What's poppin, people? It's Dante. Welcome to module one. Layering fundamentals. Today we're going to be discussing more deeply about what is layering in street photography. So essentially layering a structure. You know, I think there's a misconception generally about layering, where you think it's all about the complexity and about stacking lots of different things and people throughout the frame. But my idea with layering, it's mostly. It's really just like the foundational principle of composition and photography, where adding structure to life, this is the ultimate goal of the photographer, right, to put order to chaos. And the difficult thing about this is that life is out of our control. Life is spontaneous. But structure, you know, this is something you feel before you see. You know, you're looking at life and you're looking at all these subjects and moments, but really that intuition, that feeling that you have through looking at the different relationships between the moments that are occurring in relationship to the background and the relationships you can build between the different subjects, this is ultimately the art of layering, you know, where you're not just looking at a single moment, but you're looking about how you can relate these different moments together, right? It's not just about the subject. With street photography, we get all caught up in the hunt, you know, looking for that next best photo, looking for that next moment, looking for drama or something visually interesting. But the beauty of layering is that the. The art of it all comes down to how you can add structure and build relationships between different things, between different elements. And so layering exists in time. You know, the position that you take in the world, where you stand, how long you stay, and how you observe the scene evolve is ultimately going to be reflected in the result of the photograph you make. And so patience is very critical, and it requires you to make lots of photographs and work a scene. And so what that means is I oftentimes love watching a scene unfold, and I never leave that scene until the scene leaves me. And so I make lots of clicks of the shutter in order to come home with these kind of images. And I believe that you should, too. You should be patient and photograph through the scene as it unfolds. And so if you rush, the layers are going to collapse. And so you really must be patient in order to make these kind of frames. And so when you look at a single moment, you have that sort of visual impact. Immediately you see a face, you see a gesture, and your eye moves on. But as a viewer looking at a layered frame, Your eye travels throughout the foreground, middle ground and background almost like a visual feast. And so before you raise the camera, when you're out there and you're photographing at a particular scene, recognize the background firstly, you know, commit to that background. Commit to that scene, and be patient and wait. Where? Here in Philadelphia, I was using this bus stop as my choke point, you know, where I had this understanding of people moving in and out of the scene. As I am looking here at Market street, and we have this bus shop in the background with the beautiful popping colors, the advertisement on the side of the bus stop. And I had my frame set. I had my background set firstly. And then I was waiting as people entered into the frame. And so this is a very simple technique and a very simple way to look at life. While you're practicing layering, build the background firstly, build the structure of your frame and wait for the puzzle pieces to come through into your picture. And so when you're making pictures and you're chipping away at these particular scenes, the shutter isn't creating the photograph right, it's confirming it. You'll feel it in your gut when you click the shutter. I think that the act of making the picture is almost like you're chipping away at life. And then as you watch life unfold, it confirms the moment through the photograph you make. And so structure is very much the foundation of layering. And so I think it's more important to focus on the structure and the composition of our frames or over the spectacle of life itself, right? Where you really don't need anything dramatic going on to make a dynamic, layered frame. I think that is one of the misconceptions where you, of course, want content within your picture. But I think sometimes the most ordinary scenes are the most interesting visually, honestly. And so here we have a photograph I made in Penn's Landing at the Carnival of a woman waiting inside of a ticket booth, working and tired with her hand on her face in a sort of somber, maybe tired gesture in relationship to the energetic sort of Ferris wheel that is bright and full of vibrant colors in the background. Right. This was a very simple, mundane moment. But by putting structure to the frame, I was able to create impact through layering in this composition. And so layering is a way of seeing, right? You want to make sure that you are patient and not just hunting. If you're moving through the world with intention and recognizing the patterns of nature and human behavior, looking at light, looking at your background, setting your stage with structure, layering will soon become an instinct, but it requires you to slow down and to see deeply. And so from here on out, when you're looking at life, treat every scene as a question. Why layered photos feel alive. So layered photos are going to hold your attention. Right? When you look at a frame that has depth in the image, you're going to stay, you're going to explore, and the image sort of unfolds. Where we don't experience life in one instant. Right when you're looking at life, you're not just looking at one person or looking at one thing, but you're enjoying the sounds, the sights, the smells of the street. You're looking at the people and the way they move with their feet. You're looking at the architecture. Maybe a bird flies by, the light hits at a shaft. You know, there is something about all of the complexities of life that I believe we can achieve through a photograph. By using layering for this ultimately mirrors reality. That's why it works. And so depth creates engagement for a viewer. From foreground to background, your eyes will move throughout the frame and the viewer will stay longer. But I also believe layering isn't something that requires visual depth. But we can use layering in multiple ways. For instance, stillness and movement. Where? Here in Baltimore. I photographed this man smoking a cigarette, standing against the wall on the right hand side in relationship to this little boy, playing and jumping and leaping against that brick wall in the foreground of the frame, sort of separating the movement and stillness in the picture, adding a different kind of tension and a different kind of energy in the picture. Where the static subject in relationship to the moving subject also creates visual interest. Layers are going to slow the viewer down. Where the photograph that you look at when it's full of dynamics from foreground to background aren't necessarily going to be resolved instantly, but it's going to have the viewer constantly returning and looking throughout the picture for more details. And so the structure of the frame can carry an emotional weight. Where when you intentionally place certain gestures, when you intentionally place certain subjects together, these relationships that you build can carry emotional weight. Here I made a photograph of a baptism in Zambia in the lake. And I dropped to a low angle in relationship to the faces of the tension on the faces of these men who are being dunked in the water by the preacher as his hand outstretched against the blue sky. I created this sort of emotional, impactful photograph through the way I dropped low and structured the frame. And so when a photograph is busy, that doesn't necessarily mean it's alive, right? I think sometimes when you have fewer elements with a clearer purpose, the photograph can then breathe and have more impact from the viewer. And so don't always think about layering as this sort of act of putting together a million different things, but always come back to this foundational principle of composition and structure as the idea that you should hone in on when practicing this technique, you know, where if everything is loud, nothing will speak. And so this is a very simple thought, but less is more, right? And so the difference between single moments and. And layers is that a single moment, it's all about the timing, right? That fast reaction and immediate impact. Here I made a photograph of this boy throwing a baby stroller against the looming wall. And it was a very split second moment. And when looking at it, it's a very impactful, immediate photograph where the difference between single moments and layered moments is not necessarily subtle, but it's very much significantly different. Where, you know, they're. They're sort of. There's not like one that's better than the other, but they're just asking different questions and they sort of engage with your eye as a viewer in a different way. Where a layered moment, it's about sort of building that sort of photograph over time, right? Where you're waiting and you're patient and sometimes you don't know if it's going to work out. But then when you make a photograph of a moment like this boy here in Zambia doing a backflip in the sand, I can synthesize that content with the structure of the frame, as there's other children playing throughout the scene from foreground, middle ground and background. And so taking that idea of photographing a single moment, but making the relationship of that single moment throughout the entirety of the picture. And so when I'm making layered frames, I make sure that I am prepared. And so here in Zambia, I was prepared. I made lots of pictures here at the scene. When I click the shutter, however, I returned to the same location over, over and over again because I had an understanding that this church is a choke point. People are always gathering at the church, moving in and out of the scene. And so I made sure to approach this scene over and over again until I came home with this photograph. And so street photography requires consistency, repetition, and time spent out there in the world. And so as I was approaching this scene, I was already prepared because I knew when people would arrive and I knew that. That if I were to frame the structure, firstly with the background, using this brick wall, using this church, using this doorway, and the blue sky. I was able to create structure throughout the frame, setting my stage and allowing the composition to sort of fall together naturally, Right? And so as I was observing this moment, I worked back to front, starting with my background and looking as the children were playing with, revealing themselves behind the wall there in the center of the frame, in relationship to this person here against the wall in the foreground, we have two children that are engaging in relationship to this other child who is moving on the right hand side of the frame. And these things fell together naturally as I set my stage and I set the structure of the frame intentionally, with preparation. And then the way in which the people move throughout the frame, of course, were out of my control. They were dynamic in the foreground with the children's interaction with. But then I simply chipped away at the scene through making this sort of frame, through structure, through preparation. And so that's the difference between layering and sort of finding single moments, right? Where a single moment, you're simply going to react and move on, make one quick picture. But with layers, it requires preparation. And so when you're looking at these frames, it's not necessarily just going to be a visual punch, like a single moment, but a way for the viewer to express all throughout the different areas of the picture. And so layering doesn't just hit with impact, it unfolds. It's almost like you're chewing a delicious steak and you're enjoying all the multifaceted flavors, right? There's something about a layered frame with its complexity, that allows the viewer to sort of have a visual feast. So sometimes when you're looking at a scene, you know, you'll see a strong background, you'll see light, but sometimes there might be something that's signaling you to slow down, you know, where you're going to have to put together a frame that actually relates these different things. You know, sometimes you might have good light, sometimes you might have a strong subject, but sometimes you might lack one of those things. Sometimes you might not have a great background, but you have a great moment. And so really, layering comes down to synthesizing those elements. And it really does require you to slow down and to wait and to be patient and to understand your environment. And so I encourage you, when you're out there on the street, to choose intentionally. You're not always going to be fishing and waiting and trying to make these layered frames. There's not one approach to practicing street photography. You're really going to have to read the scene. You're going to have to either stay or move on and sort of adjust your pace as you're moving through the street. And so there are three foundational principles and ideas, the three Ps of layering that I want to sort of just teach you here as we go through these slides, as I believe these are some of the most important traits that you must possess when practicing missing layering. And so patience is the most critical thing, right? Where the longer you stay, the more patience you have, the better your photographs will become. Because sometimes things happen that maybe are at the very last second. Right here we have a scene that I photographed in Mumbai. And there's lots of people. There's a skyline, there's dogs. And there's so much energy in these particular scenes. And so you can't just approach it, make one photo and move on, but you have to let the scene finish. You know, you have to resist moving on. And sometimes time will reveal the structure of your picture. And so with presence, I believe presence is so important. You really have to be there. You have to be there and be prepared to press the shutter mentally sharp. You know, watching movement, noticing light, feeling the rhythm, and really just being in the moment. So zero distractions. You know, leave your phone at home. You really want to engage your senses and be in the moment when you're on the street. And then finally, position, right? Ultimately, a composition is the result of your physical position. And so where you stand matters, right? The small movements, they do refine the frame. And so you're going to be solving the structure of your composition physically by moving left, by moving right, by dropping low and making micro adjustments with your two feet. That's how you compose on the street. It's not through zooming with a lens, but it's through moving your physical body. And so patience is gonna give you time. It's gonna allow you to work the scene where presence will give you awareness. It'll allow you to notice different things. Light, shadow, gestures, and then position. This is gonna shape the layers together with structure. And so all of these are required when practicing this particular technique. And if one of these break, the whole frame becomes weak. And so sometimes you're gonna notice a scene isn't working out. But you gotta ask yourself, am I patient? Am I present? You know, am I in the right position? You really have to adjust your physical body and adj before just moving on, right? And so here in Tel Aviv, I noticed this person sleeping on this chair. And it was a singular moment, right? And so I'm looking at this singular Moment on the beach. But then what I did was I moved my two feet in relationship to this umbrella. So I filled one third of the frame here on the right hand side, in relationship, of course, to the main subject. But then as I set my stage and I had structure throughout the frame with this signpost, with the horizon line, I was waiting patiently for somebody else to enter the frame. And then finally we have that person walking on the left hand side. And so these things come together intentionally through physical positioning, Recognizing the different elements that make up a scene, and putting these things together and putting these ideas into practice. Right? Where I noticed the structure that I could build through the umbrella, the person in the background, I noticed that I needed to be patient to wait for that person in the backgr. And then I was just simply present and enjoying the sounds of the water crashing, aware of the different things that I am surrounded by, such as that signpost, such as the horizon, the umbrella. And then naturally, these things came together before I just simply moved on from the scene, right? If I just made a quick picture of that person sleeping and moved on, I wouldn't have added the structure that creates the dynamics of layers in the scene. And so these kind of mindset shifts and techniques are not hacks, right? These are daily habits. These are something that you must be responsible for. And so I believe that when you apply these things in your technique, when you apply patience, layering is going to simply become natural. And you'll start to see this way with depth. And so the five most important principles of layering are all about presence, patience and position once again. But we're going to now dive deeper into how I apply this in practice on the street, through this example here from Baltimore, that I made a photograph here of this rainbow here in the background on the streets of Sandtown, Winchester. And so you can see in this contact sheet behind the scenes how I essentially made the frame. And so I of course, recognize the moment of the rainbow. But then, in order to add depth and. And structure to the frame, was looking for a foreground element. And then naturally built the frame around that. And so we're going to break down pretty much step by step how to make a layered photograph. And so start with a strong background, right? You want to give clear structure to your frame. And so by utilizing the street and the sidewalk and the way it's moving into the distance there on the right hand side of this frame, I set the foundation for more layers to enter throughout the frame. Using the wall in the foreground on the left hand side to give structure to the different elements throughout my frame. And so I started to add with intention the elements that I was interested in. Of course, the rainbow being that primary interest. And so I had one strong idea here. I didn't have a million different ideas. And so because I was simply focused on including the rainbow, I filled half of the frame with that element, adding it with intention, and then creating separation gives clarity to the frame and gives structure. So here in the foreground, I was observing this man drinking his coffee on the corner. And as he was in front of the wall, I created some clear separation between him in the background, you know, avoiding overlap between him and other elements by positioning my body on the left hand side so that I can actually emphasize his silhouette against that background, allowing the sort of rainbow and the right hand side of the frame to have breathing room for that sort of visual relief. And simply waiting for relationships. Fourthly, is all about sort of allowing the scene to unfold naturally, right? Sometimes a gesture will occur, sometimes another person will enter the frame. And these things require patience, right? So I set myself up at a choke point, looking at the rainbow with intention, making sure there is no overlap between my subject and the foreground. And then naturally, as time unfolds and I'm patient at the scene, this man on the right hand side leaps over that sidewalk with his umbrella in hand in perfect stride. And this is something that you can't really predict, but you can sense the possibility of more things occurring in your photograph. And so you'll stop then when the frame is complete, right? You'll sort of notice when things come together naturally. You know, your click of the shutter will confirm when it is complete. And I find that you'll know when to stop once the scene sort of naturally leaves. And so don't leave the scene until the scene leaves you. And so knowing when to stop photographing, this is also a part of seeing. And you're going to start to naturally pick up on these cues and naturally understand when to simply stop shooting. And so when these principles work together, you're going to realize that the background is enabling layers, the separation itself, it's giving clarity to the frame. And by waiting, you're going to build meaning. Other relationships will unfold naturally between the foreground, middle ground and the background. And by stopping right and knowing when the scene's done, you'll start to build that discipline of recognizing the ways in which life unfolds in its spontaneous nature. And so with that, we're going to move on to the next module. Module number two. Thank you for watching today's video, and I will see you in the next one.