glass such as ashower door, an antique window, ora crystal serving dish (ask your momfor permission). If there's a store intown that sells glass, you might havean interesting piece cut to a usablesize. (Tape the edges and handle withcare!) Another option is to stretch apiece of plastic wrap over your lens,possibly smearing it with petroleumjelly or spraying it with water. Tryusing a nylon stocking or a piece oflace in the same way (wi thout thepetroleum jelly). Or you might squirtsome dishwashing liquid on a nor-mal window and shoot through that.

Focus on your subject, measuringthe distance to it if necessary. Bear inmind that larger apertures will in-crease the diffusion effect and aretherefore preferable. Also, be sure nodirect light is striking your diffuser,as that will bring out the screen tex-ture and obscure your subject.

Variations: You might try using avery slow shutter speed (between 15and 4) and either enticing your sub-ject to move or hand-holding thecamera to blur the image a bit andfur ther soften it.


This photograph combines grain and blurred motion to produce a verymoody effect. Student photograph.

As this photograph demonstrates, grain can be a highly effective tool for conveying certain kinds of emotions ormoods. How would you describe the mood in this image? (Student photograph by Amy Shafer.)


EXERCISEDoubleExposureAssignment: Combine two imagesinto a single photograph either bydouble-exposing a single frame offilm or by using two separate nega-tives to produce one p r in t .

Goal: Strive for a unified effect.The trick to a double-exposed photo-graph is to achieve visual coherence an image that makes sense to theviewer. This does not mean that theimage needs to be entirely clear, butit should be more than a chaoticjumble of lines, light and shadow(unless, of course, that's the effectyou want).

Tips: If you are creating your im-age in the camera, the simplest wayto proceed is to shoot one frame asusual, making a mental note or, pref-erably, a rough sketch of the image,noting light and dark areas. If yourcamera has a double-exposure fea-ture, use it. Otherwise, hold in thefilm-release button while you cockthe shutter (i.e., wind the film asusual, though it shouldn't actuallymove). Experiment with various ex-posure combinations. If your secondimage is in a very dark area of yourfirst image, you may get a goodresult by using a normal exposure forboth. Otherwise, try under-exposingboth by one stop (or doubling theISO number). As always, bracketingis the safest way to ensure a success-ful result. After completing one dou-ble-exposure, wind the film forwardas usual and try another.

To produce a double exposure inthe darkroom, you may either sand-wich two negatives together in the

The ghostly figure in this photograph is one of the intriguing effects possiblewith double-exposure. (Student photograph by Anne Nowak.)

negative holder or pr in t them sepa-rately. Again, you will have to exper-iment to get the right exposurecombination. With the second ap-proach, you must remember that anywhite areas of the first negative willprint black and nothing from thesecond negative can be printed inthose areas.

Variations: It is also possible to usea piece of black mat to cover half ofthe lens while making your first ex-

posure, and then cover the other halffor your second shot but skill andpractice are required to blend the twoimages successfully. (This works bet-ter on larger format cameras.)

A "ghost" effect can be producedby setting the camera on a tripod,shooting one shot of a model (orother subject) at half the normal ex-posure, and then removing themodel and shooting a second image(at the same exposure).


EXERCISEPhoto-CopyPhotosAssignment: Select a print youhave already made and "interpret" itwith a photo-copy machine.

Goal: This is an experiment inprint manipulation breaking downthe clarity of an image to create amore impressionistic effect.

Tips: The basic procedure is verysimple: place the print face-down ina photo-copy machine and run offone copy. Then copy the copy. Thencopy the copy of the copy, and so on,until you get an effect you like. How-ever, not all prints will work well forthis process. Generally, a fairly "con-trasty" original will yield betterresults than one that is either verydark or predominantly gray. Youmay also have to tinker with thedarkness control on the copier toproduce the effect you want. In addi-t ion, higher quality paper will giveyou a cleaner image.

If you have access to a high-techcopier, you can experiment with theexposure settings (try "photo," ifavailable) to see how they affect thefinal result. One other experimentalprocedure, which works on any cop-ier, is to slip your hand in under thecover and move your "original"(which may be a copy of a copy)around on the glass just slightly!- while it is being copied. (Do notopen the cover for this procedure, asthe bright light is hard on the eyes.)

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Student photographs.

EXERCISEPanelPanoramaAssignment Produce a series ofprints, shot sequentially, in a line orcircle from the same spot, andmount them together to form a sin-gle composite image.

Goal: Select a location that will en-sure each frame will be visual ly inter-esting. None should s i m p l y f i l lspace. Each image should contributesome impression or visual informa-tion to the whole sequence.

Tips: Unless otherwise instructedby your teacher, you w i l l have to de-cide how many images to combine inyour panorama (between three andfive are recommended). Before youbegin shooting, check each area ofyour location to be sure that a singleaperture (preferably small, for gooddepth of field) can be used through-out the sequence. The basic proce-dure is to shoot, t u r n slightly, shootagain, and so on ideally withoutmoving from your starting point .

Line up your shots carefully so theyall connect at the edges. Your finalpr ints should be fairly small (i.e.,3'/2" x 5"), so the final result won'tbe ut ter ly enormous. Take care thatthe density of all your final prints isconsistent.


Variations: Shoot a sequence atdifferent times of day, making a noteof where each image ends, so youcan later begin your next image atthat point. (A street scene offers in-teresting possibilities for this ap-proach.) Break the pattern bymoving forward and back, shiftingyour point of view as you proceedthrough the sequence. Combine ver-tical and horizontal formats. Over-lap the edges of your panels andmount them as a sort of patchwork

qui l t . Follow David Hockncy's ex-ample (see Appendix 2) and shootlots of separate images. Have some-one model for you in a different posein each image. Include a word ineach frame so the whole sequencecontains a phrase or sentence. Standin one place and shoot forward, backand to each side. (The possibilitiesare endless.)

There's a person in this mom, though no one is in sight. Every object, fromthe rumpled bed to the ragged posters, not only tells us whose room this isbut also allows us to feel that person's presence. Is this somebody you know?(Student photograph by Aindrea Brennan.)


EXERCISEText& ImageAssignment: Combine one ormore photographs w i t h words apoem, song, quota t ion , excerpt froma book, h a n d w r i t t e n note, etc.

Goal: Photography and the writtenword have enjoyed a long pa r tne r -ship, especially in magazines and ad-vertising. Photographs may i l lus t ra tea t ex t , or text may be employed toclar i fy or comment on a photo-graphic image. The goal of this exer-cise is to explore the various ways inwhich these two forms of expressioncan be used together to produce ameaningful combined effect.

Tips: Try to avoid an overly literalresult, wi th the photograph and textmerely saying the same th ing in d i f -ferent ways. Ideally, each wil l en-hance and expand the impressionconveyed by the other.

Just as some song writers beginwith a lyric and others f i rs t composea melody, you may choose to select(or write) your text first and then cre-ate an image to go w i t h it or theother way around. Keeping the textshort will usually (but not always)enhance the overall e f f ec t . (Ha iku , astyle of short poems developed in Ja-pan, are an excellent choice.) What-ever form of text you choose, be sureit wil l actually work well w i t h a pho-tographic image. (Your favor i te songwill not necessarily give you much towork w i t h . )

Unless otherwise ins t ruc ted byyour teacher, you wil l have to decideif t he text is to be typed or h a n d w r i t -ten and whether to place it in theimage area of the photograph, toleave white space for it below the

p r i n t , or to place it on the mat or aseparate sheet of paper.

Variations: You may wish to t ryvar ious forms of collaboration. Forexample, t he ent i re class might selecta topic of shared interest and pro-duce a series of text/image combina-tions to explore together. (This could

make a very effective exh ib i t . ) Oryou might want to work together toillustrate a long poem, a song, ashort-story, or a portion of a bookyou all admire. Alternatively, youmight collaborate individual ly withs tudents in a w r i t i n g course matching your photographs w i t htheir poetry, for example.


Student photograph by Amy Toensiiig.

In this example, an excerpt from a poem by Rumi (a medieval Sufi) is written directly on the print. Noticehow the two play off each other, suggesting deeper meanings and hidden connections. (Student photo byLaura Mitchell.) . . .


Student photograph by Marc McCoy.


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Photography_Breaking the Rules