Photography

Keep It Simple

February 18, 2009 This past Saturday, Valentine's Day to be exact, was particularly moving for me in the world of CDIA and printmaking. I fell in love again. I of course had class and spent the day with Bob Korn and my CDIA part time photography family. While standing in the print lab, photo in hand, bluesy music streaming from a laptop in the corner, I realized I am in love with photography. CDIA has been my home away from home since September. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the instructors and classes.

My most recent module, fine art printing with Bob Korn has been by far the most beneficial and interesting class for me.  Bob’s teaching reminds us that we are not only photographers but also artists. He empowers each of us with the knowledge that we can convey emotions through our photos. It may sound odd that a printing class can have this much of an effect but believe me when I say this is not just any printing class. For starters, Bob has a motto that while cute is actually practical. K.I.S – keep it simple.  This is a rather timely motto considering we have now completed our second Photoshop class, which can be anything but simple. We are reminded that sometimes all a photo needs is to be held in hand and quietly looked at for a moment. If you walked into Bob’s class you would most likely hear, “too dark or too light?” in an almost melodic fashion. That is because Bob believes that a good photo is hiding inside many of our seemingly average images and the good images can be great.

Photo by Sarah Viera

In the last few weeks Bob has taught me to listen to my instinct, look at one image at a time and think about one element at a time. Density, contrast, and overall color begin to take on new meaning. These elements have become an important part of my technique and are now tools in my arsenal. Bob did more than teach me technique and printing. He reminded me that I am an artist and my images can touch people. This simple statement floats to the top of my mind as I prepare to photograph my sweet little dog and I think, “Will this be too dark or too light or just right?”