The Photographer's Eye
In The Photographer's Eye by John Sarkowski, he discusses the increasingly democratic nature of photography and five components that he believes make up photographs. I chose five photographers whose work I love, as well as incorporated five of my own photographs to illustrate these five components.
Sierra McClain 2020
The first component that makes up a photograph, according to John Sarkowski, is the thing itself. This is the subject of the photo. Where is our eye automatically drawn? The star of the first photo, taken by my favorite food blogger ever, are the beets. There is nothing competing for our attention. The second photo, taken by me, is a little less obvious. However, the young woman in the bottom left combined with the theater sign overhead creates meaning in this photograph.
Sierra McClain 2020
While anyone can take a photo, the details are what make it interesting. The first photo captures life in Montana in the 1800s. The weathered wood, gossamer sheer curtains, and glass jar of old-fashioned thread spools transport us back in time. The second photo utilizes a short depth of field to make the focus on the flowers and blur the background.
Sierra McClain 2020
Framing a subject effectively draws our eye in and land where the photographer wants us to land. This wedding photographer used the side mirror of an old VW bus to frame in the couple. The second photo uses the contrast between the almost black side of the building and the bright colorful lights to create a frame and draw our eye in to the light display.
Sierra McClain 2020
John Sarkowski described photographers as being fascinated with immortalizing a moment in time. I loved the photos that Susan Beth took of this young lady. The shawl was waving in the wind and created a very dramatic effect. I used the second photo, which I took, to show that we experience water and clouds as always moving. This photograph shows a quick snapshot in time.
Sierra McClain 2020
Photographing architecture is a great way to show vantage point. The first photo, by Carmen van Ommen, shows the perspective of looking up in the middle of a spiral staircase. For an interesting viewpoint outside, I took this picture of the remains of a dandelion by putting my phone on the ground and pointing it upwards.
I really enjoyed thinking about photography as being an art form that is more accessible to the masses. With the rise of point and shoot cameras and then smartphones, everybody is taking pictures. Some might never elevate their photography to the point of making it an art form, but it is possible. There are a LOT of self-taught photographers out there who, by paying attention to the principles of design, capture stunning images.
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