Friday, April 23, 2004
Photo 101: Setting Up the Shot
Posted by Lee Yuan Sheng in "THOUGHT" @ 09:30 AM
Heya all! Welcome to Digital Media Thoughts, and to this series of guest columns, on Setting Up the Shot Right. Photography isn't always the easiest thing to do, as some of you may have found out by now, but I'm here to offer some help in getting the most out of your interest in photography. Those of you who are still deciding whether to take the plunge or not, well, don't worry, you don't need a camera to start learning about photography! Just read and start learning step-by-step! In this column, I'll talk about what I think are the important basics one should have before taking photography as a hobby, seriously.
Photography - Art and Science
Photography has made over a century worth of progress since the 1800s, and though digital photography is fairly new and brings about its own set of rules and quirks, it still relies on the basic principles that have been developed over the past couple hundred of years. Basic principles of exposure, lighting, and even simple composition and framing have their roots in these old traditions. Even fads like Lomography (which I just think is a marketing sham) didn't change that. Which brings me to an important point about photography; it is an area that combines disciplines from both art and science. Pretty logical and obvious, you'd think!
The problem is that a lot of people tend towards either extreme; on the Internet I see a lot of groups discussing equipment to no end while having little to show in terms of photographs. On the other extreme, I see photos trying to impress as art but not quite making it. Actually, I lie, it's more like not even close to being art.
Figure 1: Yeah, I meant this kind of "art". Nice try, but sorry, not going to work in reality.
Photography - Art and Science
Photography has made over a century worth of progress since the 1800s, and though digital photography is fairly new and brings about its own set of rules and quirks, it still relies on the basic principles that have been developed over the past couple hundred of years. Basic principles of exposure, lighting, and even simple composition and framing have their roots in these old traditions. Even fads like Lomography (which I just think is a marketing sham) didn't change that. Which brings me to an important point about photography; it is an area that combines disciplines from both art and science. Pretty logical and obvious, you'd think!
The problem is that a lot of people tend towards either extreme; on the Internet I see a lot of groups discussing equipment to no end while having little to show in terms of photographs. On the other extreme, I see photos trying to impress as art but not quite making it. Actually, I lie, it's more like not even close to being art.
Figure 1: Yeah, I meant this kind of "art". Nice try, but sorry, not going to work in reality.
