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Photo Gauntlet

Gauntlet: Look for Uniqueness In An Game of Sameness

Tue, 08/31/2010 - 15:09

by Gary Fong
Photographer: Jonathan Henderson, www.jpaulphoto.com
Click photos to enlarge

Figure 1 - USA vs. Slovenia

 
Many photographers enjoy doing sports coverage, because they are fans of the game.  They understand it, can anticipate the plays, and know the zones where the best action may take place.

The action, at some of these events, can be predicable.  However, after a few predicable moments, the action all starts looking the same. The arms and legs can be seen in the same compositional positions; only the faces and jerseys have change.

Jonathan Henderson, covering the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, faces the action predictability question every game. He must combat the sameness issue with a variety of images that advance the story.
 

Now for the Nit Picking
 

Henderson’s action image is nice…but compared to the stream of action images he’s shooting, they’ll all start developing a general sameness.  Many basketball photos are vertical; shot under the hoop, of players mixing it up…it’s predicable.  The “armpit” shot is known throughout the photo community as something to avoid, (Figure 1 - above).

Unfortunately, that’s the first position young photographers try when covering a basketball game.  Jonathan is not as seasoned in sports as he is with other subjects he covers.  But stretching his photographic knowledge is good. He should stretch more.

Figure 2 - USA vs. CroatiaI’m pleased Henderson doesn’t stop shooting as the game ends.  Off court, after the game, different photos, perhaps more unique photos, can be captured.  Viewers don’t usually have an opportunity to see off court material (Figure  2 - right), because other photographers stop dong coverage. Off the court images add a different perspective to the game.  It’s always refreshing, as opposed to the predictable action.

Now, I’m not saying a good action photos doesn’t have merit…I’m saying don’t limit your coverage vision to something everyone else is shooting.

But one must realize after a while, even the non-action photos start looking the same.  In each game, the photographer needs to contemplate what unique ways he or she can do coverage, looking for images that are unique.

Uniqueness can be found in the angle of coverage, high, low, long lens, short lens, remote cameras, etc.  Combine these techniques with the action and non-action coverage, a photographer accumulates images that are different from every other photographers.

If there’s competition from other media, ones material needs to stand out among a crowd of photographers. The best way to standout is to produce images that are different from the next photographer.  It’s uniqueness of the image that will cause the readers to take notice, not to mention editors who’ve “seen it before”.

 

Gauntlet: Lights, Camera, Imagination – It Takes All Three

Wed, 08/25/2010 - 07:31

by Gary Fong
Photographer: Aaron Hardin, http://aaronhardinmedia.wordpress.com/

 

Figure 1 - TennisFigure 2 - Basketball
             Figure 1                                                Figure 2

 

Last week, we look at Aaron Hardin’s, yet to be solidified second-generation, alternative country, barroom rock musician project. It’s good for every photographer to explore areas of the craft not yet discovered.  It builds versatility and diversity in coverage.

His set of sports portraits is another facet of flexibility.  Shooting portraits is not simply getting a nice smile.  It’s providing the viewer visual context to who this person is…a ballet dancer, a politician, or a famous sports athlete.

Aaron shot a series of sports athletes in Tennessee. The issue is making each image unique to his/her particular event. The tools in his arsenal are lighting, perspective, and imagination.
 

Now for the Nit Picking

It’s not enough to show what these athletes look like…but what aspect of their particular sport they excel. Each image needs to be self-contained, conveying enough visual information to satisfy the viewer questions.

Figure 3 - TrackFigure 4 - Basketball 2
Figure 3                                                                  Figure 4                                   

When looking at (Figure 1), the viewer understands “Tennis” star.  When looking at (Figure 2), the viewer understands “Basketball” star, etc. Aaron’s style is very direct. Sometimes hitting the viewer over the head is the best way to get his/her attention.

Another way to appreciate his directness…when viewers are surrounded by a plethora of media from everywhere, a strong direct approach has its merits.  It’s the voice heard above the chatter.

Imagination has its advantages too.  When lighting doesn’t happen before one’s lens, one has to build it for the shoot.  The dual side lighting in (Figure 3) doesn’t usually happen in the middle of a track and field stadium. Nor does the stroboscope affect on the basketball player (Figure 4).  It’s imagination and a set of lights that makes these images happen. I’ll give a grudging “nice shoot” Aaron.

If I had one criticism of the project, why didn’t you use your bicep-enhancement filter?

 

 

Gauntlet: Shooting Photo Stories

Mon, 08/16/2010 - 09:47

by Gary Fong
Photographer: Aaron Hardin, website

 

Fish on a dockEspresso

 
What does a fish, a guitar, a cowboy hat, and an espresso machine have in common? Nothing that I can think of…except…maybe a critique about a collection of disjointed work… That would be the only commonality that comes to mind.

Aaron Hardin is in the beginning stages of a photo story about a second-generation, alternative country, barroom rock musician in the Deep South. He’s photographing elements of country music, lyrics, and pieces of memories that somehow come together in music.

 

GuitarCowboy Hat

In a photo essay, the issue is finding a story thread. Like in country music, the thread is accounts of a hard life brought to reality in music. In a picture story, the elements of a hard life should be visually relational.
 

Now for the Nit Picking

As Aaron develops his concept, I’m sure the relationship between a dead fish “sittin’ on a dock” and an espresso machine will meld together, but for now…I’m having a hard time seeing it. Maybe it’ll come in four-part harmony…but that’ll be after the music is written.

I would rather see visual elements of music, of the Deep South, and a slow pace of life that all contribute to the story thread. Each image should build upon the other.  Stronger images will hold the attention and take the viewer into a prescribed direction.  But each supportive image should contribute back to the story thread.

Where does Aaron go from here?  When he’s in the field, making picture of his concept, he needs to keep in mind what the visual elements his viewers will key off on when seeing the competed body of work.  For picture stories, it’s not enough to have a group of individual pictures. Those individual pictures must relate to each other. Corporately, those related pictures provide the viewer a greater understanding of the complete story.