As a photographer, understanding and navigating through various creative cycles is essential. This video delves into a topic every photographer, regardless of their experience level, will encounter at some point. Its relevance extends beyond photography, encompassing all artistic pursuits, offering insights and strategies for dealing with different phases of creativity.

Coming to you from Roman Fox, this insightful video highlights the significance of recognizing and embracing the different phases in photography – experimentation, work, rest, and reflection. Fox emphasizes how each phase contributes to a photographer’s growth. The experimentation phase is particularly crucial, as it involves exploring various styles, techniques, and equipment without the pressure of getting it right and allowing yourself to grow and discover your creative voice. This phase is a breeding ground for innovation and discovery, leading to those breakthrough moments. The subsequent work phase focuses on refining and implementing the successful elements from the experimentation phase. However, the journey doesn’t end there. Recognizing when to rest and reflect is equally important. The video provides valuable insights into understanding these cycles, something that is crucial for any creative weathering the ups and downs for the craft. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Fox. 

There are a couple of composition rules for photography that often work great for landscape images. These rules are used for placing a subject in the best possible location in the frame. It can be difficult to find a clear subject, though. I believe Gestalt Theory can help in this regard.

The one thing that can’t be left out in a landscape composition is a subject. This is what you want to show the viewer. It’s also what allows someone to relate to the landscape in some way, whether through a sense of scale or a feeling that makes the place desirable to visit.

Without a subject, connecting with the viewer becomes difficult or even impossible. Finding a subject in a landscape can be challenging. The landscape offers many options, which can be overwhelming and make it hard to find something that truly stands out. In this situation, a bit of knowledge of Gestalt Theory can be helpful.

What Is Gestalt Theory?

The roots of Gestalt Theory can be found in the 1920s. It’s a part of Gestalt psychology, which was the answer to structuralism. The latter tends to look at things as small individual parts, while the former likes to look at things as the sum of their parts. Gestalt is a German word that can be translated as ‘giving shape’.

An analogy to music is often made. While structuralism looks at the different notes that make up the music, Gestalt Theory prefers to look at the music piece as a whole. In other words, Gestalt Theory sees the music as a composition.

I believe Gestalt Theory is almost always used in composition, even when you’re not aware of it. But having knowledge of the theory makes it possible to use it to your benefit. It works great in determining how to incorporate the subject into your images.

There are five laws in Gestalt Theory: the law of similarity, the law of proximity, the law of continuity, the law of common fate, and the law of Prägnanz.

Some mention a sixth or even a seventh law, being the law of closure and the law of symmetry. I only describe the five laws in this article because I understand the sixth and seventh laws can be considered as derivatives. But perhaps I am wrong about that. If I am, please let me know.

The Law of Similarity

According to the law of similarity, we tend to see similar elements not as a group of individual elements but as a whole. It’s like seeing a forest instead of individual trees or a flock of seagulls instead of individual birds.

These similar elements often have the same color, shape, and size. They’re located close to each other and not scattered across the frame. This way, it’s easy to see these elements as one subject. The further the distance between the elements, the less they seem to belong to each other.

The Law of Proximity

In general, elements in the frame that don’t closely resemble each other can’t be considered as a group. However, it is possible to force a connection.

By placing different elements close to each other on purpose, they obey the law of proximity. This way, these elements start to form a group that can be considered one subject.

The Law of Continuity

It’s important to have an attractive visual flow through the frame. This can be achieved by lines and curves. However, these lines and curves don’t have to be formed by a continuous line, like a footpath or a stream.

By composing different separate elements in a successive way, an optical illusion of a continuous line or shape is created. In our minds, we fill in the missing parts of the shape, making it possible to produce a nice visual flow through the frame.

The Law of Common Fate

It’s possible to place elements in such a way that it feels like there’s a sense of motion in the frame, even when there is no movement at all. When this happens, the elements obey the law of common fate. The illusion of motion doesn’t need to have an endpoint. Only the illusion of motion is necessary.

The Law of Prägnanz

The fifth and last law I mention in this article is the law of Prägnanz, also known as the law of perceptual segregation. This means that a viewer will see the easiest aspects of a composition first.

If a complex and less obvious composition is used, the viewer will not notice this at once. In that case, the image doesn’t feel particularly attractive. When a composition is used that catches the eye at once, it is according to the law of Prägnanz.

In other words, keep a composition as simple as possible. Try to avoid complex and less obvious compositions if there’s an easier one available.

It’s All About Placement of the Subject

It’s not important to think too much about the laws of Gestalt Theory, but it’s wise to know they exist. In reality, it’s not that difficult. Try to discover what you want to show with your image. What are the important elements, and what do you want to tell with your image?

Just look at the landscape and find a subject. If there are more elements that can be considered subjects, it may be possible to force one of the laws of Gestalt Theory upon them by changing your position, perspective, and focal length. Even depth of field can play a role in the connection of different elements in the frame.

Determine how you want the different elements to relate to each other. Having heard of Gestalt Theory can make it easier to decide how to do that.

This can only be learned by practice and by studying the results afterward. Especially the images whose composition isn’t working as expected will teach you a lot.

Are you aware of Gestalt Theory, and if you are, have you used it for your compositions? I’d love to read about your thoughts on the subject in the comments below.

The University of Cincinnati’s independent student news organization, The News Record, is now accepting applications for the chief photographer position for the spring semester of the 2023-2024 academic year.

This is a paid opportunity that offers 12 hours each week. The chief photographer is responsible for photographing events, news, athletics, and stories relevant to the UC campus. Applicants should be well-versed in AP style; be familiar with Lightroom; and have the ability to independently pitch, photograph, edit and caption engaging, localized story ideas. Applicants must be able to work on a deadline in a fast-paced environment. If interested, please apply through this link:

This application will be due at noon on Wednesday, Jan 3. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me through my email kiehlam@mail.uc.edu. 

In a recent opinion piece, The New York Times delcared that AI is the “future of photography.” Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen but it has undoubtedly been a big year for images generated by artificial intelligence.

The models have come on stronger and stronger, producing images that, in some cases, are indistinguishable from real pictures creating a new reality for the photography world. With that in mind, PetaPixel looked back on a momentous year for AI images.

The First Time an AI Image Wins a Photography Competition

After generative AI technology advanced rapidly in 2022, the staff here at PetaPixel suspected that an AI image would win a photography contest in 2023 — and it didn’t take long.

In February, an AI image won a photo contest run by an Australian electronics company. The company behind it confessed and called it “the world’s first AI-generated award-winning photograph.”

“We did it to prove that we’re at a turning point with artificially intelligent technology by passing the ultimate test,” said Absolutely Ai.

Respected Photojournalist Makes an AI Series

Distinguished photojournalist Michael Christopher Brown sparked controversy after releasing a “post-photography” series that was entirely generated by AI.

Brown was attempting to illustrate stories that are impossible to document with a camera and turned to AI for his project 90 Miles looking at the realities of Cubans attempting to cross the 90 miles of ocean that separate Havana from Florida.

The documentarian came under heavy criticism for his embrace of AI imagery with fans of his photography outraged; calling it “unethical”, his images “disturbing,” and threatening to unfollow his Instagram account.

AI Image Wins at the Sony World Photography Awards

Arguably the most significant AI image story of the year, Boris Eldagsen refused his prize from the Sony World Photography Awards after he revealed that his image that had won the Creative category was generated by AI.

Eldagsen actually crashed the ceremony, that took place in London in April, to announce his image THE ELECTRICIAN was AI-generated.

The Sony World Photography Awards released a statement saying: “Given his actions and subsequent statement noting his deliberate attempts at misleading us, and therefore invalidating the warranties he provided, we no longer feel we are able to engage in a meaningful and constructive dialogue with him.”

Levi’s Use AI-Generated Models to ‘Increase Diversity’

In March, Levi’s announced it was AI-generating models to “increase diversity.”

“We believe our models should reflect our consumers, which is why we’re continuing to diversify our human models in terms of size and body type, age and skin color,” the company said.

Needless to say, the announcement went down badly with photographers and models alike which led to Levi’s walking back in a statement to PetaPixel.

“This partnership and test are still in the very early stages, so we are still working out what this might look like. However, I’d like to emphasize this will not replace or impact photoshoots, this is purely supplemental to our current ways of working.”

Vogue Exhibition Shows AI Images Alongside Real Photos

The PhotoVogue festival this year exhibited AI images alongside real photos in a move that provoked criticism.

The festival held in Milan this month was entitled: What makes us human? Image in the age of AI. The exhibits investigated how AI is “changing our idea of photography.”

Trump Being Arrested

With the list of legal cases hanging over Donald Trump longer than the butcher’s line at Christmas, Elliot Higgins created a series of dramatic AI images showing Trump being jostled to the ground by a group of police officers.

The outrageous set of pictures, posted in March, also showed Trump in a holding cell, the courtroom, and the prison yard.

Higgins used Midjourney to create the images and was promptly banned from the service. Although not many were fooled by the images (at least we hope not) they still went viral across the internet.

Instagram Accounts Masquerading as Photographers

In February, PetaPixel exclusively revealed that two Instagram accounts pretending to post photos taken at the hands of photographers were actually AI-generated.

Jos Avery admitted that his “photos” were fake after duping thousands of Instagram followers. Meanwhile, a photographer featured by Vogue, Emanuele Boffa, also admitted that he had been passing off AI images as real portraits he had taken.

When asked why he doesn’t mark the AI-generated images as such, Boffa replied: “James Cameron or Christopher Nolan and many other directors and cinematographers are continuously generating images with the help of computer graphics or AI. And I don’t think people care much, artificial intelligence, when used correctly, generates exactly what there is in the mind of the author.”

AI-Generated Image of Pentagon Explosion Caused Markets to Dip

In case there was any doubt that AI images could have real-world ramifications, an AI-generated picture of an explosion outside the Pentagon caused a brief market crash in May.

The image went viral on X (then known as Twitter) and shows a huge cloud of black smoke on a grass lawn outside the Pentagon building in Washington D.C.

The incident prompted Twitter to expand its crowdsourced fact-checking program, Community Notes, to fight back against fake or misleading images.

The AI Image That Never Was

And finally, in a story that flipped the script, a real photo was disqualified from a competition after the judges accused it of being AI-generated — even though it wasn’t.

Suzi Dougherty had captured a striking photo of her son with two smartly dressed mannequins in an intriguing pose while visiting a Gucci exhibition.

But she later discovered that her iPhone photo had been declared ineligible after the judging panel had grown suspicious. This story is a fantastic example of the effect AI has had on the photo industry in 2023.

A photographer is taking legal action against a small church in South Carolina for allegedly using his photograph without consent.

Erin Paul Donovan, a photographer from New Hampshire, has initiated a federal lawsuit against Wightman United Methodist Church in Prosperity, South Carolina. Donovan claims that his photograph, depicting New Hampshire’s White Mountains, was used on the church’s website without his permission, specifically as a thumbnail for a sermon video dated June 2021. According to the lawsuit, Donovan contends that the church unlawfully downloaded his copyrighted image to use in its promotional activities. He reported the unauthorized use to the church on two occasions, June 21 and July 20, 2023, but the issue remains unresolved.

The suit further alleges that the church not only used the image without authorization but also removed Donovan’s copyright notice, name, and watermark from the photograph as it originally appeared on his website. Donovan is seeking legal recompense for the alleged infringement and is requesting the court to prohibit the church from using any of his photographs in the future.

The suit was filed in the US District Court for the District of South Carolina on November 21, 2023. The church has until February 20, 2024 to respond to the filing.