The Elements of Photography: Understanding & Creating Sophisticated Images
An Introduction to the Elements of Photography:
I wrote The Elements of Photography in response to many years of experience teaching in both Fine Art and Commercial Photography programs. I recognized the benefits to the educational approaches embraced by each type of program, and the limitations of how exposure to only one form of practice reduced students’ options and chances for success in the field upon graduation. I developed a course that spoke to all my students, and created some of the most incredible work in only one semester of study. To reach even more young photographers, I turned that course into this book.
The Elements of Photography examines four elements specific to every image created through the action of light. These elements form the grammar of photographic language, because they constitute the technical foundation, and dictate the visual outcome, of all photographic images. They are: the photographic frame and its borders, the aperture or lens and its effects on focus, clarity, depth of field and directing viewer attention, the shutter speed and its effects relative to time and motion, and the physical media used to create the aggregate image or the photographic object.
Together these elements answer a three-part question that defines the essence of photographic language: “What are the essential technical elements inherent to photographic image making, how do those elements dictate discrete visual outcomes, and what meanings do those outcomes suggest in relation to the subject?” To fully mine the medium’s potential, these grammatical elements must be expertly addressed by photographers, regardless of media choice and the intended use of the images.
But beyond their technical underpinnings, photographs are objects. Not a mere image of something, they embody a unique existence in the world, and as such they communicate meaning autonomously. Some of the most interesting photographic images are not recognizable as “photographs” but rather are creations made from the actions of light, time and (sometimes, but not always) lens. The grammar of any language is a construct, a starting point. What we do with that language is what matters.
The premise of the book is simple: photography is a unique form of visual language based on a specific technical grammar. Anyone who studies a language intently begins to understand its grammatical structure and can use it to communicate more precisely. A photographer with a curious and conceptual mind who understands the grammar of photographic language can effectively use it to share insights and interests. The most successful fine art and commercial photographers—those whose work has the power to enlighten and educate, to persuade and advance change, and to heighten our perception of people, places, events, and things—share a common characteristic: their work acknowledges that the power of photographic image making lies in the interconnection between the medium’s technical structure and its visual outcomes. When photographers learn to integrate technique and aesthetics, they become better able to create successful, meaningful images in any branch of the profession.