During the workshop we were encouraged to go out shooting without a particular goal or subject in mind, to walk slow and be observant. It was also suggested that we include people in our images. This was particularly difficult for me so I started out small and got more bold as the workshop went on.
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Jay taught the importance of color in an image. Its not about how saturated the color is or how many different colors there are but the subtleties, nuances and interactions of color. I must admit I have been guilty of over saturation in the past but will try to restrain myself ;-)
All of the images from this class are straight from the camera. I do have the camera set to "Vivid" as does Jay but have otherwise left the image untouched.
He also talked much about vision and seeing. I've photographed in Madrid, New Mexico before but went with preconceived ideas of what and how I would photograph. This time I went empty and walked slowly. It was amazing the new things that I saw and the unexpected photographs I got!
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Another day during the workshop I was in nearby Madrid looking around for photo opportunities. And then it quickly clouded over and started to snow. I was bummed out but remembered that Jay got many wonderful images in inclement weather. So I pulled out the camera and started shooting. This is one of my favorite images from the workshop...
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Tags: Santa Fe New Mexico Jay Maisel Workshop Light, Color, and Gesture Still Life Perception Seeing James Neeley
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Jay Maisel teaches that Light, Color, and Gesture are the main components of any image. Light and Color were easiest to grasp but Gesture was a bit harder. Gesture exists everything. It is movement, attitude, vibe, personality, character, expression, feeling, revelation, surprise, symbolism, persona...well you get the idea. The face and hands often have strong gesture and our eyes are naturally drawn to them which is why, I think Jay wanted us to photograph people during the workshop week.
Over the course of the workshop I gained more understanding of how to apply this concept to other types of photography including landscapes and still lifes. I've got a lot of work to do but it was definitely an enlightening experience.
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Jay Maisel never really gave us assignments. Only to go out on the shoot empty with no particular goal or type of shot to get. This day I was in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe and there was wonderful light streaming through the stained glass windows. OK, I had light and color. Now I just needed gesture. I snapped on a longer lens and just waited. After about 10 minutes, this little girl walked by reaching out to the colors as she passed - a wonderful innocent gesture!
I have many other images of the colors on the pillars but I can now see that the more impactful images are those with people and gesture, one of the most important incites I received at the workshop.
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