This article discusses the relation of photography to
traditional art, and what photography is as it’s own art form. Because it is
it’s own medium, rather than a painting, drawing, or sculpture, photographers
had to find their own ways to make a photograph a piece of art. At first, it
wasn’t considered an art form because it required no training or schooling, the
way a painter or a sculptor would need to learn skills and techniques. A
photograph could be produced with skill and techniques, but many have been
produced by “accident, improvisation, misunderstanding, and empirical
experiment.” Slowly but surely, more and more “casual” photographers began
their collections and soon enough people started to see the difference in these
photographs. They found that no matter the subject, the photo was never the
same whether it varied in lighting or composition. Finally, a new art form
began.
Photographers
learned that photos were made of what was reality, what was seen right in front
of the eye. It’s about the precision of capturing what is then and there, and
anticipating what will happen next in order to successfully snap a shot of what
the photographer is looking for. Photography is seen as an artistic form of
capturing what is true. It was even seen as a form of capturing the symbolism
of the event or subject in the photograph.
The
discussion of narrative within a photograph brought up the statement by
photographer Robert Capa, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close
enough.” Detail is an extremely important component of a photograph. Not only
is capturing detail important, capturing the right piece of detail is equally
as important. It is what tells the story, what reveals the truth and reality
within the photograph.
Framing is
another critical component of photography. Choosing what should be left in or
out, at what angle, and where the subject should be placed can make or break a
photograph. It can completely change the mood, the symbolism, the message, or
the narrative. It can cause question and discussion, or clarity and awareness,
when studying the photograph.
Photographs
are moments of time being captured; a time frame that has been recorded and
exposed on a piece of film or digital data. Given the amount of lighting the
photographer has, a required duration of shorter or longer exposure is what
creates the image in the photograph. Sometimes, photographs are even recorded
time lapses, revealing that change of time whether it is seen through a mixture
of lighting, movement, etc. Shutter speed plays into effect, freezing time
within the frame. Moments of action can be frozen and captured, even in
mid-air. This is when photographs begin to change from narratives to pictures.
This makes
for an interesting photograph, often more unique than a classic portrait.
Photographs taken at worm’s eye or bird’s eye view, or from behind a subject
gives the photograph perspective. From what view or angle a photograph is taken
creates a shot with depth and intrigue; gives it a sense of the unexpected or
the unknown being discovered.
I found
this article to be accurate and interesting. Photography is such a personal
experience, and each photographer truly develops his or her own style and point
of view, that when it closed with the idea that photography influences
photography, I couldn’t help but agree more. I personally find a lot of
inspiration and grow to love photography more and more simply by looking at
photographs, and studying other photographers’ work. Aside from that, each
component listed is exactly what I find essential for an artistic photograph.
Sometimes I don’t realize it in my own work, but when I study someone else’s, I
can critique his or hers and use it as a learning opportunity for my own work.
That’s what I love about photography. You don’t have to copy someone else’s
piece exactly the way they produced it, like you might for a painting or a
drawing (replicate something as exact as you can), but you can allow it to
filter through your work and combine techniques and ideas to create your own.
No comments:
Post a Comment