This week we recapped on what we had learnt last week. We then looked at the four pillars that make a good strong image.
These include:
Subject
Composition
Timing
Light
Towards the end of week seven's class we discussed subject and composition therefore this week we focused more on timing and light.
Timing:
Timing requires a lot of patience and the ability to have a good eye. An example of exceptional timing is Kim Phuc, the napalm girl taken by photojournalist Nick Ut. It took the photographer a lot of patience and timing. As Phuc was running towards the camera, Nick Ut's partner was changing his film roll. It shows how important timing is in a photograph and how luck can change your life. This photo has been said to turn public opinion of the Vietnam war as helpless children were dying daily.
This photo also illustrates good timing whilst adding a comedic element.
An Irish photographer who has been very lucky in terms of timing is James Crombie.
Both of these Crombie images took massive amounts of patience and timing. Crombie even admits that he has been trying to take this image of the sun for over ten years.
Another important pillar in photography is lighting.
In photography, lighting can be categorised into two separate categories:
Soft light - a large surface area, low contrast
Hard light - smaller source, high contrast
In soft light, all beams come from different angle so there is no direct shadows. As a result, your eye isn't drawn to one particular area of a photo and a large surface area light source is created.
An example showing soft light is:
Hard light however is the opposite. Hard light from direct sunlight – this is a small source of direct light that magnifies a certain subject.
Shadows are seen here and the light source is focused on a subject.
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