What is Photography | Its meaning and use

Photography isn’t so much about capturing a subject as it is about capturing the light that falls off of a subject. “Um, sure – big deal…” you might say.

The word ‘photography’ translates literally to “painting with light,” and capturing light is what’s occurring when you press the shutter button. Dramatic light is what brings about dramatic colors, textures, lines and shapes. Flat light will typically yield… a flat picture.

The act of ‘taking a good picture’, then, should first involve considering how the light falls off a subject.

Ever wonder why some subjects seem so drab in print, when they seemed so nice in person? Good quality light will make a picture ‘pop’. A good quality subject may not.

On that last point: Because a subject moves you when you see it in person, it may not be moving when you view it in print. Quality of light plays a huge role in the impact of a photograph.

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Take the Golden Gate Bridge, for example. It’s hard not to be moved by its presence (and I’ve lived here for 30 years!), but the
bridge by itself won’t make a moving picture.

No way around it – you have to pay attention to the light, and adjust your photographic schedule accordingly.

But the act of taking a picture should not focus solely on capturing the light from a subject. With poignant or dramatic photographs, it isn’t so much that a subject was captured so much as an image was created. This is key. And it’s the main ingredient in the idea of ‘composition’.

“Creating an image” means you consider your subject and your background. Move around. One subject can become an element of multiple images, simply by ‘composing’ your shot differently.

Next time you’re out shooting, particularly if you’re shooting with a digital camera, play around with one subject on different backgrounds and in different lights. And always remember to focus on the image, rather than the subject…

4 Comments

  1. Comment by what is photography
    on December 19, 2012

    thank for the additional information sir Mike

  2. Comment by Faith
    on August 21, 2013

    Hello. This picture of the Golden Gate Bridge is phenomenol. Is there any possibility of buying it?

  3. Comment by Mike Lee
    on August 21, 2013

    Hi Faith – you bet. Here is some more information on purchasing prints: http://www.focus97.com/about.php#prints

    Feel free to use the Contact form to indicate print, size, etc. Happy to print as a large size and sign the photograph.

    Cheers,
    Mike

    • Comment by Faith
      on August 25, 2013

      Thank you, Mike!!! :)

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