You are seeing with camera #1 a pair of eyes, then you capture something with camera #2 on film or a digital sensor, all to present it to camera #3 another pair of human eyes-. Photographers must consider the way the scene is perceived by each camera, and how they relate will have a huge influence on the way your image will finally present.

First Camera -Human Vision-
We are seeing everything, the mass unorganized beautiful chaos of nature, the bright white seamless in the otherwise cavernous black hole of a photo studio, the history, symmetry, and grandeur of an ancient European cathedral. The full emotion and information of the original scene can scarcely be replicated. If, in fact, the original information and emotion is wanted to be replicated. If you are shooting in a studio there is the technical chaos of lighting equipment, is that the story your trying to make? Or do we remove all of the madness of real life to transport the model into the make believe white world of Apple advertisements?
As we decide to add and remove information from the situation you change the end viewer’s possible perception, because they will only see what they are given.

Second Camera -Sensor or Film-
The snap of a shutter has two opposing functions; capturing and eliminating information. After a shutter has chattered there is now a copy of information which otherwise would have disappeared all but from memory. However at the same moment the FOV has eliminated a ton information about the scene. (Also think about dynamic range, colour reproduction and situational information the camera can’t capture) The ability to delete information from the viewer’s perception comes with tremendous opportunity to make stories and present ideas, but it also can be a responsibility for photojournalists; what you don’t know can hurt your perception

Third Camera -Human Vision-
The human eye is now presented with an image, which represents part of the original scene, and depending on the photographer’s method and intent may misrepresent, or infer new ideas and information.

When photographing the information included or excluded will have a profound impact on the way an image is viewed. A specific example for sports photographers is the infamous ‘guy in the sky’ picture; an athlete airborne but without context of the location, event, or stunt. Although these photographs can reveal some things which full scene photographs may not, the excluded information can make the image confusing, unnatural and even disappointing (fellow athletes really want to know what is going on, so they can appreciate the photograph)

The Camera doesn’t lie, our perception is gullible and arrogant.

-Click for the Introduction to, and Directory for; Foveas and Photographs series

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Foveas and Photographs

I am starting a ongoing blog series which explores the relationship between photography and human vision. The aim is better understand the intricacies involved with the way we see before photographs are taken, the way cameras capture our vision, and the way we see photographs when they are displayed. This will help you make better images, Images which can better fulfill your original vision.

1) A photograph is as good as blank space unless its viewed, and to be viewed, human vision is involved.
2) The vast majority of photographs are made by capturing something already seen by a human’s eye. Or a vision of how the light will be captured if we manipulate the light captured. -Exceptions; Hubble telescope and blind photographers etc, but even these photographs are subject to #1

The human eye is the most important camera to consider when photographing, because without it an image is nothing. Can a photographer afford not to train the most important camera he’ll ever use?
A little warning, if you are to take these ideas to heart you will really start to change the way you see. You will find yourself being interrogated by the people around you; “What ARE you doing?” I was sitting at a restaurant eating sushi when I unconsciously started moving my head like a charmed snake, with one eye closed, as I examined how the light was refracting through frosted glass on the wall.

Foveas and Photographs Directory;

-Introduction to Foveas and Photographs

- Benefits of Stereo Vision You Didn’t Know About
- Controlling Your Viewer’s Perception
- Field of View
- LDR -Exploiting a Shallow Dynamic Range

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