Investigations with a camera
What I am interested in, is WHY one picture seems to be good and others to be bad. What elements do I 'need' in picture, to label it a good one? And do other people share my view?
My investigation starts in Spain - at sunset. My wife and son is standing by a very old figtree in Andalucia. She lifts him up and immediately I see a great photo! I position myself and shoot - and tell her to swing Carlos (my son) up in the air! She does it few times and I feel I have got the picture. And I did get a great photo (in my opinion!) - but have a look at my shots and comments:
Case no. 1.
I didn't take long before I realized that there is a point, in a dynamic moment, where tHE mOMENT is perfectly expressed. A tiny fraction of a second where there is no movement, just 'being' - neither going up or down - just perfect alignment of body, soul and gravity!
In climbing there is an expression called deadpoint that refers to the moment when in a jump, you stand still in the air, before going down again. Hangtime is another good expression. This moment is extremely important when discussing tHE mOMENT! In shooting skateboarding I've come up with the following idea: It is not when the skater is 'entering' the trick - nor is it when he is exiting the trick - it is right at the point where he goes from one to the other! That is where the trick is happening! Going into the trick is a preperation and exiting a trick is a landing. But in between is a moment - tHE mOMENT - when everything is aligned: Skater, board, trick and aesthetics. Remember I'm speaking about visual expression - photography - here, the skater might disagree. And I completely understand that often a trick is not a trick , but a combination of tricks.
Here's a few skateboard shots:
Case no. 2.
So, is this my challenge then: Perfect timing of the deadpoint? Well, not exactly. It's not that simple. There is a story to be told in the picture as well - not just a freeze...
At the Bornholm Deepwater Solo Competition I got in position where I was high on the climbing wall, but almost behind it. I had to stick my camera out in a streched arm, and hope for the best. I got tHE mOMENT - but also some poor candidates for the moment - check out these photos:
Case no. 3.
There is a lot more to it than timing - I will post more cases soon...