Deutschmann Rod - Painting with a lens: the digital photographers guide to designing artistic images in-camera

We dedicate this book to that undying artist within us all, to those explorers of light who strive to create a world unique, expressing their vision of not just what is, but of what is possible.

Copyright 2012 by Rod and Robin Deutschmann.

All photographs by the authors unless otherwise noted.

All rights reserved.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc.

P.O. Box 586

Buffalo, N.Y. 14226

Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Assistant Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt

Editorial assistance provided by Chris Gallant, Sally Jarzab, and John S. Loder

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-237-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011924259

Printed in Korea.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

Check out Amherst Medias blogs at:
http://portrait-photographer.blogspot.com/
http://weddingphotographer-amherstmedia.blogspot.com/

R od and Robin have been teaching people to be artists with their cameras for years. Taking a practical approach to modern photography, the duo strips the nonsense from the facts and the hype from the truth. They believe that creativity lies in the artists soul and not his camera bag. Touting the advantages of manual control, they offer a fresh view of photography that rebels against the norm. They strive to give each of their students the knowledge, will, and desire to wrestle back manual control over their camera and never look back. Their innovative approach and down-to-earth style have garnered them a loyal following of Southern California photographers. Rod cut his teeth in the graphic communications field as a young Marine Combat Correspondent, earning many accolades and awards. Both Rod and Robin are award-winning, fine-art photographers and award-winning newspaper editors. Together, they cofounded the In-Focus Learning Center in 2006 and have dedicated themselves to bringing art back to photography, one in-focus artist at a time.

This journey has been amazing, and it wouldnt have been possible without the ever-positive support from our children, students, family, and friends. A heartfelt thank you also goes out to Craig, Michelle, Barbara, Kate, and the rest of our Amherst Media family who have supported our approach and given us a vehicle with which to reach millions of photographers looking for something different.

You have a choice each time you pick up your camera. You can either record what sits in front of you or create something unique. Sometimes being creative can be as simple as rotating the camera when you shoot, knowing full well that if you used a slow shutter speed, the world would blur around your chosen axis, keeping the center area clean and in focus. Being artistic simply means you have allowed yourself the chance to explore and create, to take chances and express who you really are.

T here is a different approach, you know. Photography doesnt just have to be about gear, shooting modes, and computer programs. It can be about expression, vision, and heart. It can be about the individual pride that comes from taking full control of the creative process and choosing all of the in-camera settings yourself. It can be about the art you create, not just the pictures you take. Photography can be about you.

What if we told you that you were wrong about photography? What if the majority of what youve read about capturing light was slightly skeweddesigned to make you purchase equipment instead of making you an artist? What if we told you that more megapixels cant possibly make your bad photo better, only bigger? What if we told you that you didnt need your cameras meter, that you didnt have to hold your camera still, and that shooting in RAW was a bad thing for an artist? Would you listen?

What if we told you that all of the automatic modes in your camera are useless, that fixing an image in postproduction was pointless, and that it is your vision, not your equipment, that is holding you back? Would you care?

Now, what if we told you there was a different way, a way that sets free the visionary inside, a way that changes your perspective of the world and shows you options instead of rules? What if we told you that everyone can create art with their camera, and that its more important to make sure that you are in focus than to ensure your images are? What if we told you that you were wrong about photography? Would you listen?

An artist can use photography to express himself, to share an idea, to challenge society. It doesnt just have to be about portraits, weddings, and poses. A camera is an amazing tool. It can truly release the artist inside of us, if we let it. You have a decision to make when using a camera. You can either create an image that reflects who you are and how you feel, or you can take a photograph of all the stuff around you. The choice is yours. We teach our students how to see beyond one simple subject and put an entire graphic puzzle together. We search out the fantastic by visualizing how things could look.

Digital photography is evolving. Demands are changing. People arent buying the hype anymore. They know more megapixels wont make their bad photos better. They realize that they cant Photoshop-in creativity or pride. Millions of people are discovering that their equipment just cant give them what they truly want. They are looking for guidance, but all they are getting is hype.

Lower prices, do-everything lenses, and marketing campaigns that promised the moon convinced many that the dSLR held the answers to their picture-taking woes. They were looking for magic, but what they found was the truth: great photographs dont come from great cameras, they come from great people. No matter how much you spend on your camera, it can only capture light, it cant create art. And herein lies the real problem: there are very few books that teach people to be artists with their camera, that start from the very beginning and push to the end. There are plenty of books on the market that show readers how to use their cameras and introduce them to auto features and shooting modes, but they dont teach them how to be visionaries, to think beyond what they see, to use the physics of light to their advantage, to create messages instead of just taking pictures. And not one book shows its readers how to combine the mechanics of photography with their own unique ability to visualize a message, to see outside of the box. We decided to change that.