CHROMATIC VISTA PHOTOGRAPHY: SWEETIES FOR ALL

10 Jun 2012

SWEETIES FOR ALL

Lolly shop in Adelaide, South Australia - I felt drawn by the aromas that emanated from within and on entering, a whole world of enticing looking confectionary opened up before me. Of course I couldn't leave without procuring a small comestible - fudge I recall. [link]

INSPIRATION

While feeling uninspired about what to write here next, the thought eventually occurred to me that inspiration itself might be appropriate. Where does inspiration come from? For photographers, it can derive from many sources: art, the photographic work of others, visual media from which we are constantly bombarded, our environment both natural and man-made, books, magazines, the internet, music, etc. The list is endless and I'm sure you could compile your own extensive one. We are not only influenced by our own thoughts and those of others, but everything in our environment. Photographic opportunities are wherever we go, so being inspired by something is really a matter of becoming attuned to and exploring such possibilities. What at first glance may appear to be a boring subject and not worthy of photographing, could easily prove to be otherwise. In a world where instant gratification and throw away products have become the norm, it can be worthwhile sometimes to pause to 'smell the roses'.

I take many photographs of varied subjects but am not always feeling inspired at the time and an idea may only emerge later as to what to do with a particular shot. Unprocessed images often sit dormant for weeks, months or even years before getting an airing, usually after something has inspired me.

HDR PHOTOGRAPHY

Many photographers who knock HDR photography do so because they are concerned about their images not being faithful to what they perceived at the time of shooting or because they have had limited success with the method. What is recorded when the shutter button is pressed is not exactly what is seen anyway, because certain settings come into play either by the camera operator or the camera manufacturer via predetermined settings. DSLR cameras give us almost complete control over our photography, with a horde of settings for most situations, some of which are applied automatically if we have chosen to do that. Unfortunately their sophistication and sensitivity do not yet match that of our eyes and what we finish up with in awkward lighting/contrast situations is usually an unsatisfactory image that needs a bit of tweaking.

Hopefully, future camera sensors will take all the variables into account and output imagery closer to what we perceive as reality. Until then software can assist us to reproduce to some extent, the full dynamic range of tones and shades apparent. The results are not always lifelike in appearance, but with editing skill one can get closer to the reality if that is the intention. An HDR image produced from RAW mode shots has the potential contrast ratio of 4,294,967,296:1 compared to 256:1 for a JPG file.

To get the best out of your images and expensive gear, shoot RAW, adjust if required in conversion software and then save as 16 bit tiff files before further processing.

ESSENCE

It has occurred to me that being a photographer is a bit like being an alchemist of times past. In an image, one needs to extract and distill the essence of a subject then present it, with or without context. The main challenge is to establish just what those characteristics are in any given instance - not an easy task for a photographer on the fly. Visualisation and instinct play a large part in discovering the magical ingredients and how they react together. There is no formula for this because every situation is slightly different and that is where trial and error though experimentation is important. A successful image is one that imparts a certain something to the viewer - I call this the 'essence' and when applied to photography it's more than words and images - it's a feeling projected to the viewer.

BUILDING HERITAGE

Old buildings are a rich source of subject matter for photographers. Not only are they usually full of character, but they exhibit skills and methods of construction that are virtually lost in the modern era. Although I like some recent architecture for its sleek lines and good design attributes, buildings from the past remain one of my favourite subjects. Unfortunately, with the rapaciousness of contemporary developers and general apathy and lack of forethought from the powers that be, much of our old and worthwhile building stock is being destroyed. It is the wise and thoughtful developer/architect/owner who can find a way to restore and give a new lease of life to our building heritage. Photographers can also have an important role in recording them for posterity.