Can a photo have too much.

When I was using the blue filters,studio flash was very much a rarity. So, I generally opted for monochrome. But sometimes colour film was the only option. 

A studio session needed to be two hours to do what now takes half the time with multiple flash heads. Bliss!  

Yes it can.  

Robert, having reread this original post once again and then again, I struggled to come up with a clear cut answer about defining the subject of an image. The response could be that if the subject in a picture, regardless of the medium, is not clear in its intent, then it has simply failed. Sometimes the subject can be too familiar to the photographer and  “sees what he / she means” but, it is lost on everyone else. The choice of lens, like a paint brush or chisel is of no relevance to the viewer.

Today, I went over the Mersey, having checked my passport and found a good viewpoint just by the Seacombe ferry terminal, as I wanted to capture images of the ferry “Snowdrop” as she was facing the world for the first time in her new “Dazzle” livery. Clearly, she was the subject, but, to bring it all into context, I selected the backdrop of Liverpool, subject + context. The new livery is very eye-catching and the subject would have been diluted with a monochromatic rendering against a bland background. These images satisfy me, and score by being very clear in what is being portrayed. Yesterday, I took some pictures of the long suffering Mrs.Burkey. They were taken against the light from a window as she reclined after a light lunch. The subject was Wendy clearly, but also depicts her wistful mood. So, to me this is a strong image with a main subject and a subsidiary one.

Can a picture have too much Robert? For me, yes it most certainly can, sending only confusion to the brain via the eyes. We all must see this in the work of others but hopefully delete ours when it happens. On location, the eye is often seduced by not only what you see, but also sometimes what you “want” to see. Before we press the shutter, a clear intention of what we want and really see is vital. Otherwise we fall into the trap of not only boring the pants off the viewer with too many pictures, but also presenting confusion with the subject matter, especially when that in itself is indefinable.    

So, Robert carry on looking at POE. Here you will find much to enjoy, and dare I say, also much to set off signals that might not please others. Such is life.                 

John, our hobby is not a static thing hopefully. The joy us in how our styles change as time passes. 

Portrature is rather like capturing a landscape. Human features are a combination of shapes and texture, just like almost every thing we point our lenses at.

What I attempt to do is capture things as I see them. Keeping a camera to hand makes a lot of sense.