Emulations

Embrace the Remix

Watch until about 5:42…

Emulations are a process:

Copy: No one starts out original. We cannot create anything new until we have a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding in our line of work. Copying is how we learn.

Transform: Taking an idea and creating variations. Major advances are usually not original ideas, but the breaking point in a long history of progress by many different individuals.

Combine: The most dramatic results happen when various ideas are combined together. By connecting ideas together, creative leaps can be made.

In practical terms for this class you will need to do the following things:

1. Find an image to emulate. Save it somewhere.
2. Carefully study the image. Try to figure out what makes it work. Think about composition and lighting. Bring all of your knowledge to bear on it.
3. [Copy] Try to create an image that is as similar to the original as possible. The subject matters, but we can’t just run out to the Tetons to emulate Ansel Adams’ photos. Once you have a good copy, you can move on.
4. [Transform] Now that you’ve gone through the struggle of making a good copy, you have an idea of what the original photographer was trying to do. You can now make variations on this idea. What happens when you apply the same technique to a different subject? What happens if you vary the technique slightly on the same subject? What happens if…
5. [Combine] Armed with a solid understanding of the technique that comes through practice, you can now employ that technique in conjunction with other techniques. If you think about the original image as “mom” and another original idea as “dad” then your “Combine” image should be their child– it looks different than either, but the lineage is obvious.