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Learning from a Master
by Moose Peterson
Knowing that there is always more to learn in photography constantly challenges me to improve my craft. It is one of the most exciting aspects of photography for me. While the daily pursuits of capturing a new subject or new theme on film is part of this challenge, so is looking for new or untried ways to communicate in a single image. In this challenge, looking for help is not as easy. I turn to the images of the masters for inspiration and insight into my own direction in photography. With a new project at hand, I turned to Frans Lanting’s incredible job, illustrating the February 1999 Biodiversity article in National Geographic for thought and inspiration.
The Biodiversity article photographically deals with many of the same types of subjects and materials I deal with on a daily basis, vanishing habitats and endangered species. Frans does such a wonderfully beautiful job of relating all of this in a single image, in an article and in an entire body of images; one can’t help but learn from examining each image. This is exactly what I did in my own pursuit to expand my world of photography. I want to share with you what I learned by examining and enjoying these images. Of course, to make the most of this discussion, you’ll need a copy of National Geographic Feb ’99 issue.
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HOR-003
Mass spawning of horseshoe crabs
Delaware Bay, New Jersey.
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Let’s start where the article starts, with the image on page two. It’s a photograph of Horseshoe Crabs on the beach. There are many elements in this photo that really grab my attention, probably the same that grabbed the editors, which is why it’s the lead image. One element that grabs my attention is the use of a slow shutter speed to blur the motion of the commotion of the crabs, clamoring to get up the beach to lay their eggs. The slow shutter speed blurs the breaking waves to make them look like fog rather than waves. The really interesting aspect of this photo to me is the use and placement of flash.
The crabs in the lower right corner have a small burst of flash on them. This freezes the movement of the crabs so the viewer of the image can make sense of the commotion. But more importantly, it gives an anchor point to the image so the eye and mind can wander through the crabs, the sunset and back again. Marvelous! An interesting note: there are two little lights off in the distance that normally most photographers would fret about, probably leading them not to take the photo. But Frans saw the strength in the image and took it even with what some might see as a flaw. Great!
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CO5-001
Dr. Piotr Nasrecki collecting katydids at night in rainforest
La Selva, Costa Rica
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Turning just a few pages to page seven is another marvelous image. This took me a few moments to figure out; what threw me was the green tint to the sheet. I still don’t know what component caused the color; my guess is the light source. I think it’s as simple as a tungsten light source that’s being used to attract the bugs. But the beauty of the image is the almost "tinkerbell" quality to the shadow. It’s a marvelous effect on the quality of the entire photo; one not lost on the editors.
Flipping through a few pages to 24-25, you can run the gamut in photography. The main large image is one many photographers would throw away. What many would say as "out of focus" actually communicates the life on the shore better than a tack sharp image ever could. It shows the observant photographer that what many writers tell you about sharpness or grain is really bunk! I love it! On the far right are three images displaying three great uses of technique. The top image is a straight shot other than a slow shutter speed to blur the motion of the arm, throwing the crabs. The middle image is a marvelous wide angle shot. Note the lighting: the shadow of the crab on the right helps make the lead wire pop better from the sand. The bottom image is another wide angle shot with the pop of a flash, maybe gelled to create the slight magenta cast. What a great page to learn from!
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LLA-001
Llama overlooking Machu Picchu
Peru
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Going to page 38 you view a beautifully simple, yet excellent image. The brilliant placement of the llama in sunlight in the lower right corner sets the tone for the whole image because it pops out from the mountain in the background that’s in shadow. The quality of light, the use of shadows, again, is a marvelous image to learn from.
One of my favorite images is on page 47. Why do I like it so much? Because by the placement of his lights, Frans created the shadow of the marsupial lion above the spot where it was unearthed. The color, the placement and use of light in this image will make it an everlasting learning tool for me in the use of flash! Note on the right of the image, the lighting on the actual skeleton, the shadow behind it and the burst of light in the top right corner. Frans created all of this and this is not only great technique to learn from, but also great imagination to be inspired by!
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ANT-015
Road-killed giant anteater
Brazil
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While the image on page 50 is a little disturbing, I wonder how many vehicles passed and were photographed to capture the shot on this page. The anteater, road and background are a given, but it’s the car and the blurring of its passing by that makes this image. The color of the car is essential to making the whole thing work. Even more so is the amount of blur of the car and how much background one can see through the blur. How slow of a shutter speed did Frans use? How fast was the car moving? Interesting questions.
A technique you can see throughout Frans’ work and that of other Nat’l G shooters is so well illustrated on page 65. There is one obvious light source in the photo, the headlamp on the researcher. But if that light is pointing out to the right, how can the researcher’s face be lit in the same light? And how is the palm of his hand lit by this light? There are two options to the lighting: a reflector bouncing back the headlamp’s light or a gelled flash lighting the face and hand. (Of course, there could be other options I might not be aware of, which is a cool challenge in itself.) Being a stalker of light, this image challenges the observant and is simply well done.
If you look at the image below the researcher with the gecko, you might get a hint about the lighting on the gecko. Looking in the eyes of the researcher and the "rodent," you can see reflections from the two flash units being used to light the photo. I assume one is lighting the researcher, the second one lighting the rodent. The interesting point is the color of the light, both the flash and the ambient light. The gray ambient light in the background tells us about the quality of the natural light. If the "natural" qualities of flash had been used, the researcher and the rodent would have been white, the background gray, not photographically endearing. But by gelling the flash to warm up its qualities, the photo has warmth to it.
I’ve highlighted just a few of the images that I learned from. I filled a couple of pages of notes while viewing Frans’ images, learning from every f/stop and shutter speed, drop of light and focal length. No, there was no technical dribble in the captions so popular in some magazines and books. There was just the simple beauty of a master and his craft, to learn by and to set the stage for my own explorations and learning in photography.
Reprinted courtesy of Moose Peterson from his newsletter f/8 and Being There.
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