Almost all of us who have already taken an interest in this vast world of photography have gone through similar phases: from fascination to hope, to frustration, to abandonment, to second chances, to boundless passion, to laziness again, an eternal evolution of endless emotions. ? The way we perceive other people’s images also varies, first, whether we like them or not, we don’t really know the justification for it, we just like some and some don’t. A little more about the technique, we read a few things here and there and we’re obsessed with how he did it, what adjustments, what speed, what diaphragm.
Once this phase has passed and when the technique is more or less part of our background, we finally got to the heart of the matter: how did you see it ?, because having the opportunity to be in the right place at the right time is not true in most cases. Photography isn’t just about being in a photogenic place or having a photogenic subject in front of you. This can help you sometimes, but the truth is that the photographer’s job is to see what others don’t see and turn. every moment at a time worth staying in time.
- And not only photography.
- However reserved.
- Is made to be seen.
- So it’s important not only to know what and how an idea is transmitted.
- But also how the viewer receives and processes it.
- Almost nothing.
- Eh ??Well.
- Don’t panic.
- Because another thing I’ve learned over time is that photography is a gift that is continually learned and unlearned.
- And that all the gaps are filled with work and perseverance.
- So after that.
- No.
- A brief introduction.
- Let’s see how we can learn to see a photograph where others don’t see anything.
They are cousins brothers and one is not understood without the other. You have to see movies, many, classic and modern, documentaries and fiction, in black and white and in color. Independent and commercial cinema, everything. He thinks that each scene has been painstakingly worked, with a light, a frame and a language that, frame by frame, is identical to the photographic one. When you watch a movie, you try to abstract yourself and identify the compositions, the light, the games, the color, the focus on the characters?Gradually and effortlessly, you will quietly absorb a lot of information from the sofa and train, without realizing it, your photographic eye.
Yes, men or women don’t just live on Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, etc. You can go out from time to time to visit photographic exhibitions. Well lit, well expanded, with explanations at the footer. Slowly savor each of his images, approach the glass, walk away to see them in perspective, comment with the person next door or save them for you. Soak up the best, let yourself be inspired, let everything stick?.
Yes, I know, a picture is worth a thousand words. But there are questions that go far beyond the image, there are questions that arise long before reaching it, there is a social context, a story, a philosophy, a goal, an ethics behind each of the images circulating around the world. The lucid camera by Barthes or On Photography by Susan Sontag, to name just two of the most classic examples, will bring you closer to other ways of looking at photography. Here you have an excellent article with a good selection of readings from the best photographers and thinkers. how others understand the world will open their horizons and give you ideas and inspiration.
It’s an exercise you can do every day, anytime, anywhere. Look for mounts, imagine their limits; Analyze the scenes in front of you. Use your imagination. The more you get used to seeing the photo format, the easier it is to preview the composition of the scenes.
It will be useless to imagine and dream if you do not know how to translate it into images, and this, more or less we like, is done thanks to a certain mastery of our photographic material, know your limits, shortcuts, tricks, (read the manual!?) Etc . , will bring us closer to the image we need. Now you will understand that there are images that depend entirely on our speed to capture them.
Practice makes perfect, but the teacher does not practice if he does not have a motivation, a goal, an end, so it is best to always have a project in mind, it is not necessary to take the Pulitzer, something personal will do everything. , absolutely everything is fine, as long as it is a project that motivates you and forces you to take photos, you can offer to take a photo a day and post it on a social network, register for all BdF challenges, do a series in feet , portraits, street photographs or butterflies, it’s all worth it. Because the subject is the minimum, the important thing is that it forces you to dust yourself off and go looking for these photos?
This is definitely THE point. Learn where to find good images, recognize the potential of a scene, wait until you have all the ingredients for the perfect shot. It is the photographic eye; to see the potential of a great image where others see nothing, and is based on the look, reflection, inspiration of others and oneself, practice and especially the knowledge of photographic language that, from training, reveals the secrets of a great scene.
Lines are a valuable device element when it comes to ordering our images and our approach, can they transmit strength, aggressiveness, sinuousness, speed, act like arrows, add pace, break it ?, are your possibilities infinite?
As curious beings we are, we like to discover things in images, stories that go beyond the essentials and the most obvious, the depth that give us different well organized planes in space, allows us to walk in the image, add information. to the main story and give us richer and more complete images.
Just take a look at Instagram to see how many followers have such images, small subjects (human or not) in the middle of large spaces, compositions cared for and surrounded by negative space, evoke loneliness, intimacy, abstraction or calm. Less is more, and such images often show it.
Yes, they’re a classic, but that doesn’t mean they’re damaging their chances, when you’re in front of a door frame, a window frame, a bridge, trees, the entrance to a cave and a long one, etc. Rest a sure that if you get a good main theme and a good composition, you can have at least one interesting image.
Playing with sizes can be another way to get visually interesting images. Can a human being by a mouse look huge, a human being in the Colorado Grand Canyon suddenly appear as the most insignificant?
Impressive is the amount of possibilities that an image can have simply by changing its sight, you can create giants, tiny beings, impossible images (forced perspective), improve lines, etc.
Many images can be backed up and justified simply on the basis of color. Learn to play with complementary colors, harmonics, cold, warm, etc. it is essential for anyone who wants to take good color photographs. For example, you have a bright yellow wall in front of you, you know this is an image that could have potential. You want a dog to walk past her?An old man?What is it based on? You can wait for someone with a blue (complementary) sweater to appear that shows both colors, or wait for someone with a wall-like hue, or any scenario that happens to you, to pass by.
While it is true that each image requires or requires specific adjustments, in general, as viewers, we prefer contrasting images and bright colors, consider this if your goal is the beauty of your images, however, this is not the norm, there are scenes with low intentional contrast that are simply beautiful.
There are lights that ask you to take a photo, a ray of light that penetrates into a dark room illuminating a specific object, the dark light of a misty landscape, the soft light of a sunrise or a backlight body, are images that need to be scenes of a large image. Is the rest up to you?
As spectators, we like harmonious and balanced images that compensate for the weights on the sides and side of the frame, the harmonic images seem logical and pleasant to us. On the other hand, any unbalanced image causes other reactions: overflow, chaos, imperfection, etc.
The way depth of field can change an image never ceases to fascinate me. The ability to isolate the subject from the background or make clear scenes from start to finish is something to consider when anticipating the result before making the opening adjustments.
It is a very personal decision, of course, I only recommend that, in the first place, you choose what is closest to you, everyday life, not only because they are topics that we love, with which we sympathize, but because, although it probably seems unre interesting to you, what is close to us is always our best opportunity to practice.
No matter how, where or why, the purpose of your photographs is to thrill and surprise those who observe them, no matter if you make them suffer or laugh, melt tenderly or just make them wonder about them. is that they feel something when they see them?
never gives up because
like I said at the beginning,
photography is a gift that can be learned,
the photographic eye develops
take and look at photos without interruption,
Reflective
Reading
courage
and learns to convey messages
through photographic language.
And that’s how poetic (to be home, okay?) I say goodbye not without first asking you, as long as it has helped you, to share it on your favorite social network. Thank you very much and until next time?