Straight from the heart - the art of seeing
Is there an art form of seeing? …how can you train your eye to shoot a great picture? … and what is a great picture?
These are questions I am getting from some of my students, and the answer is pretty simple.
We all are born with a unique view. Give 5 photographers a camera and tell them what to capture. The outcome will be 5 different views and images. Show one picture to 5 people and all of them will see it differently.
Photography is an art form and it should be free to put anything into boxes. A good photograph is a picture which speaks to your heart! It is that simple!
Photography has to do how YOU see the world and what YOU feel. It is an expression of yourself.
Training your Eye.
As a street photographer you need to have a good eye and sense for situation. Sometimes you just have a second to decide to capture a moment. There will be some situation where you’ll miss a shot - this can be a bit frustrating - but with time you will get better and faster.
The best way is - start to observe your surrounding. Go to an area where you want to shoot, sit down, have a coffee and try to feel the life around you. Take a shot, when you think it is worth it - but don’t push yourself too hard. Come back as often as you can and shoot more - after a while you will see that you get fantastic shots. Be patient - if you missed a shot - try it again - sometimes same situation happen twice :).
Try to focus on interaction between people, humour, light, color, texture or whatever comes to your mind.
Another advice is - try to find out what kind of photography you like - is there a special form of composition or style? Use Pinterest and bookmark all images you like (if you are interested check out my Board). You’ll easily see in what direction your photography can go.
Just trust your guts and experiment! Never forget - there is no wrong or right - everything comes straight from your heart - and this can’t be wrong!