Writing and photography

[Ray Dario]

I am an amature nature photographer as well as being an amature writer. Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about the parallels between the two art forms.

In photography I use lines to draw the reader into the picture. In writing I use "the hook" to do the same thing.

In photography I use contrast and color to lead the viewer to the subject of the picture.

In writing I use action and suspense to lead the reader to the climax of the story.

In photography I use form and lighting to create emotion in the viewer.

In writing I use description and characters to create emotion the reader.

So, when I was reading an article about photography this weekend and there was a quote by Ansel Adams that said "Photography is an art of omission" I wondered if the same is true of writing. I think it is.

He was saying that it is important to leave out those things which don't make the photograph better. I think in writing it is important to leave out those things which don't make the story better. The hard part, I think, is knowing what elements make the story better and which ones don't. In photography I can look at the scene and anything my eyes focus on that is not the subject of the photo needs to be omitted from the picture. Can we do the same in writing?

Yes, as I read through a story I can pick out those things that my mind focuses on. If they are not the subject of the story then they should be omitted or rewritten to not distract the reader.

Wow, sounds easy, right? Try doing it sometime. It may not be as easy as it sounds.

You have to keep all the essential elements of the story but they have to be written so that they consistantly move the readers focus to the subject of the story. Like a beautiful fallen log that leads the viewers eyes to the softly flowing stream, each description, each action, must lead the reader to the climax of the story without distracting him or breaking his concentration.

If I could craft a story like this, then I know it would be a great story.

Ray

 

[wildsweetone]

sorry Ray, can't resist this one

I am a jack of all trades and master of none i think.

when i draw, i somehow immerse myself in my picture. hours can pass without me realising they have - until i go to stand up and my body seizes up on me. i find that i can see every minute detail of whatever it is i choose to draw and i concentrate solely on conveying it to paper.

i've often heard people say the writing just flows from the fingertips. i fully understand this as it happens to me also. i never know what i'm going to write until it appears in front of me. often i get quite a surprise. it's odd, i never expect to be able to write but i am filled with the need to do so. when i let the words flow they completely cover my page or screen and i don't often stop until i'm finished.

the 'work' part for me comes in when i begin editing. if there is a word limit then i've learnt to slice off the unnecessary wordiness and cut right back to the bare core. at least that's what it feels like. when i began with the word limits i took 10 minutes to write a piece and about 15 minutes cutting back.

now, after much practice, i find it very very easy to knock out a short piece of work and generally only have about 10-20 words to lose.

the skill is to keep the main thrust of each story, paragraph, whatever. cutting back, using new and better defined words to say the same thing.

i am discovering though through my ignorance that there are many different ways of writing. i can be in-your-face with my work or i can pussy foot around using the softly-does-it approach to get a romantic touch. it all depends on the audience.

two completely different stories can be written from the same plot line. which one feels right and gives me that little adrennaline push at the end is the one i use.

it's the feeling of success at the end of a story that shows me i've achieved what i wanted to. after i've got that, then i go back and look at my wording, editing etc.

all i can say really is that honing and defining your work gets easier with practise.

 

[karmadog]

Great dialogue is often, if not always, as much about what is not said, as what is.

On fo the best examples of this is "Hills Like White Elephants" by Hemingway. I think most colleges teach it and many students hate it, but it's taught so much for good reasons.

Likewise, description is about finding what is defining about a setting, just like in photography is about finding the compelling visual elements then combining them in a way that moves the viewer.

In music, they say that the space between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

Sculptors speak of negative space.

All art forms have techniques in common.