SUBTRACTION ---- Due August 31, 2021

Subtraction

Produce 2 images and place in UA Box Subtraction folder

  

In this exercise we want to create minimalist photographs by removing distractions from

the frame. Generally the idea is this: start off with a photographic scene you are interested

in, and continue to subtract from the frame, until you (almost) have nothing left.

For example you see a guy drinking a cappuccino in a cafe and you want to take a street

photo of him. The general photograph you might take is just a simple landscape

(horizontal) shot of him, which might have clutter on the left and right of the frame.

You then subtract from the left and right of the frame by shooting a vertical (portrait)

photograph. Now you have a much simpler image: you have subtracted the clutter on the

left and right of the frame. You realize that you don’t need to include his legs in the

frame. So you take a step closer, and you frame the scene horizontally. Now you only

have a photograph of his waist to the top of his head. Can you subtract more? You bet

you can.

The point of the assignment is to try to figure out how much you can subtract from the

scene and really capture the essence of the scene.

There is a lot of “noise” in photography (elements which don’t add to a scene). Rather,

try to find the “signal” (the elements of the photograph which are truly interesting).

So when you’re shooting a street photograph, what do you really find interesting? Focus

on the details.

Generally this assignment involves getting closer to the action and your subjects.

As Robert Capa said, “If your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.”

By getting closer, you get more physically and emotionally intimate with your subjects.