7 February, 2006
Subject Matter and Print Size
Alain Briot has published another essay in his Reflections On Photography And Art series, Subject Matter And Print Size.
This is an excellent exploration of the relationship between the subject matter of an artwork and the finished size of that artwork. Alain’s classical artistic training at the Beaux Arts gives him an uncommon insight into the artistic aspects of photography, which are often ignored by conventional photographers.
Too often, photographers simply print all their images at the maximum output size of their inkjet printer. While we may make prints at smaller sizes for practical reasons (to fit into a photo album, to save expensive paper and inks, to fit a mat or frame we already own, etc), it never even occurs to many of us to vary the size of our prints for artistic effect. Yet this can be a simple and effective artistic tool.
The essay gave me an idea for a photographic exercise…
Lenses fall into three rough categories - wide, normal and telephoto. They each have their own characteristics, enhancing or reducing the separation between foreground and background, limiting the angle of view, and altering the perspective and perception of the scene being captured.
Similarly, prints fall into three rough categories - small, medium and large (the actual sizes will vary between photographers depending upon how big they normally print, and how big they are capable of printing). For me, 6×4″ would be a small print, A4 (roughly 8×12″) would be a medium sized print, and A3+ (roughly 13×19″) would be a large print.
So, this exercise would be to make some prints in each of the six combinations of print size and lens focal length. That is, print some wide-angle photos at small, medium and large paper sizes, and then do the same for some normal-angle photos and some telephoto photos.
In analyzing the prints, take particular note of which combinations of lens focal length and print size make for a compelling display. Try to determine what type of subject matter is best suited to each of the 6 lens/print size combinations. You might even be motivated to repeat the exercise using a much wider or longer lens or printing much smaller or larger than you’re used to, in order to explore a more extreme exaggeration of the effect. It’s always worth pushing boundaries to see how much is too much.
You just might discover an interesting new direction to pursue with your photography!
Filed under: Exhibitions, Photography Tips, Technique