from the series: Wish You Were Here
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Category: <span>Observation</span>
April Fool’s Day is approaching, and if you are thinking of a trick for your kids or grandchildren, you can do it with photo tricks. This can be done in several ways, but perhaps the most fun is the use of forced perspective—a way photographers use optical illusions to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger, or smaller than it actually is.
This is going to go over best with really young children. You can set up a shot to make the child look bigger or smaller than an object in the frame, and give it to the kid to “fool Grandma” or “fool Dad.” It takes a tiny bit of pre-planning but isn’t much work, and doing it creates a warm memory you share with the child.
You might want to use familiar objects that are part of the child’s everyday world—a stuffed toy, a porch railing, your car—for instance, you can set up a shot so that the child seems to be balancing the car on one upturned hand.
Photo manipulation and trick photography has been present since the beginning of the photographic medium in the 1800s. In 2012, an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York showed how photographers long before the digital era regularly employed techniques of manipulation in their work. Mia Fineman, assistant curator of photography at the Met, told PBS, “Fake decapitation was the LOLcats of the 19th century.”
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Photo tip: For successful forced perspective shots, use a tripod; use a wide-angle lens, and an aperture to keep subjects in focus (f16 of f22). If you want to force perspective to create an illusion of size then use two subjects that are universally recognized–the palm of a hand and a car, or a fence post and a skier.
“Stay Posted” is from the series: Wish You Were Here
With the digital revolution, there are more and more photos being taken. It can seem that any particular photo has already been taken numerous times. An interesting piece by Teju Cole in the New York Times relates that photos we see can remind us of other photos. In my case, they often remind me of songs.
A photo of Route 14 in Hants County, Nova Scotia, inevitably brings to mind John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Railroad tracks remind me of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” Strip malls remind me of Talking Heads “Once in a Lifetime,” and springtime calls forth “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles.
Here’s a finding that interests me: “Brain process involved in sight have found the visual cortex also uses information gleaned from the ears as well as the eyes when viewing the world.” This is according to a team of neuroscientists at the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow. Professor Lars Muckli, who led the research, explained in an article for their university magazine, “Sounds create visual imagery, mental images, and automatic projections.”
Sometimes it’s the imagery in the song; sometimes it’s linked to a memory associated with the song.
“Don’t you wonder sometimes ’bout sound and vision,” David Bowie asked us in the song “Sound and Vision.” Yes, we do.
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Photo tip: Think of a few of your favourite songs and try to take photos that match them.
The Japanese have many terms that we don’t use in English. One of my favourites is “forest bathing”– a leisurely visit to a forest. It is becoming more widely practiced in North America but has been a stress management activity in Japan since 1982. Ben Page, founder of Shinrin Yoku LA, remarked in a USA Today story, “A hike is generally oriented as a journey from point A to point B, whereas forest bathing is not about reaching a physical destination. The destination in a forest-bathing walk is more like a mental space of effortless relaxation and awareness.”
Studies have shown that exposure to nature creates calming neuro-psychological effects leading to reductions in stress, anger, anxiety, depression, and sleeplessness. It’s a good reason to take a walk in the woods whenever possible. I’m fortunate to live near a beautiful forest where I can get some exercise, calm my mind, and take some photos.
It’s pleasurable to walk in the forest, even in winter. There are numerous animal tracks in the snow, as well as interesting ice formations, and plenty of crisp, fresh air.
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Photo tip: Taking forest photos in a relaxed stare of mind is quite different from the immediacy of capturing a moment. Take note of how your vision changes when you are forest bathing.
It seems that good photos have just the right amount of content—not too busy, not too sparse. One famous quote from National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson, advises, “If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff.” And if you happen to be standing in front of some interesting stuff, there is always the question of how much to include in the frame.
American photographer Lee Friedlander, famous for his pioneering photos of the urban social landscape, has a talent for filling his photos with visual content without making them seem overly crowded. Eric Kim (whom I also cited last week) writes on his blog, ”Friedlander was very conscious of how he framed his scenes, and wanted to add more complexity to his shots through adding content of interest.”
Lee Friedlander accomplished this by using a wide-angle lens—usually a 35mm. That way objects in the foreground can remain in focus along with background elements. Though complexity is not always the answer, it certainly adds interest.
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Photo tip: If you have a wide-angle lens, try shooting with only that lens for a week or two. Make note of how this perspective changes the content in your photos.