Seeing Things
Michael O'Brien's blog for evolving photographers
Tuesday, 12 August 2025
Thursday, 15 February 2024
THE JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES #2 - SHOMEI TOMATSU
Shomei Tomatsu (1930 - 2012) is considered the most influential Japanese photographer of the postwar era.
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photo by Shomei Tomatsu |
Wednesday, 24 January 2024
JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY SERIES - It's All About Hiroshi Sugimoto - a short video
A short video interview with one of the giants of conceptual photography.
Sunday, 21 January 2024
Saturday, 6 May 2023
LISTEN CAREFULLY TO PHOTOGRAPHS
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Saturday, 22 April 2023
THE PELOURINHO DISTRICT IN SALVADOR DE BAHIA, BRAZIL
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The Pelourinho, Salvador, Brazil ©Michael G.O'Brien |
Friday, 7 April 2023
BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY MATTERS MORE THAN EVER
It has become more and more common in the current digital era to look at things in color, which means that we often forget about how important black and white photography can be for our creativity, our perception of the world, and our photography. Despite the fact that black and white (bw) photography may not be as prevalent as it once was, it’s still an important tool in a photographer’s creative toolbox—especially if you want to develop your own unique style as a photographer.
History - the first 100 years of photography is dominated by black and white imagery. 'Shooting' in bw is not just a technique or 'trick', it's an integral part of that history and when we make bw photographs we have a chance to step into that tradition - to let it carry us along, study it and be inspired by it because without understanding that history, we're not properly equipped to truly understand photography. All great photographers look back. Understanding our past, seeing what others have done with their cameras before us is a critical element of knowing where we are today and how we got here; it's an important part of our photographic perception. Because photography has such a short (in both a historical and technical sense) past as an art form, looking back at those early pioneers in bw photography can really open up new ways to see - which is why it might be worth exploring.
Seeing In Black and White - while there is much said about 'seeing' in bw, the most effective way of learning and improving this creative tool is to study the masters, commit to make monochrome images and study the results - then repeat. My first four years in photography I worked mainly in bw - this grounded me in it's 'feel' and how a colour scene could be transformed into a bw negative and then a print....it's a process - a creative process.
Enhancing Our Creativity - since we see in colour, bw images provide a means for us to perceive the world around us differently - once removed so to speak. Some say bw lends a surreal sense to our photos. Since monochrome imagery emphasizes different elements of a subject, such as shape and texture, we gradually come to interpret what we see in a way unique to bw.
untitled - Toronto 2021 photo credit Michael G. O'Brien
Study The Masters Of Black And White Photography
Studying the masters of bw photography is a way to become inspired and to learn how certain scenes and subjects look in bw, as rendered by masters of the craft - through this study we develop a familiarity with its language and syntax.
Mary Ellen Mark, Diane Arbus, Fay Godwin, Walker Evans, Mark Ruwedal...studying the work of masters like these opens our eyes - the act of seeing is not just a passive activity; it’s an active process. When we say that we see something, we mean that we take in visual information and extract meaning from it. The more you train your eyes to look at things in new ways—seeing elements of a scene that others miss—the better your images will be. This is why it’s important to study bw photography. It can help you to consider elements of a scene like texture, tonality, contrast and shape in a different way than colour photography does - for example, what does a blue sky, a green forest or a huge fishing net drying in the sun look like in bw.
Practice, Practice, Practice - taking our cameras out regularly is crucial to improving our bw images and understanding the process. One way to strengthen technique in bw is to commit to making the photo in bw. Digital photography allows us to render a photo in colour, bw, or many other possibilities.Tell yourself before arriving at your location that the images you make today are going to be in bw. This discipline will help to eventually create some strong bw photographs.
Understanding how to interpret light will help us develop a strong sense of bw interpretation. We learn that seeing in bw can be more difficult than seeing in colour, because of its simplicity: with only one channel for information, we have to interpret scenes without colour cues. This requires special training and/or lots of practice.. But it also has an advantage; it lets you concentrate more on other visual elements – like forms, shapes and contours.The relationship between your subject matter and background is crucial when making photographs in bw - it helps create contrast between lighter areas (your subject) and darker areas (your background). This can help give your photograph dramatic impact.
Monday, 30 May 2022
Friday, 5 March 2021
THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S TOOLBOX - INNER AND OUTER
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Lattice At Night ©Michael G. O'Brien |
The way I see it the photographer's 'outer' toolbox consists of equipment and technique - while the 'inner' toolbox consists of whatever internal processes support our creativity - things like grit, courage, love, inventiveness and our ability to surrender to the impersonal creative power that moves through each of us.
When this surrender happens some describe it as a state of flow or complete absorption in what we are doing - our concerns about the past and future vanish - we are completely present - this is where I want to be when working at my photography or at anything else.
These are a few of the tools I use and pathways I follow along the creative journey. When we can gather safely I will organize a workshops and some meet-ups to help people work on both inner and outer toolboxes to create a deeper experience of photography. Email me if you're you'd like to talk about this.
Thursday, 10 December 2020
PHOTOGRAPH WHAT YOU LOVE
Tuesday, 1 December 2020
WHY I LOVE TO MAKE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS
When using both platforms in a session I usually start shooting with my Canon 5D MkII and an 85mm lens - I also love using my 50mm - 1.8. It's light, sharp and discrete - a beautiful lens for portraits. This allows plenty of shooting with no concern for film and processing costs while also creating a nice warm up period - a time for the subject and I to relax.
Sunday, 22 November 2020
VEILED WOMAN - THE ANATOMY OF A PORTRAIT
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VEILED WOMAN |
We started shooting in digital with a Canon 5D, 85mm - f1.8 combo; this allowed a relaxed pace to develop with minimal hassle. Then I switched to Kodak film loaded in a Hasselblad with a Zeiss 150mm lens - a lens that I love for it's softness. Of course the cameras were tripod mounted.
The way to create the setting or mood for this type of portrait is to keep it real; be respectful of the subject's requests at all times....really listen and be attentive to the body language as it unfolds during the session; for instance move the camera closer to create more intimacy but watch closely for nervous fidgeting, shielding movements etc. If the person is clearly uncomfortable, then back off no matter what they say. Many people, just to be polite, will say they are comfortable when you ask them, even though they clearly are not. I keep talking while shooting....but not superficial chatter - I ask questions, probe, build on the rapport and trust established during our previous meetings. Trust is the key. Respect is the volition. Hiding behind the camera creates a barrier so I try my best to open to the other person in a real way, to give something of myself so it is an exchange rather than a one way street with me in control. If this isn't received well then I just listen and move the session along with a question here and there.
Wednesday, 18 November 2020
YOSHIHIKO ITO
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From the 'TIME' series by Yoshihiko Ito |
I see Japanese photographer YOSHIHIKO ITO is a magician who takes 'everyday' subjects and, with his singular vision, weaves them into alternate realities. The first time I saw the work of Yoshihiko Ito was in New York City during an AIPAD exhibition. His highly unique black and white images are quite shamanic in nature; it's like he dives into the archetypal world then brings back truly intriguing works of art. Many of his pieces are made in editions of one.
Sunday, 6 September 2020
Sunday, 23 August 2020
DO SCHOOLS KILL CREATIVITY? A TED TALK BY KEN ROBINSON
Check out this really important (and very funny) talk by Ken Robinson. It's about how education systems around the world squeeze the life out of the creativity of our children.
Sunday, 9 August 2020
FINDING THE GOLDEN THREAD - HOW TO MAKE A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS
Tuesday, 21 April 2020
WHAT IS JOURNALING REALLY? AND WHY SHOULD I DO IT?
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Staircase inside The Museum of the American Indian, Manhattan, New York City ©Michael G.O'Brien |
How do we start the journaling process? - what is it actually for? and what can it do for us? For starters, journaling is not the same as keeping a diary or log. It's more than a dry description of the daily events in our lives, however useful such a log may be - it's not a bunch of lists. Sometimes journaling involves giving accounts of events in our lives, but then goes on to explore how the event impacts us (or not) and how we feel about the event. The journal entry may then go on to explore why that event affects us the way it does.
There are many different ways and reasons for journaling - ultimately we need adapt journaling to suit our needs - in this sense it becomes a very individual creative process whereby we build a bridge for emotions and images from the unconscious part of mind to cross over into our conscious. This unconscious mind has been described as being as vast as the ocean is to a single human - and just as full of nutrients and treasures.
The following quote sums up one aspect of journaling:
"Particularly among creative people – from Leonardo da Vinci to Anais Nin – journal-keeping has historically been a vehicle for releasing tensions, resolving conflicts, working through crises and connecting with the intuitive inner self – the “person within the person,” as philosopher/psychologist Ira Progoff described it, who can be the source of so much sound guidance and wisdom – your best counselor and spiritual advisor, in fact".
Quoted from 'Life Examined – The Progoff Intensive Journal Process' by Ellen Littleton click here to see the whole article - it's really good.
Sunday, 19 April 2020
Sunday, 29 September 2019
GREEN MEDICINE - visual forest bathing / shinrin-yoku
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GREEN MEDICINE The Healing Forests Of The Pacific Northwest |
We have a long and deep relationship with trees. Humanity has historically looked to trees for their healing properties and medicines. While we’ve made preparations from the leaves, bark or roots, humans have also known that to simply be in the presence of plant beings can be healing and can be ‘plant medicine'.
Trees are potent living sources and symbols of spiritual and physical healing, regeneration, immortality and salvation. Tree medicine also works on us at a deep psychological/spiritual level beyond our awareness; trees have been seen as channels for divine energy for millennia. I believe we are still touched by that ancient world view even if we aren’t consciously aware of it. This can be seen in the recent phenomenon of Japanese ‘forest bathing’ now reaching the West, where people are guided into forests so they may be washed, cleansed and purified by the spiritual forces that pulsate through the woods in an all-encompassing unity – like a green baptism.
The impetus behind this series comes from my empathy for Indigenous culture and spirituality - many thanks to the generous Indigenous elders and friends who've guided and taught me along the way. They shared with me ways and viewpoints that provided a roadmap that’s helped me to feel Spirit in my own culture and everywhere around me. Using this roadmap brought about a shift in my worldview – a shift that opened me to the beauty of nature again. Now I use photography as a tool to explore the raw elemental power of the natural world by visiting and re-visiting places I’m drawn to in order to be touched by their spiritual essence. I try to receive images from these sacred places that contain this essence so it may be shared with others.
Sunday, 16 June 2019
Friday, 14 June 2019
Tuesday, 19 March 2019
A PORTRAIT OF JEFF THOMAS - INDIGENOUS PHOTOGRAPHER
Jeff Thomas is a 2019 winner of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts. Directed by Pixie Cram.
Monday, 25 February 2019
THE POWER OF LIGHT COURSE - some comments by students
An excerpt from a letter to GBC administrators:
“Hi Michael - thank you for the great course you gave on the Power of Light. It really helped me understand the potential of light in photography, and how to deal with light in the digital age.