Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision (Voices That Matter)

Within the Frame (2009) received critical recognition for its humanity and practical teaching, and in this revision of his classic best-selling book, David duChemin encourages you to search for what matters to you and not give up until you convey it through your photography: “I'm chasing my vision, and you will chase yours in the places best suited to that. What's important is that you chase that vision intentionally and with passion, refusing to let it be anything but yours and yours alone.” Through a heartfelt discussion about creating photographs of people, places, cultures, and the discovery of a personal point of view that makes those stories compelling and authentic, David teaches how to seek and serve your creative vision through the art of photography by highlighting images from his adventures around the world. Regardless of the setting, it's the lessons about the central role of vision and expression in photography that sets this book apart, even if you never wander far from home. David shares the nuances of approaching different subjects, the value of scouting locations (and wandering in unfamiliar places), techniques for photographing landscapes, how to capture a sense of place and culture with sensitivity through images of food, festivals, art and faith, and more. This edition includes new images, creative exercises, updated chapters, a streaming companion video, and discussions about changing perspectives, including an increased focus on landscape photography. Most importantly, David maintains the crucial theme of vision–and he helps you find, cultivate, and pursue your own, and then fit it within the frame. “If the book simply stayed right there in the realm of how-to, go-to advice, it would be a wonderful book indeed. But it crosses the line from useful to inspired because David opens up much more than his camera bag. He opens his considerable heart and mind, both of which belong to a masterful storyteller driven by an acute sympathy for the human condition, coupled with an intense curiosity and respect for both the differences and the sameness of the world.” –Joe McNally, photographer, author of The Hot Shoe Diaries and The Moment It Clicks “David does something here that few have ever done–he not only shows his absolutely captivating images, he shows the thought process behind those images, as well as how to start capturing the types of images we all long to take. People will be talking about this book for years to come. It's that good!” –Scott Kelby, photographer and best-selling author “Some photographers inspire you with how great their photographs are, while other photographers inspire you to be a better photographer; David duChemin does both in Within the Frame.” –John Paul Caponigro, photographer Cover 1 Title Page 2 Copyright Page 3 Acknowledgments 5 About the Author 7 Contents 8 Foreword 12 Introduction 15 CHAPTER ONE: It’s About Vision 21 Understanding Vision 23 Chasing Vision 25 CHAPTER TWO: Within the Frame 27 Photograph What Moves You 29 Make Me Care 31 Putting It in the Frame 33 Excluding It from the Frame 37 Indecisive Moments 40 It’s All Subjective 42 The Illusion of the Exotic 45 Putting Time Within the Frame 47 Length of Time 47 Choice of Moment 53 CHAPTER THREE: The Artist and the Geek 55 Gear Is Good, Vision Is Better 57 Decent Exposures 63 The Best Digital Negative 64 Exposing for the Highlights 65 Seeing the Light 67 Choose Your Lens Based on Behavior 71 Telephoto Lenses 74 Pushing the Wide 76 The Rule of Thirds 80 There Is No Un-Suck Filter 83 Inspiration and Perspiration 85 CHAPTER FOUR: Storytelling 95 Universal Themes 97 Conflict Within the Frame 101 The Photo Essay 103 Relationships 110 Attention Management 113 Leaving Clues and Provoking Questions 116 CHAPTER FIVE: Photographing People 123 Approaching People 125 The Language Barrier 130 The Eyes Have It 134 Capturing Emotion 137 On Giving and Taking 143 Indecent Exposures 146 Photographing Children 148 Photographing the Elderly 153 Candids vs. Portraits 160 Why Photograph Candid Street Scenes? 160 Staying Focused 162 Abstracting People 168 Lighting Challenges on Location 169 Four More 175 CHAPTER SIX: Photographing Places 181 Research 183 Scouting 185 Not-So-Great Expectations 188 Be Prepared 191 Beyond the Postcard: The Value of Wandering 196 Slow Down 200 The Feel of Place: Sensual Exploration 201 Be Present: Physical and Emotional Receptivity 203 Be in the Right Place... 203 ...At the Right Time... 205 ...In the Right Frame of Mind 206 Photographing Iconic Places 209 Iconic Images in Mundane Places 212 Making the Image 216 Wait for It 216 Seek It 217 Mine It 217 Adding the Human Element 218 Adding Scale 221 Landscapes 222 Creating Depth with Layers 229 Photograph the Big Stuff 233 Shoot the Details 236 CHAPTER SEVEN: Photographing Culture 241 Cultural Sensitivity 244 Research and Ask Questions 244 Values and Taboos 245 Different Isn’t Wrong 245 We Are All Different, We Are All the Same 247 History and Heroes 249 Photographing Food 253 Festivals and Celebrations 256 Photographing Art 260 Photographing Language 262 Photographing Faith 263 Remember the Deeper Subject and Find a Way to Express It 265 Be Respectful 267 Final Thoughts 271 Index 276 A 276 B 276 C 277 D 278 E 278 F 278 G 278 H 279 I 279 J 279 K 279 L 279 M 280 N 280 O 280 P 280 Q 281 R 281 S 282 T 282 U 283 V 283 W 283 Y 283 "Within the Frame (2009) received critical recognition for its humanity and practical teaching, and in this revision of his classic best-selling book, David duChemin encourages you to search for what matters to you and not give up until you convey it through your photography: 'Im chasing my vision, and you will chase yours in the places best suited to that. Whats important is that you chase that vision intentionally and with passion, refusing to let it be anything but yours and yours alone.' Through a heartfelt discussion about creating photographs of people, places, cultures, and the discovery of a personal point of view that makes those stories compelling and authentic, David teaches how to seek and serve your creative vision through the art of photography by highlighting images from his adventures around the world. Regardless of the setting, its the lessons about the central role of vision and expression in photography that sets this book apart, even if you never wander far from home. David shares the nuances of approaching different subjects, the value of scouting locations (and wandering in unfamiliar places), techniques for photographing landscapes, how to capture a sense of place and culture with sensitivity through images of food, festivals, art and faith, and more. This edition includes new images, creative exercises, updated chapters, a streaming companion video, and discussions about changing perspectives, including an increased focus on landscape photography. Most importantly, David maintains the crucial theme of visionand he helps you find, cultivate, and pursue your own, and then fit it within the frame."-- Amazon.com