Sunday, September 25, 2011

Artist, 10 rules, Photo

My artist of the week is Jim Scherer, a food photographer. His subject matter isn't of particular interest to me (other than how delicious the food looks!) but I am very impressed by his mastery of understanding light. The intriguing atmosphere that he captures is all in debt to the way he stages the food at the proper time of day to capture the perfect light. Scherer also uses color very well to create an appealing composition. You can tell that his photographs are very calculated and aware.

http://scherer-food-photography.com/

My ten rules to a good photograph:
1) Shoot at about .5-1 stop under what the camera's meter says is correct
2) The subject should (almost) never be in the center of the image, it should interact with the rest of the information in the frame
3) Don't be distracted by bright colors alone, the image will end up empty
4) Railroads, lane dividing lines in the middle of the road, or any kind of parallel lines that disappear into the distance should not be the subject of the image
5) Try and capture a connection or interaction between two or more things/people
6) Posed photos should be taken in a studio setting
7) Never use the camera's flash
8) Don't get too shutter happy
9) Try to be invisible as a photographer
10) Remember to look around with your eyes, not just through the lens

The photograph that I've been scared to take is one of great grief or despair. I have not yet had the courage to shoot a photograph of people crying or in pain. I feel rude and insensitive to the emotional situation. However these are the photographs that people remember, because they strike your emotions as a viewer.

No comments:

Post a Comment