Basic Photography Tutorials For Beginners

 

 

 

The Nature of Photography: The Basic Photographer

The purpose of most photography, regardless of the style used, is to offer an analysis or tell a story about the subject, be it a person, an activity, or an inanimate object. Some photographers make simple statements in the forms of aphorisms or witticisms, while others aim to deliver profound messages about topics such as poverty or environmental pollution. The statement that an image does make, its mood and relationships it expresses, are built up from the details contained within the image. While the viewer has a responsibility to “see” everything that is in the photograph and respond to it, the photographer is accountable for including an expressive component within the image that the viewer may identify with.

Many photographers attempt to summarize their understanding of their environment in one compelling image. It is important to be aware, however, that informative and exciting photographs are difficult to come by. Photographers require not only technical skill, but insight into the subject being photographed. Knowledge of the subject does not automatically shape how the photograph will turn out, but it is an effective tool for drawing out an emotional component, which adds drama. Understanding the subject may be just as important for a photographer as the equipment he or she uses. Some would even argue that the quality of images lies less in technical considerations than in improving comprehension of the subject.
Photographs minimally claim that the scene actually existed in front of the camera for at least the time necessary to click the shutter. Many photographers learn to be unobtrusive and are able to capture people, places and events as though no camera was present. Some non-photographers accept the notion that the camera objectively records what is there for it to record, no matter the ideas of the photographer. Most people understand, though, that the photographer does exert a tremendous amount of control over the final image, particularly the information it contains and the message it delivers. The choice of lens and camera, exposure and framing, moment and relation with subjects, development and paper, all shape the end product, and are all under the photographer’s control.
The photographer’s theory about what he or she is looking at, his or her understanding of the scene, also influences the image that is produced. The result is the photographer looking through the viewfinder until he or she sees what “looks right” and clicking the shutter when the composition and the moment make sense. For photographers, framing is one of the key decisions. With framing, the photographer can either include all of a particular subject, and thus indicate that it is self-contained, or include parts of things that extend beyond the frame and thus evoke the world into which they extend. Because the photographer controls the image and makes it into what he or she wants it to be, two people may photograph the same subject and each produce images with vastly different statements.
Frequently, a photograph will suggest that what it shows, while inherent, is ordinarily hidden from view, so that we might never know its particular truth if the photographer did not show it to us. Some photographers find patterns, where most people only see chaos. Some find emotion in inanimate objects. Whatever the reason for choosing a particular composition, most photographers aim to tell a story or offer an analysis. It is difficult to produce images that are emotionally compelling, but that component to an image often separates a snapshot from a photograph.