We all know the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Today
the worst thing that can pop up on your computer screen is ‘No Picture
Available’. Pictures have the ability to tell a story without any words. If you
look back to indigenous cave paintings, holy books and stained glass windows,
these pictures were able to tell a story about lives and beliefs, stories that
people, even those who could not read, could easily understand. That is what
makes a great picture. Photos and
pictures have become a part of our society. From early newspaper’s illustrated
with line drawings to today’s amazing technology related with photo journalism
it is almost impossible to predict where technology will take photos next. Is
the magic world of Harry Potter with moving pictures really that obscure?
Enter digital manipulation. The ability to edit a photo is a great technical
skill to have. Many are guilty of having tried
to edit a photo of themselves, hiding that pimple or making your teeth that
little bit whiter but at what point does it go too far? It can get the point
where too ‘perfect’ becomes unrealistic. This then leads into the issues
related with body image but that is a whole other matter. So how do you make a
picture perfect, without going too far with the editing?
A perfect photo is made up of a few elements; framing, focus, angle
& point of view (POV), exposure (or light), timing (shutter speed) and
perhaps most important capturing “the moment”. It may not be easy but a perfect
photo has the ability to speak for itself, to tell a story or retell a memory, or
even present that missing detail that words can’t explain.
"If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if
it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture."
Eddie Adams,
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photojournalist
So this is where my blog is going. I loved this lecture simply because
I have a fascination with trying to take a perfect photo. So I am warning you
now, be prepared for a bunch of photos that really push the boundaries.
Till Next Time…
Enter digital manipulation. The ability to edit a photo is a great technical
skill to have. Many are guilty of having tried
to edit a photo of themselves, hiding that pimple or making your teeth that
little bit whiter but at what point does it go too far? It can get the point
where too ‘perfect’ becomes unrealistic. This then leads into the issues
related with body image but that is a whole other matter. So how do you make a
picture perfect, without going too far with the editing?
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