Boost Your Photography Skills in Minutes with Gestalt Principles

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📸 Welcome!
Take your photography skills to the next level by mastering the art of composition. In this video, we'll explore the powerful Gestalt Principles that will transform your photos and help you create visually stunning images that capture the viewer's attention. From visual balance to harmony, we'll dive into the essential elements of composition photography that will set your work apart. Join me as I share my expertise in applying these principles to take your photography to new heights.
🖤 What You'll Learn:
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced photographer, this video contains valuable tips and insights that will help you refine your composition skills and create breathtaking images that tell a story. So, what are you waiting for? Watch now and start taking your photography to the next level!
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#StreetPhotography #PeterForsgard #PhotographyTip

[@WorksIRL]

All of your photographs are so beautifully compelling and composed! Also, your video editing technique and style is so clear and engaging...the fades in/out for the photographs, the angled, bordered inset of you speaking to the images to your right, the color and font of your texts, the black, dynamic-speckled background and your clear, clean audio is so well done. Thank you as always for your knowledge, teaching and thoughtfully personable presentation helping us mindfully enjoy and improve our photographic skills ❤I hope your healing is progressing and you'll be fully recovered very soon. 🙏

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you very much. This was propably the nicest feedbavk that I have ever gotten. This really made my day thank you.

[@WorksIRL]

@ Wow, thank YOU, again! It's such a pleasure watching your videos and participating in your photographic challenges! 🙏

[@sumasjilla9850]

Great video 👍 Good summary of photography principles.

[@mattisulanto]

Thanks for sharing, Peter. We should be talking about these things much more than our next dream camera but sadly the latter seems to be more interesting 97% of the time😀

[@ForsgardPeter]

I agree and I am trying to start and keep up that conversion as good as I can.

[@lensman5762]

I have never followed rules, principles or anything else in photography. From the age of eleven I have had a camera in my hands and I am now 68 years old. Photography is about instinct, emotion and feelings, all the techincal side of it could be taught and learned. I think it was Ansel Adams who said that good photography was just good photography and the only rule in photography is that there were no rules, and it was Alfred Steiglitz who said that " once I come across a scene that evokes an emotion in me, I photograph it with my camera, and I present you with the print as the equivalent of the emotion that I felt", I guess those two guys who put photography on the fine art map, knew a thing or two about what photography was all about!!!

[@ForsgardPeter]

I totally agree with those two great photographers. Gestalt principles explains how a human brain works when it is looking an an image. I think there is some truth behind it.

[@FootballFinn]

I agree with you but for me I used the "rules" to deconstruct what I saw so I could translate it into an image that expressed how I saw it. If that makes any sense. I too had a camera from a young age and I am 64 now, but it took me years to translate how I saw something into an image that expressed that image.

[@KeithJohnson.1]

Maybe, in a general sense, we craft images we intend to share with others & point and shoot images for ourselves? When crafting we’re making choices about how to Present a scene we find engaging. Perhaps what Stieglitz was inferring is he asked himself, “How do I share the emotions this scene inspires in me?” To accomplish that it’s helpful to be mindful of how humans perceive what their eyes are seeing. Rules/principles such as those outlined in this video help us to be mindful, to better communicate what would otherwise be a cloistered inspiration-a snapshot/note for ourself.

[@lensman5762]

@@KeithJohnson.1 It may be so, but for this very reason I avoid following rules. Rules make the art of photography rigid and as a result the end product becomes mundane and tired, and word cliche jumps to mind. Photography is simple or should be simple to understand. If a photograph needs explanation then it has failed. Have you ever watched any of those 'arty' programs on the TV where an 'expert' tries to explain why a painter painted in this way or why an object was placed there and all that nonsense? I avoid trying to figure out how a viewers mind may work or not. I am more concerned with how my mind works when I find a scene interesting enough to photograph it, and I am a very simple guy.

[@KeithJohnson.1]

@@lensman5762 Thanks for helping me better understand your perspective. It’s a rare thing to have a thoughtful, considerate exchange here in the land of KZbin. And yes I agree with you, when artists have to explain their work before we can appreciate it I too begin to question how masterful they really are. There’s a lot of great art I’ll never have the depth to fully fathom but I can’t deny it pulls me in anyway. I’ve no doubt, though you describe yourself as simple, you’re one of those still waters run deep kind of guys. And depth like that doesn’t come by way of a quick & happy accident. There’s a lot of paying attention and honing involved. That said, given all you’ve learned about how you work best, is there anything there you feel would be generally good advice for an old fledgling like me? Any and all perspectives are welcome. Thanks again, I wish you good health & happiness.

[@KeithJohnson.1]

In retirement I’ve taken up photography. It’s fun that these helpful techniques you’ve discussed are taking me back to what I learned in stage direction and dance choreography classes in college. Intentionally organizing figures, movement & light to render context, conjure interest and guide the viewer’s eye within the frame-it seems how well this is done defines the level of mastery in whatever visual art one might choose to explore.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Gestalt principles apply to any art form.

[@christopherbonis]

This is like the photography course I never took at college. Thanks, Peter! More of this type of content please. Kiitos!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks! Will do!

[@mlrodri]

Thanks!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you very much!

[@rolandvanhouten1767]

Bedankt

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank You!

[@kolpejna1503]

Thanks Peter. Some interesting connections bringing academe into photography as a way to help understand the complexity concurrent with the apparent simplicity of effective picture making. But as Freud (allegedly) said "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar..." Keep up the good work!

[@rockitdude]

Hi Peter! This is a very useful video Near the beginning, you mentioned wide angle lenses. I think composition with a wide field of view is both more difficult and more rewarding. You can set the context and tell a story. If you fail, it's a cluttered and disorganized image, but if you succeed, the image is something that will hold the viewer's attention as they explore it. A lot of telephoto shots just put a single subject in a box, and the viewer is done with it in a second.

[@ForsgardPeter]

You are absolutely right. That is exactly why I will start using also s 35mm lens. I might even try a 28mm since 35mm is not that far from a 40mm lens hat I am using now.

[@rockitdude]

@@ForsgardPeter sounds good! But here's my approach: my standard walk-around lens is the Olympus 12-45 F/4 Pro. That's 24-90mm full frame equivalent. I start by looking at the scene with the widest angle of view, and zooming in as required. Many images are made at 12mm. Sometimes, making the widest angle of view work is as simple as walking toward the subject or finding something in the foreground that pertains to the context. Back in the film days, my Nikon kit consisted of 35, 50, and 135mm. I considered the 35mm to be the natural field of view lens and it was my favorite. The 50 was my portrait lens and the 135 stayed in the bag most of the time. If only I had had a 28 or 24! Decades later I began using an iPhone with a 26mm equivalent lens and learned the usefulness of wide angle as the starting point to a good photo.

[@edwardhammond5582]

Thanks Peter. I've not thought about the subject like this. It'll take a viewing or two more to absorb.

[@richardpriestley477]

Peter - An interesting and practical application of psychology and photography - the linkage between the two subjects are very well displayed and thought provoking

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you!

[@ianjefferson694]

Thanks Peter, you always get me thinking (and becoming a better photographer) fix that leg and get outside. Cheers.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks. Leg fixing is in the making.

[@bradwarrior1000]

I have found that when you add things in patterns to your photos, odd numbers like groups of 3,5,7 seem to work really well. But as you stated, don't over clutter your photos because other peoples eyes may not see it the way you intended. You Explained this concept very well Peter, yes I will have to watch it, again to pick up more info. Fantastic work as always. (I hope the recovery is going well). Thanks for your work.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you very much. You are right about that odd numbered gropus works the best. I prefer 3 if possible, but 5 and 7 works too.

[@joecarey7123]

This is real food for thought. Brilliant video!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Glad you think so! Thank you!

[@johnehman8685]

I greatly appreciate your thoughts on the psychology of aesthetics. I’d also like to hear how you may see this in tension with the idea of taking photos not for others but for oneself (except regarding professional clients, of course). That long-standing tension at the heart of the creative process is such a rich topic for discussion.

[@comandreja]

Great content!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you very much.

[@AKAndrew]

Really interesting take on how to take better photos. Very helpful to look at standard photo rules from a different perspective. Hope you are walking out and about again soon. Thanks!😊

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks.

[@andreazevedo8325]

Hey Peter, hope you are recovering well my friend... And that we meet again in May. About your video, here is another great and fully educational video. I know I use and try to apply many of those principles in my shots. I particularly enjoy using longer shutter speeds to create separation, but you know that because you know me and my work. Another aspect I enjoyed about this video was the ammount of photos from our photowalk in Lisboa, specially the shot in the 2.44 mark, the man and bird (hahaha because it's me). Thank you for being a great educator, and I hope you recover well my friend!! All the best to you and your family!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks Andre! I also hope we can meet in May! Looking forward to that.

[@DavidMBanes]

Great video and insights.

[@DianeBianchi_MnWx]

I've watched your video two times now, and most likely will watch it again. I can't wait to get out and look at my surroundings with a fresh eye and apply these techniques to my photography.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Glad to hear.

[@saturrd4394]

Thanks, great vídeo.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@montanaylago]

Since “phone photography” is getting better and better. I found that dragging the shutter is a good way to achieve photos/compositions that are not as easy to get with a phone. Therefore “separating” a camera from a phone snapshot and founding some “uniqueness” in my images.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Good point.

[@nigelalexander1594]

Thanks Peter, excellent video.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you.

[@rsutter879]

This information's will bring my street photography to a higher level. Now it is too simple missing these elements. Hope to use the information in my next travel.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Glad to hear!

[@mipmipmipmipmip-v5x]

Oh very nice approach

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks a lot!

[@jpsteiner2]

Thanks. Very good.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you too!

[@nickshepherd8377]

Excellent…thank you

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks!

[@wernerroedl8751]

Good video with some very nice photos. The photo I like best is at 5:10.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank you very much!

[@FootballFinn]

Thanks for another great video and I hope your recovery goes as planned. I am looking forward to seeing Helsinki in June.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks. June is the best time to be in Helsinki. I hope you can make it.

[@hankroest6836]

The key to the very strong image at 6:16 is that it has a foreground, middle ground AND a background and they are all differently visually engaging. One could say that the Subject of this image is NOT the man in the middle ground but rather the man's relation to the background. What is behind him seems well organized. His question is how does he go forward now. Perhaps the man in the background stands as an example... Again at 7:25 foreground, middle ground, background...

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks. You mentioned a good point about the importance of relationships between diffenrent elements in a photo.

[@Daniel-o1l2e]

Great video

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank You.

[@IanBrowne-x6n]

G'day stranger; as always there is something to explore more even if normal street photography is not my thing. Urban photography (no people) is the name I use. 05:47 motion blur to separate subject from the background. I do it, but not in camera. Too much planning/thinking for me😇 The way I do it with a single photo in two layers using Affinity Photo 🥳. Add motion to bottom layer ---- perhaps drag it out to suit --- tidy up any odd bits. Mask out the subject (usually nature photos) in the top layer. I find I have similar colours front and back so all matches up OK. Often done or likely started from "removing" messy/busy/distracting back grounds. Have been doing it for years, long before I heard about the similar Adam Ski effect. I'm sure he nicked 'my idea' 🤣

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks for sharing.

[@jonbarnard7186]

Great video Peter. One of the more interesting ones I've seen on KZbin in a while. That image taken is Lisbon is a good example. If it were just the man, or just the bird, the image would have been a complete failure. It's the sum of the parts that makes it a good image. Thanks for not doing a gear review.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thank You very much!

[@bernym4047]

Good advice with some nice examples. However, maybe an occasional square crop could have further simplified and improved? Or does this go against your style?

[@ForsgardPeter]

No it is not against my style. You are right about the cropping.

[@lorenschwiderski]

Things might be changing these days with humans, attention span wise. The shorter it gets, the more grabbing some element has to be to even see a photo, followed by some obvious, in an instant story being in ones face, for a person not to just move along. I think people are hearing and reading this way as well, with consequence, of course. Many great photos have more than a single element but it might be that people are no longer as interested in complex thought, and beauty of structure, looking more for shock and awe??? In street photography you have something which is much different than what people expect to be presented with. The photo of a mountain, lush and green, or the colors of a rainbow or sunset appears to still be the easy sell, so to speak whereas photos are the human element share a smaller audience. I agree that simplification works best, and can look best, but in the past many master photographers were artists before taking to camera works --- many of those people see the world in much more complexity and depth. They look at faces, they feel things near, and constantly read the geometry in which they walk about. What if a person glanced at these photos today, and still saw nothing? People say, gee that old B&W movie would surely be better if they could just add color to it. Or maybe I am overthinking it again ;) I do that at times. Peter, was there a review of " show me your best photo of 2024 " video I missed? Hope your leg/foot tendon mends soon. Will try to make photos with grab, then hold to them, but most times you use what is offered within the time / scene / space. - Loren

[@KeithJohnson.1]

Thanks for taking the time to post this comment. Lots of food for thought here.

[@ForsgardPeter]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Well said. No, the Live Stream will be on next Thursday on the 6th. Info about it later today in a newsletter.

[@georgevandijk6145]

And don´t cut the legs !!!

[@ForsgardPeter]

Especially that!

[@oneeyedphotographer]

Overlaying irrelevant text on your video is unwise. I'm autistic, highly gifted. A lot of the teachings of photographers make absolutely no sense to me, and sometimes they're clearly wrong. I was struggling with your "simplifications," and wishing that you showed unsimplified and simplified versions so I can see what you are talking about. And then the ad overlaid on your video. Photographers almost universally talk about removing distractions, and them you do this! BTW Your camera work deforms your subjects to no artistic purpose, and I find that distracting.

[@KeithJohnson.1]

@@oneeyedphotographer I’d hazard a guess the concepts presented don’t come easy for any of us. If it was your first blush with these ideas, autistic or not there’s a lot to wrap one’s head around. Or not. Your choice. That said, although I get your frustration, bitching about free content is kinda low brow. Why not task your highly gifted self to transcend navel gazing & master constructive criticism? Yours, a very old school Aspie.

[@ForsgardPeter]

I know it would have been better with new photos that show the difference. Unfortunately, I cannot go out and take photographs right now. I have a cast on my leg. What text did you find unwise? These videos are free to watch, and they require a lot of work. Having ads in videos is one way of getting paid at least something. "Your camera work deforms your subjects to no artistic purpose, and I find that distracting." Can you explain this a bit more? What exactly does it mean?

[@oneeyedphotographer]

@@ForsgardPeter I appreciate that the videos take a lot of work. To my mind, "at least something" is a pretty meagre return. From what I have seen from KZbinrs who disclose their earnings, the pittance for clicks isn't worth distracting viewers. Were I to make videos, I'd hope to develop saleable skills in video (Griffin Hammond), establish my credentials as a photographer (Thomas Heaton) or as a teacher (Griffin again, he has a course on Creative Live). Aaron Nace or sell a line of merchandise (Thomas Heaton, Peter McKinnon). Some people just make videos for the fun of it (Christian Fletcher, former International Landscape photographer of the Year, Greg Carrick, Dave Plumber (Dave's Garage)). If your sensor/film is not parallel to your subject, then the results look peculiar. If you want that sort of distortion, it needs to be clearly deliberate. It's like the difference between "your horizon isn't level," and "Dutch Tilt," between sharp focus and impressionist like Eva Polak (she's on KZbin).

[@ForsgardPeter]

I do not think that every photograph should be parallel to the subject. Take a look at Gary Winogrands work. I have been a commercial photographer since late 80s. I did not do any own projects until early 2000. I had a pause on that from about 2010 until 2023ish. My project during 10s was mainly exhibited here in Finland. Only recently have I started to show then internationally -> KZbin that is. Making a name takes some time. At the moment making the KZbin videos is one per of my income. BTW: the things you mentioned for monetazation I have done and doing all the time.

[@oneeyedphotographer]

@@ForsgardPeter You take my words and interpret them to mean something I didn't intend. It's a common problem that we autistics have. I have no wish to make photos like Mr W's, he tilts his camera all over the place and sometimes those tilts are annoying. I do believe that every element of camera craft should be a clear artistic choice. I do shoot straight on, but I also do steep front/back tilts, I shoot sharply focused and way out of focus, camera still, camera movement, lens fixed focal length, lens zooming during exposure. Regularly I do not shoot from head height, and when I use a tripod I ordinarily do not extend it. Now that I have AML NOS, I'm having to compromise. I won't be shooting at ground level as often as I'd like.