January 7, 2018

How can something simple be so hard?

Just use the rule of thirds or put the subject far to one section of the frame and your composition will be cool. Right?

No. The problem is that most photographers are taught to focus on only a third of composition. It’s the same problem we have in tone and we tried to take a dent out of the problem on the EXposed Master Class. But today let’s talk about the other side of the coin. Composition is simple and it’s also hard, but once you discover the keys it comes in a rush.

 

Too often photography education has become scattered bits of inspiration from celebrity photographers. Enthusiastic and mostly well intentioned entrepreneurs who at conferences and in magazines are often rated, not by mastery of craft, but by tax returns. Marketing is very important. But it is not photography and I love photography.

Next to tone, composition is what separates a masterpiece from a picture. The Photo Perfect master class was dedicated largely to composition for good reason and I’m planning to dedicate more to demystifying the subject in the coming years. There’s more powerful written works on composition for painters than photographers and I recommended studying them. One of my favorites is the simple but incredibly insightful Composition by Eyewitness Art.

The Composition Triangle:

We know in our photographer souls that composition is not simply where you place something in a square. We see the legendary photographers, painters and sculptors holding deeper knowledge. But maybe we forget sometimes what made them masters of space, position and line. I call it the Composition Triangle and it’s inspired by my mentorship under the late Ken Whitmire, the Ansel of the portrait. That triangle surrounds the tonal center, the core of the image. But today we’ll focus on the triangle itself.

This is not a math class and it’s not as simple as a formula. We have to learn to see, something we took a look at in my recent video talking about the frame stop. If you didn’t see that watch it here. We also dig deeper into the topic in the latest Photo Kit pack.

All the images in today’s post won awards because these elements were combined with some competence. With the concept of the Composition Triangle I hope to show the idea that when we are aware of something and remember to apply it we will quickly begin to master it.

If we don’t think about what’s happening in our frame before we release the shutter, we’re not applying the Composition Triangle and we’re missing part of the image. The more we visualize the more instinctual this becomes and we begin to apply it easily when moving and shooting at a fast pace. SPACE, POSITION and LINE make up the triangle. Compare that to the rule of thirds class we all get in photo workshops which only addresses position and ignores all the rest. When we combine them all and we start to truly examine our frame and everything changes.

I’ll close with my #1 TIP!

This is what you came for but I hope the rest made you think….

Let your gear hold your frame. Use your tripod! I know you get sick of hearing this but there’s a reason you see me with a tripod so much. I listened to those pesky voices that told me that very thing years ago and it made me the student of the composition I needed to be to earn my masters.

But I’m saying take it further. Don’t just throw up a tripod. Use it to hold your camera while you engage with your scene in a deeper way. Every time I set a camera on the head, look into the scene and think about every part of it, I learn more. You can and will apply those skills when you need to handhold, but expanding how I see is centered around a stationary camera, not a moving one.

If you doubt my words go try for yourself. Find a great scene, setup your tripod and take a solid 10 or 20 minutes looking at the frame and setting up your shot. The first time I did this it seemed like such a long time to take on one frame. It didn’t take long for me to realize it had changed everything about how I see and it will do the same for you if you give it a chance.

I’ve gone back to my early blogging roots in this little essay and I hope you’ll let me know how you feel about this and don’t be afraid to jump into the Triangle!

— Gavin Seim

 

 

 

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February 4, 2015

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It’s not about where you are. It’s about how you light.

In today’s Photographic School video we get away from fancy gear and software. We’re going to talk about 5 things you should be using in your mind. Applying these factors will guarantee you better images EVERY time!

We’ll look at 5 images that have all merited at the PPA International Photographic Competition. Watch the video and look at a specific factors in each image that can be applied to any image any time and help build our ability to craft award winning photos images both before and after we release the shutter.

We dig even more deeply into these concepts in the EXposed and PHOTOGRAPHICS series.

Great images start not in the camera but in the mind. Today we’re going to see how!

— Gav

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July 9, 2014

Early this year we released OUR new miniseries, PHOTOGRAPHICS, covering everything from composition, to line, light and history. You can also watch here on YouTube.

There’s a great lack of photographic history out there and knowing where we came from can truly change how we work. Today we’re releasing the entire history segment from PHOTOGRAPHICS for no cost. We hope you’ll check out the entire series, but you certainly don’t want to miss this historical overview of photography. Perhaps someday we’ll be able produce a full history miniseries on the topic.

In the next 20 minutes you’ll get the basics and we encourage you to take it further by joining organizations like the International Photography Hall of Fame and taking deeper studies of painting and history to discover makes our craft so beautiful. You can also check out the full trailer for PHOTOGRAPHICS and get the rest of the 3 hour series here. — Seim

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September 8, 2012

 

Here’s a free excerpt from my EXposed Series looking at the Zone System. It’s a segment from CH3 that will whet your whistle on using the Zone System on digital to change how you use the light and make exposures. It works wounders.

If you crave more just head over to https://seimeffects.com/exposed. because the complete series has lots more on mastering the Zone System and everything else related to your exposures. It really will change how you see light.

Enjoy and let me know if you have questions… Gav

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August 13, 2012

New download /DVD workshop takes photographers on a cinematic journey across America and passionately teaches how to see and photograph light like never before.

Soap Lake, WA (August 14, 2012) – Seim Effects Photo Tools announces today the release of the new workshop by award-winning photographer Gavin Seim – EXposed, a film about seeing and photographing light. Produced over months, while traveling across America. EXposed documents experience and techniques inspired by the masters and refined for the digital age.

DOWNLOAD PRESS KIT
Includes full release, image samples and review information.

EXposed teaches photographers how to not only photograph light, but how to truly see it. EXposed is an informative entertaining 4-hour journey following Gavin as he travels around the United States of America with a Camper and a passion for light, hunting perfection and showcasing the importance of understanding the quality, range and tones of light and its impact on our photography. Gavin has compiled 15 years of study into what has become a simple and breathtaking study of light.

Weddings, Portraits, Landscape, Digital, Film. It doesn’t matter. EXposed is not a workshop about the latest fads or gadgets. It’s a workshop about light. Because that’s what really counts. EXposed is a cinematic journey that will teach photographers how to make better exposures. A completely unique workshop about exposure, light, the power of the Zone System, dynamic range and perfect tone control.

“My heart went into creating this workshop and I can’t express how proud I am of the outcome. With all the discussions in photography today, it’s surprising how little we talk about the art and science of exposure and proper tone control,” said Gavin Seim, photographer and owner of Seim Effects. “Making great photographs involves more than just clicking, buying new software, or pushing buttons. It’s something that goes deeper and mastering it requires practice and understanding of light and tone in subtle ways.”

Through 4 hours of educational materials about using light contained in 14 organized chapters that photographers can view and review at their own pace, EXposed teaches:

  • Core concepts to understanding exposure
  • Using the Zone System
  • Visualizing: Really seeing light
  • Dynamic Range and what it means for every image
  • Long Exposure and the secrets to hidden beauty
  • Finishing images, Burning, Dodging
  • Metering and tone placement
  • Seeing and directing light
  • Ratios and lighting tools

EXposed is available now. And until August 31, 2012 the instant HD digital download price is just $89 (a $10 discount) and the DVD plus instant digital download price is just $99 (a $20 discount). For more information and the trailer please visit:  www.exposedworkshop.com.

About Seim Effects Photo Tools
Gavin Seim, owner of Seim Effects Photo Tools, is an internationally recognized photographer, renowned for his experience with creative workflow, the digital darkroom and time tested techniques. He has a passion for creating easy-to-use software tools and educating photographers of all skill levels to be more efficient, creative and profitable.

Gavin Seim’s software presets for Lightroom include the new Silver Shadows 2, Power Workflow 3, and Color Fantasies. His Photoshop tools include Hollywood Effects 2, Creative Essentials, and Naked Elements. Also available is LightFlow, a powerful Aperture Presets collection.

For more information on Seim Effects Photo Tools visit:  https://seimeffects.com

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Note: Press materials and image samples can be downloaded from the Seim Effects website:  https://seimeffects.com/press . For editorial review copies please contact: effects@seimstudios.com

Contact:

Gavin Seim or Nathan Seim
Seim Studios LLC.
PH: 509-754-5255, Email: effects@seimstudios.com

Steve Rosenbaum or Leigh Nofi
S.I.R. Marketing Communications, Inc.
PH: 631-757-5665, Email: sir@sironline.com, leighnofi@sironline.com

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