Capture the energy of Life Connecting with Your Intuition and Emotions
By Capture the Energy of Life Sonja Stich
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Hello, Thank you for purchasing this workshop! I am so grateful and thrilled to be able to share what I am passionate about with you.
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Here are a few facts about me: I am German and live in Spain with my family. I studied Art History and Design and then worked as a graphic designer for several years. Three years ago I started taking photography seriously, bought my first DSLR and joined my first learning community. The Mediterranean environment and wonderful light inspire me to take photos every day. I love taking photos on the streets of Barcelona and documenting my children’s imagination and their joy of discovery. Above all, my interest lies in capturing raw emotion and the connection between people. The workshop consists of this PDF, along with a video of me shooting photos in the streets of Barcelona, a bonus PDF with images taken on this day, another video that will guide you in discovering a variety of possibilities for potentially interesting street scenes and details. Additionally there is a playlist with songs I love that evoke different moods. Also included are three coupon codes with Possible: Moment Design, Silky Presets and Simply Actions. I hope you enjoy yourself!
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My family
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Table of contents
About This Workshop
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Your Inner Whisper 7 Form Follows Function 8 Your Unique Expression 8
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2. Connect with The World Around You
1. Let The Energy Flow
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My Unique Motivation 12 My Story 12 Connect with Yourself 16 Your Unique Motivation 16 Mindfulness 21 Awaken Your Senses 23
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What Is Interesting? 27 Define Your Subject Matter 30 The Energy of a Place 32 The Elements 35 How I Photograph Water 36 Rain 39 Fog 40 Wind 40 Subtle Energy 43 Reflections 44 Shadows 48 The Ordinary — Your Life 50 New or Unexpected 52 Embrace The Mess 52 Details 56 Music 56 Authenticity 58
3. Capturing The Energy of People
4. Create Your Image
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5. Let It Shine
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Selection Make the Magic Visible Adding Magic to Ordinary Moments Light and Shadow Backlight - Haze and Sunburst Rim Light Light Patches Shadows How I Expose In Different Light Situations The Power of Color Why I Love Black and White Color and Emotion
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Editing with Intuition in Lightroom 135 Expression with Post Processing 137 Style and Genre 139
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Emotion 65 Smile 68 Children 70 How I Connect with My Children 72 Photographing Strangers 77 Mindful Perception on The Street 78 Do I Ask For Permission 81 Anticipation, Chance and Serendipity 81 My Camera Settings For Street Photography 84 Continuous Or Single Shutter 84 Respect and Privacy 86 Movement 87 Story Telling 88 Static Elements to Emphasize Movement 91 Stay Connected 91
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Bibliography
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Working with Color 119 Composition 124 Break the Rules 126 Complexity and Visual layers 128 The Essence: Compression 130 Decisions 130
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“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it.� Martha Graham
About this Workshop In this workbook we will explore how to feel and see the energy that surrounds us, creating photos that incorporate this vitality. The numerous exercises will help you intensify your perception and learn how to translate emotions, moods and feelings into photos rich with atmosphere and meaning.
Your Inner Whisper As photographers, we tend to rely on our sight, but there is so much more beyond what we can
see. We are surrounded by a field of energy and our body and mind are constantly interacting with this energy. At times, we are more open to it, at others, less. When we practice openness with all our senses, a myriad of experiences of all kinds will unfold around us. With these experiences, innumerable photo opportunities
will emerge. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, we must prioritize and make a lot of decisions. Our conscious mind cannot handle all this on it’s own. In order to be able to react quickly and not to miss the essential moment, we have to trust our subtle inner whisper. Our intuition is a billion times more rapid and precise than our thinking. There have been moments when I was so concerned about rules, camera settings and recognition that my thinking took over completely. But practice and the yearning of my soul helped me become more confident and learn to trust in my inner voice and own, personal truth. Capture the Energy of Life
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Form Follows Function When I worked as a designer “form follows
function”, the famous Bauhaus axiom, was our daily mantra; any design object without a purpose is useless. Designers can easily get lost in the superficial and forget that something must lie below a beautiful surface. I have internalized this principle and it rings just as true for me in photography. “Form” in photography is made up of the visual elements: light, color, composition while “function” is the subject matter, the theme. A strong photo combines both in a compelling way.
A photo without application of design elements
is a snapshot. The moment may be significant, but its significance cannot be transmitted if the image does not invite observation. On the other hand, if a photo is carefully created with beautiful light, compelling colors and perfect composition but is lacking in significance, it leaves the beholder disappointed, with the feeling
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that something is missing. This doesn’t mean images of just a shadow or beautiful light are meaningless — to make things even more complicated, light, shadow or composition can actually become the subject matter of your photo.
Your Unique Expression Photography is about translating what you feel and see into a composed frame. Light, color composition and other visual elements are the tools. Anybody can apply them, but there is no one else with your unique perception of the world and your personal reasons to document it, no one who selects the same visual elements to enhance their vision. When you become aware of what these are and are able to keep this channel open, connecting with your inner truth and the world around you, the rest will follow easily. Then you will be able to take unique and interesting photos.
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1. Let the Energy flow Every moment is unique, you are unique and there is no doubt that your photos will be unique as well. If you are a beginner, you have a big advantage
opposed to experienced photographers; you have the beginner’s mind. It’s your unique and fresh view on the world. You probably have looked at less photos than more experienced photographers. Maybe you have never heard rules of composition, color theory, etc. Hopefully you
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don’t know anything about posing, so you don’t have any preconceptions about how a family photo, a photo of a two-year-old or a candid street photograph, “should” be. That is indeed great because you don’t have to unlearn that much, it will be easier for you to get to the core of what and how you want to photograph.
„In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.“ Shunryu Suzuki
Even if you are new to photography, you are not new to the earth, to life. You have already seen a lot with your eyes, and you have already felt with your body and soul. You have experience. You like some things, you dislike others. You are pleased by certain kind of light, color, composition, you don’t care for others, you are an expert in perceiving and deciphering emotions in your loved ones. You are already experienced in seeing and perceiving the world.
If you are an experienced photographer, you have the advantage that you have already mastered your camera, so you won’t have to think about the technical aspects, something which could distract you from the scene and your feelings about it. You probably see the light and know how to deal with difficult lighting conditions. Your experience in framing makes it easier for you to see interesting compositions.
To take meaningful photos that show what you see
bigger challenge to un-learn things than to learn new concepts. When you get to the core of your unique perception you will be able to apply the visual concepts with fresh eyes.
to others takes practicing awareness of your unique view on the world and then translating it into a picture. You will have to practice not only awareness, but also the technical side so your camera settings don’t become an obstacle. And most importantly, don’t forget to foster your precious beginner’s mind.
For experienced photographers, it may be a
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