I am really enjoying the tone and feel of Michael Freeman’s (2007) book, it includes a sumptuous range of images and has clearly had an influence on how the Art of Photography is shaped.

I hadn’t got very far, the Introduction in fact, before I was wrestling with a number of what seemed like key issues:

• Recognising the decision making behind the taking of a photograph
• The relationship between the kit and composition
• My own relationship to the equipment
• The impact of the immediacy of digital photography
• Why design has been neglected in the teaching of photography
• The place of the digital darkroom and post-production possibilities

These feel like pretty weighty points to consider and I imagine they will sit with me for some time. I am sure I will keep returning to them as my work evolves and the course progresses.

As Freeman (2007: 6) himself says:

“This comprehensive control inevitably affects composition and the simple fact that so much can be done with an image in post-production increases the need to consider the image and its possibilities ever more carefully.”

Reference:

Freeman, M. (2007). The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and design for better digital photos. Lewes, East Sussex: Ilex Press Ltd.