Most photographers, I think, print their favorite images and hang them in their home. I don't. I think the reason is I get bored easily with images and after a very short time -- like two days -- I'm sorry I spent the money to print and frame a picture of mine. It seems my latest images are the ones I enjoy most, but then they get replaced by even newer ones. Until last week, I didn't have a single photograph of mine displayed in my home with the exception of one 8x10 of my two dogs playing when they were young. And that's in a small stand siting on the washing machinet in the laundry room.
Things changed when my wife, Dia, decided she wanted to use one of my AI floral abstracts as a mural for the powder room. Most of our house is neutral in tone, so this would be nothing less than a wild, almost psychedelic departure from what we already have. I was game, so Dia chose the image and we ordered the 5 1/2 x 8 foot print from Murals Your Way online. The mural came in two panels. The company was very professional, specified the resolution, and sent me a digital proof. All looked good, and when it came I was very impressed. The color was true to my original digital file and the overall quality really couldn't have been better. It came with a self-adhesive backing, and I had visions of myself hanging it until I climbed an 8-foot ladder and realized I couldn't reach the 12 foot ceiling without standing on the upper steps of the ladder. That was way too high for me, so we called professional wallpaper hangers and they did a great job.
Dia chose a shade of blue paint to match the mural, and now we have a powder room displaying one of my images. I don't think I'll get bored with it because it's really just an abstraction of pretty colors. We'll see.
Jim Zuckerman photos@jimzuckerman.com www.jimzuckerman.com
SYMMETRY
Many photographers struggle with capturing winning compositions. After all, the world is a compositional mess and it can be difficult to make artistic sense out of the elements before us.
In teaching composition, I feel it helps if you hold in your mind certain things to look for. Guidelines like S-curves, leading lines, the Rule of Thirds, and balance are all designed to tease apart a scene to find the portion of it that works
as a visually pleasing composition.
The concept of symmetry is also important to keep in mind. It is easiest to identify symmetry in architecture because so many buildings are designed in perfect balance. The stunning interior of the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, below, is an example, as is the medieval façade of a building in York, England, at the upper right on the next page.
Symmetry isn’t confined to architcture, though.
It can be found in many different subjects as shown on this page and the next. Admittedly, with wildlife it’s rare to find a situation like I did with the meerkats in Namibia, but it does happen. With people, it can be set up or you can simply recognize it. The photo of the two guards in Kyrgyzstan, below right, is an example where I simply saw the compositional potential and took advantage of it.
The technique
To underscore the perfection of a symmetrical subject or scene, it is essential to position yourself dead center on the subject. This sounds simple, but it’s been my experience in leading photography tours that most people seem to have difficulty in locating dead center. If you are off even by 2 or 3 feet, the oblique
shooting position compromises the shot. The symmetrical elements in the scene no longer look perfectly balanced; in fact, they will appear askew to a slight degree.
To establish dead center, the point from which you should be taking the picture, draw an imaginary perpendicular line from the plane of the symmetrical elements to where you need
to stand. From that point -- which is simply a mental projection and may not be perfectly accurate -- move a little to the right and to the left until the elements in the scene appear to be exactly balanced. Ultimately, that’s what you are looking for -- balance between the two halves of the frame.
You can never go wrong with symmetry in photography. The images will always work compositionally. The four dancers I photographed in India, above, are a perfect example. The distant pyramidal structure in the background isn’t exactly in the middle, but it’s quite subtle and doesnt interfere with the symmetry and balance of the dancers and the way they are posing. This happened for a just a second or two during the performance, but when you are looking for balance and symmetry, it’s easy to identify when it occurs.
Another example of recognizing symmetry when you see it is the shot below taken during my Louisiana Swamp photo tour. Swamps are always compositional messes, and it’s the photographer’s job to separate the elements to make strong pictures. It’s not easy, but again, focusing your thought process on identifying patterns -- like symmetry -- will help you with recognizing excellent compositions.
Winter Wildlife Workshop
February 6 - 11, 2025y 13 - 22024
Set ups with people
When you preconceive a particular picture and set it up, you have complete control. You are, in essence, the director. In Bali, Indonesia, for example, I was in a furniture store and discovered a spectacular dragon staircase in their huge facility. The staircase alone made a wonderful image, but I thought how incredible it would be to photograph two Balinese dancers on it. I asked permission from the store manager, and then through my local guide we arranged the two dancers in full makeup and costume. This has to be planned in advance because it can take two hours to apply all the makeup.
As you can see in the image below, the symmemtrical design of both the dragon staircase and the placement of the dancers make
the image particularly engaging.
After my photo tour group and I finished with the staircase, we did some closeup portraits Notice how symmetrical the image above is. Both sides of the dancer’s face are almost mirrors of each other and, with the central placement of the girl’s face in the frame, I underscored and emphasized the perfectly balanced symmetry.§
Various Types of
OLeading Lines
ne of the major tenants of composition is the idea of a leading line. This basically states that one or more lines begin at the bottom of the frame and extend into the picture. The concept is that the leading lines draw our eye, and our attention, into the depths of the image where, presumably, the subject was placed. This is considered good compositional technique.
Most photographers think of leading lines as roads, rivers, and walking paths of various descriptions. But a leading line can take many forms. A fence line, the dramatic architectural lines created by using a wide angle lens, tree trunks, bold graphic designs on a floor, and even the long legs of a fashion model can all serve the same purpose -- to draw our focus toward the subject which, of course, is the purpose of the image.
To be completely effective, leading lines need to be entirely in focus. Small lens apertures need to be used to garner as much depth of field as possible. When using a wide angle lens, complete DOF is easy to create. If a long lens is involved, it’s quite possible even f/32 won’t be enough to render the entire leading line in focus. In those instances, you’ll need to use a tripod and employ focus stacking.
Leading lines are not relevant to all photographs, but like the idea of symmetry, it’s good to familiarize yourself with the power of a leading line in making strong compositions. §
S - curves
The one compositional element I am constantly looking for is S-curves. This graphic component is the most striking design element you will ever find, and it's also the one that's hardest to find. Spiral staircases are the most obvious places to look, like the dramatic one at right I captured in a lighthouse on the coast of France. Also, the multi-colored repeating S-curve design I spotted in Singapore, below, is pretty amazing.
Other places to look are sand dunes, the sensuous curve of a nude, a fence line, the edge of a leaf, wave fronts on the beach, aerial views of river systems, a curvaeceous boardwalk, a slithering snake, sea shells, streaks of traffice lights at night, and the curve of a heron's neck.
More examples of S-curves
Ethiopia Photo Tour
Jan. 21 - Feb. 3, 2025
Like leading lines, S-curves require complete depth of field so they will be sharp over the entire shape of the curve. Otherwise, the power of the graphic design will be lost in a meaningless blur. S-curves define subjects, and subjects should, for the most part, be sharp. Backgrounds can be blurred for artistic effect, but not subjects.
Similar to leading lines, S-curves help guide the viewer's eye through the image to the primary subject at the end of the curve. It's such a powerful visual element that it rivets our attention exactly where the photographer wants us to look.
The S-curve can also be the subject itself, of course, with nothing else competing for attention as in the two images on this page. Whenever you can, incorporate S-curves into your work. §
River system in the late afternoon from 35,000 feet photographed from a commercial jet.
Pantanal Photo Tour, Brazil
Jaguars in the wild, birds, caiman, otters and more
Nov. 9 - 17, 2025
Photography Quiz
1. Which of the following subjects make accurate metering impossible:
a. Lightning
b. Fireworks
c. Shooting the sun with a telephoto
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
2. Raising the center column has no bearing on the stability of a tripod.
a. True
b. False
3. Depth of field increases when:
a. The subject to camera distance decreases
b. A smaller aperture is used
c. A medium telephoto is used for the shot
d. The ISO is increased
4. Lens flare can be eliminated by composing the sun in the center of the frame.
a. True
b. False
5. The sharpest pictures when shooting through glass is when the axis of the lens is:
a. Perpendicular to the plane of the glass
b. At a 45 degree angle to the plane of the glass
c. None of the above
d. All of the above
6. When using HDR, the number of frames you need depends on how much contrast there is.
a. True
b. False
7. Large format cameras of the past could go down to f/90 and even f/128.
a. True
b. False
8. When doing panoramas in which several frames are taken, you should:
a. Use a wide angle lens so the stitching at the edges aligns properly
b. Use a telephoto lens so the stitching at the edges aligns properly
c. Put your camera on multiple exposure mode
d. Also use image stabilization
9. ‘Flash duration’ refers to the actual length of time the flash tube is lit during an exposure.
a. True
b. False
10. The ‘exposure triangle’ refers to:
a. Shutter speed, lens aperture, and depth of field
b. Shutter speed, exposure compensation, and ISO
c. Shutter speed, ISO, and lens aperture
d. ISO, lens aperture, and white balance
UPCOMING PHOTO WORKSHOPS
Snowy Owl Workshop
Close up encounters with these beautiful birds of the North. Capture bird in flight shots in a snowy environment. Jim guides you in camera settings and technique to take the best pictures possible.
January 9 - 13, 2025
AI Course Online
Learn how to make amazing images -- real or fantasy -- with the online AI software. Let your imagination run wild! You can create the most stunning, dramatic, and outrageous images -- as well as works of art, still lifes, wildlife, landscapes, floral abstracts, and more.
Nov. 23, 30 & Dec. 7, 2025
Carnival in Venice
Photograph amazing costumes in a Medieval environment. We shoot inside a 16th century palace, in an iconic gondola, in a stunning bedroom with traditional Venetian decor, and at other great locations. The photography as well as the experience is phenomenal.
February 23 - March 1, 2025
eBooks
Click on any ebook to see inside
Abandoned in Georgia
April 21 - 27, 2025
How Can I Improve This Image?
Photographic images transformed into paintings have always appealed to me. Some subjects are more appropriate for this technique than others; Carnival in Venice is such an artistic fantasy that I really enjoy turning these kinds of pictures into painterly images. The incredible costuming and the medieval environment is classic European artistry.
The image above is a shot of one of the costumed women during carnival. She was simply posing in front of an ancient stucco wall. I combined the original picture with a closeup shot of another stucco wall, blended them together in Photoshop, and produced what could very well be a painting in oil or arcylic.
I like the results very much, but I'm always thinking about how to tweak images to make them better. Adding a beam or shaft of light is often a poignant way to do that, but what I used to use in Photoshop -- the command Filter > render > lighting effects -- has been removed from the latest version, unfortunately. Adobe no longer supports 3D commands in Photoshop (you now have to subscribe to Adobe Substance to create in a 3D environment). Still, there was a simple solution.
To create the 'spotlight' on the model's face, I made a rough selection around a portion of her hat, her face, and her gloves. I then feathered the edge of the selection by 50 pixels using this command: Select > modify > feather. By doing that, the transition between the lightening effect and the background would be very gradual. Next, I chose Select > inverse which selected everything except the face, hat, and gloves, i.e. the background and the dress, and used Image > adjustments > levels. I then moved the central slider to darken the selected parts of the picture.
I then hit Select > inverse again, and this time I lightened the selection as if a spotlight was directed to the model.
A hunded years ago Ansel Adams was experimenting with burning and dodging photographic prints. He learned a photographer could dramatically impact an image simply by manipulating the highlights and the shadows. That's all I've done here. Same idea, but now we use digital means to add artistry and visual impact to our pictures. §
Bhutan Photo Tour
March 31 - April 10, 2025
SHORT AND SWEET
1. Shooting outdoors in the middle of the day with a clear sky is tough. Contrast is a serious problem. The only way to prevent shadows from going black and highlights blowing out is to use two sliders in ACR or Lightroom: highlights and shadows. It's still not like shooting in soft light, but it's the only thing we can do.
3. A large flock of birds in flight in which each bird is sharp is impossible to take. Telephotos have limited depth of field. These are red kites I shot in England. I took many frames and then cut and pasted the various sharp birds together in one frame and then added the sharp clouds.
2. You can combine an AI image with your own photograph. In the image below, I made the onyx lion in Midjourney, the software I use for AI, with a shot I took in Seville, Spain. This is done in Photoshop, just like you're compositing two photographs together. With AI, there are no limits.
4. When you are shooting action, you have to err on the side of a fast enough shutter to freeze the movement. It's better to overestimate the speed of the shutter you need as opposed to underestimate it. You wouldn't want a picture like this to be 'almost' sharp. I took this shot with a shutter speed of 1/500. §
England & Wales
September 4 - 14, 2024
ASK JIM
Every month, Jim answers a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.
Q: Jim . . . I know you are a Canon shooter, and I think you primarily use the R5. The R5 Mark II was just announced, and I wanted your opinion whether or not there have been sufficient upgrades to warrant the expendit ure.
Doug McAllen, Anaheim, California
A: The answer is yes. I was waiting for the pre-capture (Canon is calling it 'pre-burst') feature that is primarily for shooting birds, and the new camera has it. I was also hoping for a faster frame rate. The R5 is 20 fps while the new Mark II is 30 fps. For super fast moving subjects like birds, this is significant. §
Partial List of Photography Tours
2024 - 2026
COLORADO in AUTUMN Sept/Oct 2024
GREAT GRAY OWLS, CANADA Feb 2025
Sept 2025
Nov 2025
SNOWY OWLS in CANADA Jan 2025
ISLANDS Apr/May 2025
Oct 2025
PAST May 2026
WINTER WILDLIFE Feb 2025
Mar/Apr 2025
Oct/Nov 2025
Aug 2026
Great Gray Owls, Canada
February 16 - 21, 2025
Student Showcase
Each month, Jim features one student who took beautiful and inspiring images on one or more of his photography tours or workshops. It’s really fascinating how photographers see and compose such different images even though we may go to the same places. Everyone takes great photographs on Jim’s trips.
