What defines professional? (post 1)
I thought that I would do a few posts around a particular topic, which means that if you follow this blog then you can read the series!
So what is the difference between professional and non-professional pictures, in terms of the finished picture. In the era of digital cameras you might be forgiven for thinking that anyone with a good quality digital camera could pass as a professional, and herein lies part of the trouble - it is not as easy as it was to separate an enthusiast from a professional.
So here are my thoughts.
Creative eye. I used to think that the best pictures had to capture a wonderful subject - such as a shaft of light coming through woods illuminating a single flower; catching that special moment, or being in the right place at the right time. Well, that is part of the trick - but more often than not a good creative eye is about taking a very ordinary scene and capturing it in way that makes for a good picture. More often that not that means thinking of something less obvious. Clearly the composition of the picture has to work, the same applies to art - the overall picture must have a look and feel that makes for a good picture, but the creative eye, in my view, is more than just composition - it needs to capture something more than just a technically good picture.
Below is a picture that in my mind uses the creative eye to take a very standard scene and makes it much more interesting. You cannot see the bride's face, but the picture so very clearly speaks volumes to me: the picture instantly says "wedding", but not in a boring way; the composition works, with her on the left, a few table details in focus and the expanse of the room out of focus; her veil and hands make a nice still life subject and your eye is drawn to them in the picture; and finally, I am left wondering what she is thinking about as she listens to the best man's speech. The fact that I cannot see her face is not an issue - in this case, less is more: she looks beautiful as she is in the picture, with her hair, dress, hands and veil.
Did I think through all of that when I took the picture? Of course not, the picture took my eye, I would have looked through the viewfinder for a few moments, taken time to compose the picture and adjust any settings on the camera, then I pressed the shutter. But when you do this professionally you develop an instinctive sense of what the creative eye is all about. The black and white finish adds to the overall tone of the picture. This was taken using film, black and white film, but I knew that when I took the picture and so this was a deliberate step on my part.
The picture is more special to me, because the bride in question is my daughter. I was not of course the official photographer, but it was nice to capture a few moments myself.
So what is the difference between professional and non-professional pictures, in terms of the finished picture. In the era of digital cameras you might be forgiven for thinking that anyone with a good quality digital camera could pass as a professional, and herein lies part of the trouble - it is not as easy as it was to separate an enthusiast from a professional.
So here are my thoughts.
Creative eye. I used to think that the best pictures had to capture a wonderful subject - such as a shaft of light coming through woods illuminating a single flower; catching that special moment, or being in the right place at the right time. Well, that is part of the trick - but more often than not a good creative eye is about taking a very ordinary scene and capturing it in way that makes for a good picture. More often that not that means thinking of something less obvious. Clearly the composition of the picture has to work, the same applies to art - the overall picture must have a look and feel that makes for a good picture, but the creative eye, in my view, is more than just composition - it needs to capture something more than just a technically good picture.
Below is a picture that in my mind uses the creative eye to take a very standard scene and makes it much more interesting. You cannot see the bride's face, but the picture so very clearly speaks volumes to me: the picture instantly says "wedding", but not in a boring way; the composition works, with her on the left, a few table details in focus and the expanse of the room out of focus; her veil and hands make a nice still life subject and your eye is drawn to them in the picture; and finally, I am left wondering what she is thinking about as she listens to the best man's speech. The fact that I cannot see her face is not an issue - in this case, less is more: she looks beautiful as she is in the picture, with her hair, dress, hands and veil.
Did I think through all of that when I took the picture? Of course not, the picture took my eye, I would have looked through the viewfinder for a few moments, taken time to compose the picture and adjust any settings on the camera, then I pressed the shutter. But when you do this professionally you develop an instinctive sense of what the creative eye is all about. The black and white finish adds to the overall tone of the picture. This was taken using film, black and white film, but I knew that when I took the picture and so this was a deliberate step on my part.
The picture is more special to me, because the bride in question is my daughter. I was not of course the official photographer, but it was nice to capture a few moments myself.
Labels: Photographic technique
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