What would it look if
the famous picture of “Shashawnk Redemption” was taken in the middle of a
crowded street? Or consider the photo of a war hero, which is intended to
reflect the tiring toil, is taken inside a happy school? Would it make the same
impression? Can you call the picture successful? An established truth about
photography is that every successful photo should have an untold story behind
it. The moment the story is unavailable, the photo becomes vague. So it goes
without spending another word that selection of location is a very important
task of photography. Here are 7 mandatory factors which you should keep in mind
before selecting a location.
Let us first divide
photography into two categories for this process. The importance of it is most
significant in the following categories.
Landscape (outdoors): The beauty of landscape
photos is that it reduces the burden of subject to tell the story. A perfect
location can always complete half the work. Try to select a location by
answering the following questions.
a) Is it meaningful???
A photographer is man with vivid imagination. And to visualize his imagination
the location must comply with the meaning. Be very particular that the location
has EVERYTHING to complement to your visualization. If it cannot then at least
ensure that it does NOT contain any object that goes against the visualization.
b) How does the light
affect your subject??? Remember outdoor photos are
everything about lights. And there remains hardly any scope that you can
contribute to the light. If you want the face of a happy bride then find a
location where the light shines brightly on her face.
Learn About Black And White Photography Editing skills
c) Does it complement to
your story??? The location must go in accordance with
your story. If you want a photo of city life you cannot go wandering in the
woods where no sign of urban life can be found. Similarly, a lonely photograph
must not be in a place with crowded joy.
ü Portraits (Indoors): Well, the situation is
slightly different in indoor photographs. The location is always fixed but the
most important thing is to arrange your objects inside the location. The very
first question should be
a) How much effect would
you allow your lights??? Now remember, you can
adjust the lights inside an indoor location. Your visualization must be
accurate to determine the light level. And the story’s magnitude can only be
determined to the accurate level if you set your lights right.
b) Where to put your
subject??? This involves the arrangements. Your
subject may contain every expression to complement your meaning yet the
misplacement of it can ruin the whole photo. Just close your eyes and imagine
if the table in “The Last Supper” was put behind Jesus and his fellow
companions. See, that’s what I’m talking about….
c) Does the arrangement
distract your story??? This is a common jeopardy in model
photography. Sometimes the photographer out-does the arrangements. To the worst
part of it, the story that was initially in mind gets swayed away. Stick to
your basic plan. It causes less harm if you determine your sets and no one else
goes commanding it. Let the story distribute the resources.
X-FACTOR:
There might be something extra-ordinary to your story or your subject that
contradicts with the above questions. Be sure to ignore the questions if you
find any. Because the photo itself will be special for that x-factor. You can
always be unconventional and adventurous. Just make sure, the reason is worth
the risk.
Selecting a location is
crucial to every sense of the word. So, be very specific about answering all
these questions. Take a look at great photographs and try to justify to
yourself that why the photographer choose that location. Talk to yourself. It
does not always means that you are insane…. J
No comments:
Post a Comment