Photography Basics
Lets look at Photographic Art as an artistic communication device and the ways you might go about using a camera to explore creative concepts, here are a bunch of points to consider when “painting with light”.
- Media - Traditional Photography uses film (positive or negative) and prints - Digital Photography uses electronic methods of capturing the image, storing it, then software to manipulate it and store it. There are lots of reasons for choosing either however as the popularity of digital image making grows so will the demise of film happen (at least in the mainstream).
- Equipment - Cameras (Film or Digital) Compact or SLR (Single Lens Reflex). Generally camera’s do one thing, capture a scene and to do this there are considerations as to the end product quality you want. The compact cameras generally have less ability to control the image, while the SLR type camera often gives the photographer more control of the image, it’s exposure via the aperture, shutter speed and sensitivity of the recording device (ISO). Whichever you choose the aim is to get the best image for your requirements.If you are buying a camera, do careful research, with the Internet it’s very easy to research the various merits of each camera with review sites. Note a simple indicator is the megapixel size the more megapixels the bigger the final image can be. However 10 megapixels in a compact camera can be different to 10 in an SLR. (The image sensor is allegedly bigger in the SLR which is good.)
- Subject Matter - Depending on what the photo artist is trying to convey (emotion, feeling, or subject specific reporting) will depend on the subject choice mainly. The Artist will probably have this as their first consideration, Photo journalists covering a specific event would aim to have images directly related (generally) to the event, e.g. a political campaign, the subject would usually be the candidates. The same for the Artist, they would probably have a clear idea of the subject to begin with.In starting out, may I suggest you select a subject and photograph it very thoroughly. Explore it from lots of angles, in lots of lighting situations, with various exposures. Often the temptation is to take a few images then walk away.Consider carefully being thorough, often a great image is let down by a “tweak” one way or the other. If for instance you are going to do a series of portraits to explore a theme and lets say the theme is old age. Then get as many photo’s as you can, and you could do that by asking lots of people in the “old age” bracket to be your model’s.
- Composition - Many Photo Study type resources will have illustrations showing the rule of thirds as one of the main compositional techniques used by photographers. Simply put it’s the division of the image in the viewfinder in to thirds, the idea being to put the subject matter on one of the dividing lines, and the composition will generally be more pleasing to the eye. There are a range of compositional devices to take into consideration so do a search and find a few others to explore.
- Design Elements - Line - Shape - Tone - Form - Texture - Colour - Composition - The aim here being to choose the elements that will present your subject matter to ensure you are best able to communicate your visual intentions. Usually the best end product is created when the starting point is the best, from subject matter, lighting, right through to the appropriate design elements.Perhaps your images will have a combination of these to get your concept across to the viewer. Consider creating a visual resource of each of these in photographs to put in your Visual Journal or Diary as a reference point.
- Technicalities - With the subject matter and design elements in place you can look to the technicalities and the way they can assist to convey your message. The correct exposure will mean the image presented, has a good range of tones and shows the subject well. Correct focus will ensure the image is as sharp as it can be or fuzzy if need be. Remember the aim is to convey your message as best possible, therefore make sure you explore the camera controls and appreciate the different settings. Perhaps spend time trying out the various settings, and working from there, with a digital camera you can delete images with ease and keep on shooting.
- End products - From a printed image to a slide show, or an onscreen presentation online, the end product is up to you. At this point the scale of the image becomes important. An image which is average as a postcard print may well be a masterpiece printed as a huge poster. There are traditional methods of printing as well as printing via ink jet and laser type printers some are very high end devices and the resultant print can be rather costly, but the results can be well worth it.
- Manipulation - Images can be printed straight (as the artist saw it in the camera) or manipulated. Purists of the Photographic arts often state it should be “straight” on the other hand the digital age has given us such a wide range of controls to utilise the manipulated image has gained popularity due mainly to software products like Photoshop by Adobe.
May I suggest that as the Artist you consider selecting some great images (technically and aesthetically) then copy it and play around with various effects like posterisation, solarization, high contrast and so on. The results can take an amazing image and make it stunning, however the opposite is also true!
- Developing your skills - Taking photo’s is easy, getting great results takes a combination of all the above. consider taking a huge bunch of photo’s to explore, the design elements, the technicalities of the camera, the subject matter, the composition and so on. This way you can develop your own skills and put together a resource of imagery that you relate to.Perhaps you could create a web page or slide show indicating each of the elements which go together to create a great photo. Search for photographic exercises to assist you to explore the medium further, as the better your skills become the more effective your ability to communicate your visual concepts.
That’s a start, have fun taking photo’s and exploring ways to more effectively communicate visually! Remember with a digital camera you can readily delete images so take HEAPS of images and explore all the photographic medium has to offer.
January 11, 2009 | Filed Under Art activities and techniques
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