Festival Mediarte
Photography Tips, Art, and Music
Why Staging and Lighting are Incredibly Important for Fine Art Photography
Jun 24th
Usually referred to as art photography in short, fine art photography is an important part of professional picture styles that combine artistic creative vision with prints and special effects. Fine art photography usually makes the object of very classy collections printed in limited editions; the target audience of such albums are collectors and dealers, as the style of such photography is seldom used in advertising or the media. However, it is not uncommon to have fine art photography exhibitions organized, as a way of celebrating artistic variety and accomplishment. The history of fine art photography can be traced back to the Victorian age when a new artistic expression was found.
The fine art photography movement was exposed to several other artistic trends from the other domains: particularly painting and cinematography. Some of the styles presently seem out of fashion and little popular, and here we refer to the attempt to make photos as similar to paintings as possible. This trend marked the beginning of the 20th century and it is considered a step in the evolution of fine art photography. Little by little the gallery system was opened to exhibitions of various famous photographers particularly since artistic expression in pictures gained popularity.
Photojournalism and the snapshot aesthetic approach are tributary and somehow included in the fine art photography perspective, as pictures became one very touchy way of reflecting all sorts of social and human realities of our times. Art and documentary came to create a unique mixture in the evolution of present day photography, and the large number of prints and picture catalogs are just the way to prove it. Nowadays it is more than common that the regular canvases be replaced by framed and glassed pictures in a variety of wall-size prints; we could thus say that fine art photography has made its entrance in house design as well.
Staging and lighting are incredibly important for fine art photography, and very often the outcome depends on the type of camera used in the process. From medium-format and large-format cameras to digital cameras, fine art photography is definitely being more and more integrated in popular social artistic trends specific to the metropolis manifestation. Fine art photography remains however little exploited by the media, as it usually requires a well educated eye to perceive all the subtleties and the unique artistic details that remain unnoticed by the profane eye of common people.
The Secret of Travel Photography
Jun 17th
One of the most appealing areas of photography is travel photography. When visiting a new place, every photographer wants to find a way to catch its feel, its uniqueness and bring it home with him. Travel photography can a very appealing and rewarding, yet very complex task. Just walking around and getting random shots is not the way to do it. You need to spend some time thinking about what you want to express and how.
When you think of a particular place, all the different elements that cross your mind are melt together to form its unique character or personality, that je-ne-sais-quoi that makes it different from any other place in the world. Whether it’s an old village or an exotic travel destination, a good photographer can capture its uniqueness and present it to the audience. This article is aimed to share some ideas on how to capture the character of a place through photography.
Basic Elements
A location has certain specifics that make it what it is. In most cases, these can be broken down into landscape, culture and people. Let’s take each of them separately to go into more details.
Landscape. Every little town, mountain or city looks different from any other place in the world. The architecture may be exclusive to that specific region or the natural surroundings may be unique. Think of the Gaudi area in Barcelona or the steep cliffs and rough seas of the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Think of how the place looks like at night or early in the morning. A location takes on different personalities throughout a day and it’s important to capture each of them.
Culture. An important aspect of a destination’s character is its culture. A photographer can capture elements of culture in foods, drinks, local festivals and other things that are specific to that place. Local dishes, an yearly parade with traditional costumes or a street party are good examples.
People. People from different parts of the world look, dress and behave differently. Try to take as many photos as you can, both posed and candid, and catch people in activities the place is known for. If they are famous for being happy and lively you should take photos at parties to express this lifestyle. If they are hard working, photograph them while at work.
Creating the whole picture. To put all these elements together, zoom in on the subject. You can start with the landscape, photographing surroundings, interesting buildings and anything else to help the audience recognize the location. Then you can zoom in to people, capturing their attitudes and lifestyle. Finally you can start exploring culture. Apart from local food and festivals, photograph shop signs that can show the languages spoken there, as well as products that are a tradition for the area.
Travel photography is a very complex job because you need to be good at portrait photography, still life photography, nature photography and still life photography. Learning all these will put you on the right track of becoming a good photographer. More >
Tips to Enhance Architectural Photography
Jun 15th
There are many ways and techniques to click interior and exterior home photography. So let us see few basic tips which would help us to improve and enhance architectural photography.
Light
Light can increase the shadow, texture, contrast and reflections. The more level of contrast can also lead to the exposure of photo in an incorrect scene, but photographers can easily surmount it by just applying the compensation of exposure. Another method that we can do is that bracket the shots at different exposure and then merges them in a program.
Lens
A wide angle lens or the fish eye is perfect for this kind of photography as it allows the photographers to get the complete building into the frame. Yet sometimes the glass might not be able to include the complete scene, than you require the panoramic format.
Exterior and interior
Architecture photography is not restricted with the front of the building. It could be difficult to correct the white balance. Interior shots are difficult to take in the older buildings as there are small doors and windows, which actually lack natural light. So, try to use a tripod and you can also use the Nd filter to prevent the highlights while shooting in the day. You can also use supplementary lighting like diffused flashing.
Silhouette
If you want to shoot as the silhouette at sunset, than place the architecture between sun and yourself. Also ensure that the flash is deactivated. Night shots could be atmospheric and dramatic, but just remember to click them when there is just some color and light left in the sky as this would help to add tone in the backdrop and illuminate the detail. Make the use of long exposure and wide aperture.
Click in all weathers
Like the other kinds of photography, good images can be clicked in all kinds of weathers. Revisiting and shooting the building in the various weather conditions, can actually help a photographer to create a good portfolio of shots.
Reflection
It helps to add the extra dimensions to the architectural images. Use it in your photos as this would allow a photographer to create the canvas, where the building can be easily indistinct. Lots of reflexive surfaces are there, you do not actually need to practice. For example, water features windows, wet streets, modern art, rivers and puddles. Also they should not be graphic and aesthetic so one should play with the lines, shadows and lights.
Architectural and Interior Design Photography – The Past and Present Cost of Technology
Jun 13th
Photography in the 21st Century has changed significantly from what it was only ten years ago. In the past, an architectural photographer would have a significant but one-time investment in cameras and lenses. We would be faced with ongoing expenses for film, film processing and Polaroid test film that would apply to each photograph created. At the end of the chemical era, it was not surprising for these consumable expenses to e More >