SOME REFLECTIONS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY

“Exploring with pics” is my blog about photography. I have learned to photograph on the field, starting at six (this is really a long time ago), when my father gave me a small B&W Kodak camera. And I studied digital photography at the New York Institute of Photography. I am also a PhD historian and a passionate traveler. So, history and travels are part of my photographic projects.

I decided to start this blog to talk about these projects with photography-lovers, people who enjoy making pictures (like me), trying to make them better and better, not just shooting a lot of images with no care about quality and message.

I would like to begin with some reflections about how to make pictures and what kind of photographer we are. Many handbooks for beginners suggest photographers to find a niche, to specialize on a specific topic. This might be good, in many sense. Focusing on a specific area or subject allows the photographer to become more skillful and expert about the topic he or she chooses. However, it may turn out to be a great constraint too, especially if you decide to focus on a very specific subject.

A better way to approach the art of photography, in my view, is to create a personal style, no matter what subject you decide to shoot and, even better, with no restriction about any subject at all. But what does style mean? And what do we mean by style in photography? The Oxford American Dictionary defines style as “a manner of doing something”, “a way of painting, writing, composing, building, etc., characteristic of a particular period, place, person, or movement.” Most of these words have a photographic reference: painting and photographing are both visual expressions; we can compose a pictures and, actually, a good photographer also does it, instead of simply take a picture; we can even build an image, manually, digitally and so on.

A strong personal style allows people to recognize a picture as yours at first glance. For instance, our images can be peaceful or with movement, lonely or crowded, blur or sharp, saturated or soft, colored or monochromatic, surreal, minimalist, abstract, conceptual, even several of these things at the same time -but not too many. These are different forms of approaching the process of photo-making. Most of us probably discovered, or will discover, our preferred approach on the go, little by little.

We can apply our chosen approach to different subjects. Style is not about the subject, it is about the way we make pictures, the way we like and enjoy shooting and, next, seeing our photographs.

Another important issue about style is consistency. Consistency creates a well-defined style. Looking at our work, we have to ask if it reflects a personal style, and if other people will be able to recognize our pictures among others. A personal style is even more evident with much photographed subjects. Think about the Tour Eiffel or the White House, or a well-known landscape in a famous national park. How can we compose a Tour Eiffel picture that makes it ‘our’ Tour Eiffel? Even better, think about an ordinary object, like a plastic chair. Are we able to make it ‘our chair’?

Look at this picture. The Knickerbocker is one of the most photographed subject in New York. I have tried to shoot it my way, to make an image different from the hotel-leaflets or the tourist flyers. 

More on this and other topics next...

RF