Intended Audience: Photo Lovers with No Photography background
Though most people wouldn’t agree with me on this, but I believe Photography is more art than technique. A camera is a tool, just like a brush and the art you depict and vision you create defines you as an artist. This post is intended for Photo lovers who do not necessarily know what goes behind making a successful photograph. My attempt is to explain the process of making a good photograph in simple terms.
Fall Fashion '09
Before pressing the shutter…
It is often taken for granted by most people that a Photographer simply clicks the shutter on a camera and gets that perfect image. There is lot to capturing the moment than just the best camera equipment or being in the right place at the right moment.
There is a lot of thought that goes before the Photographer (at least the good ones) clicks the shutter on the camera. Here is a comprehensive list of thought/questions that goes through his/her mind before they snap the picture. Mind you not all of them is necessary and in due course comes intuitively.
- Working on a story means doing research. Sometimes to get the right shot a photographer has spent months or even years to get to the heart of the story.
- Anticipation and Patience, waiting for the moment.
- Being respectful and sensitive to your subject.
- Where is the light coming from; above, side, indoor, outdoor? How do I direct the available light to the subject? Do I need a flash?
- Do I need to blur the background or have everything in sharp focus?
- what all is needed in the frame determines which focal length lens to use.
- Is the primary subject balanced with respect to the background? Is there something in the background which look like sticking out of the subjects ears or head or …you get my point.
- Framing the subject and orientation(Vertical/Horizontal)
Here is an example of a shot that I took in Chinatown in New York City, NY. This was the frame I saw through the camera and the moment I captured. But I wanted to convey my point about the various expressions in that moment. This I could achieve by working on the image in my digital darkroom. See the post processed example below.
Game time in China Town, NYC, NY - When the shutter was clicked
After pressing the shutter…
When the shutter clicks, the moment is captured but the photograph is not done yet(generally). It has to be taken to the darkroom (nowadays a digital room) to work on the image. Finessing an image does not mean twisting/manipulating the truth (Wow! that’s a loaded word) but enhancing the image to drive the point. The reason being, the camera might not be able to portray the entire vision the artist had in mind. In the darkroom, the image is opened up in a photo editing software like Photoshop and worked on. Some of the aspects considered
- Color correction.
- Do we need to reduce the color/enhance it?
- Does the story need to be in B&W?
- Managing the contrast
- Reframing/Cropping the image.
- Does the subject stand out in the picture? Do we need to dodge/burn parts of the image?
Sometimes none of these steps are necessary as everything worked out just right when the shutter got clicked. I wish, I had that more often.
Game time in China Town, NYC, NY - After Digital Processing
An artist once said, “A photograph is made when the moment meets the Photographer.” Being in the right place at the right time is important, but seeing the moment is an essential part of making the photograph.
At the Coyote Ugly Bar in NYC
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