Eleventh Commandment.

Ten things to remember, plus one

Published in "the Tecnique Corner" nov/dic 06, Oasis n.167

There are no magical formulas in photography. There are, however, a number of "milestones", concepts which constantly refer to, which is not always easy even for a skilled photographer. So it comes for this column too the fateful moment for the "Decalogue", that narrative artifice with archaic origins which is usually used by those presuming to know more than his readers, to convince them that things are exactly in that way; or at least to be less boring than usual. Here they are then the ten "commandments" (plus one) which in my humble opinion should always be kept in mind. The schematic form actually  helps a lot to remember, so that to always have them at fingertips when photographing. This is not just a tedious beginners homework, however: I myself review this list before any phototrip, using it as food for thought and trying to get it into my mind.

Extreme lights and conditions are often the most fascinating.

1) Focus on your own sensations and on what strikes you, and depending on that decide what you want to express. Only then think about the most appropriate technique to express it.

2) Make it simple, make it simple, make it simple. Concentrate to express a single idea or a specific emotion through simple forms and clean compositions.

3) Always keep in mind that the final image will be two-dimensional: reason in terms of masses and graphic forms. Try to forget "what" is what you see in the viewfinder, and focus only on its shape, color and position.

4) Require yourself the shots rarefaction as an exercise: take less pictures, and use all the time you can get for every single shot; this will allow you to wait for moments that you would otherwise miss. Although in the digital world shooting is free (so to speak, if you consider how much the gear costs), any hurried photo increases the degree of disaffection to the quality, and decreases the habit to reflect, thus lowering your level of awareness, as well as the chance to capture peculiar events and consequently the quality of your images.

5) Do not be satisfied of the first shot; try to vary the point of view, raising or lowering the camera or moving in the environment. Move back and forth, trying to understand if the same scene can be better made with small variations, or from alternative points of view. After taking a shot, be unhappy of it and think about how it could be improved: being curious and demanding is a mandatory way to produce good images.

Being able to wait let one catches the most significant moments.

6) Use deep compositions, in landscapes; split the subject from the background, shooting portraits. Exploit the coded elements of composition: perspective layers, selective focus, reiterations, symmetries, diagonal lines, natural frames or backgrounds. Arrange the strong points of the image following the rule of thirds and never divide a frame into two equal parts (unless you are doing on purpose to enhance a particular effect of symmetry).

7) Look for situations with suggestive lights. Possibly take the pictures at the beginning and the end of the day; also exploit special meteorological events: extreme conditions are often the most expressive.

8) Eliminate all those more trivial technical flaws: avoid the blur, expose accurately and keep the horizon... horizontal. Blatant mistakes take appeal away even from the most valuable photos (and you will cut a poor figure). Learn to mercilessly discard all those photos that do not match this criterion, no matter what they show.

9) Be original, adopt a fresh and personal look. Each time you have chosen a subject and a framing ask yourself if there is a less conventional way to portray it. Consider, however, that originality must be well-grounded, reasoned: being nonconformist at all costs, without a real expressive motivations, is only a fruitless and pretentious effort.

10) Use a tripod whenever you can. Although at first glance it sounds like a tough sacrifice, it will repay you with interest.

And here it is the additional point, perhaps the most important: do not follow the previous rules... or better, do not follow them everytime, and never in a mechanical way. Transgression, in photography as in life, sets energies free and sows new ideas. At the worst you have shown personality at least, and that in itself would be a great result, nowadays.