Composition using light and shade with Andy Jones.
Meet at the Sea Lane Café.
We have been asked a few times recently to cover photographic composition within the Hints and Tips programme, so we are going to give this a try. There are so many different styles and genres of photography trying to cover all aspects of composition in one go isn’t realistic. We are therefore going to go for one topic at a time with the first being light and contrast. This is not going to be from a teacher pupil perspective but real time interaction within the group who attend. I am not suggesting I’m the expert but both these aspects are key to my photography so I will be available to help wherever possible. Hopefully others with experience will be ready to add their expertise. You can progress in singles, doubles, groups, whatever.
I usually seek out light and see what I can make of it or find composition and wait for the light. I try for contrast wherever possible, relating either to the light or subject matter. The intension is to teach ourselves light and we will look for overhead light, side light, reflected light, back light, shooting into the light, seeing silhouettes and trying to make shapes and composition from them. This can be undertaken in black and white or colour, whatever takes your fancy. We can also look at dynamic range, aspect ratios, balance, shadows, reflections, negative space, metering and so on. If you are a new photographer or find that all this seems too much, we can help by keeping it simple and stick to the basics. It's what works for you and what you see, not what I see.
Of course, to make this work we need appropriate light, a day with flat light will be a challenge. Notwithstanding we are going for it. I have chosen Goring Gap at low tide as the venue as it often works well.
We will start at 2pm from the Sea Lane Cafe, Marine Crescent, Goring by Sea. BN12 4HR. If you wish to meet before and have lunch or coffee in the cafe that's fine. I won’t give an end time; you can go when you like or meet back in the cafe and discuss the day.
We are also going to try to take this one step further and show and discuss results at the following Hints and Tips meeting on Wednesday 19th October at Thakeham Village Hall. We will contact you all later regarding this.