Hello , 

Before we get into the stuff that I imagine you're here to read, I wanted to mention that starting today, toward the bottom of every email, you'll find a link to a "Newsletter Hub. " It's there just in case you want to read past emails. 

And now, onto the stuff intended to help you be a better photographer.

Yesterday, while teaching an Intermediate Photography lesson, I mentioned complexity.  

Specifically, I pointed out the complexity of the work they've been doing.

They were now engaged in a complex thought and compositional process awareness that deepened their visual awareness, vocabulary, and toolbox. 

And how, because of their complex process, they were creating more interesting and unique photographs. 

I probably didn't use the terms visual awareness, vocabulary, and toolbox, but those are the terms I sometimes tend to use. 

I also pointed out that complex does not mean difficult. 

Anyway, I want to discuss the differences between difficult (hard) photography and complex photography.

Difficult (Hard) Photography

Most photographers contact me about my classes because they find photography hard. The frustration and disappointment we experience usually occur because we find photography difficult. 

And we typically experience difficulty as photographers when our photographs come out differently than intended.

 But, what we once perceived as difficult becomes not difficult through understanding. 

And in our case, as photographers, that understanding comes through our photography studies and practice. 

Specifically, our photography is no longer difficult when we understand what we do as photographers. And our understanding of what we do with camera operation, elements of composition, and our observation of light results in a photograph. 

The benefits of understanding result in the following:

• Decreasing the time and effort in creating pictures
• Seeing how our circumstances and conditions influence the outcome of our photography
• An increase in our confidence and capabilities
• Increasing the accuracy during our compositional process
• An increase in our ability to create the best pictures possible

Complex Photography

 Complex does not mean difficult. 

Complex means there's multiple parts. We can also think of this as a composite. An analogy can be the difference between an amoeba, made of a single cell, and a human, made of trillions on top of trillions of cells. 

Again, our difficulty comes from not understanding. And once we understand we can begin working with the complexities of photography. 

Our photography can be complex depending on how we think about our actions while making a picture and what we do.

On the other hand, it can be not complex for the same reasons.

 And, of course, there's the depth of complexity, which varies.

I prefer my approach to photography to be complex. And I enjoy seeing what appears to be a complex photograph. Furthermore, because more complex photographs seem more interesting to me, I tend to spend more time engaged with what I see.

We create complex photographs by first observing and understanding the light we see (visual awareness) and then defining our intent of composition.

And once we have defined our intent of composition,we create our photograph with our intent of camera operation based on our intent of composition. 

With complexity comes:

• A way of thinking
• An intricate knowing
• Specific expectations
• An increased and more specific range of learning activity
• An ability to understand, recognize and communicate abstract concepts
• The quality of our responses, in the form of the photographs we make, improves

The Paradox of Complexity

The paradox of complexity in our photography studies and practice is that with complexity comes simplicity. 

To put it another way, because we have knowledge of the complexities of photography and understand how to work with them, we can create photographs more efficiently, confidently, and uniquely.  

What We Do Is Up to Us

As usual, since life and our photography are full of choices, we can work in a complex or not-complex way. 

And if your camera gives you a choice of exposure modes, the best way to get involved in the complexities of photography working in fully manual exposure mode.

On the other hand, if we want to avoid involvement in the complexities, then fully automatic exposure mode is the way to go. 

And if we're using the camera on our phone, we can still get involved in a substantial chunk of the complexities of photography. 

Whatever we choose to do, the bottom line is we have to be happy with our work. 

And If we're not because our pictures are not coming out the way we want, complexity is the way.  

 Classes are below.

These emails come with the intent of helping you be a better photographer. Here's an archive of them at the "Newsletter Hub." 

Ways To Learn Photography With Sam