Creative photographers are always on the look out for a visual factor which imbibes the "wow" factor in their images. I am no different in this respect. The photograph pictured is one I took recently at - yes, you've guessed it - Wells -Next- the -Sea in Norfolk (before the recent high tide and storm). To my mind, the dramatic sky and soft evening post sunset lighting does seem to embue it with something of the wow factor. I don't know; I like it anyway!
I am, in my own way, quite passionate about the pictures I take. I like to try and give each one that little extra something that makes it stand out from the crowd. There is a world of difference between taking a snap shot and taking a photograph. A snap shot is quite simply taking a quick look through the viewfinder at Mabel and Fred, saying "smile" and pressing the button with the camera set on full auto. Apologies to Mabel and Fred - no offence intended. I am not saying there is no value in snap shotting, before any offended snap shotter gets the wrong idea. The snap shots of today are bread and butter to the future historian trying to build up a picture in the 23rd century of what life was like for Mabel and Fred in the 21st. However, real photography for me, goes beyond the snapshot. You are constantly looking for images which make some kind of statement, have depth, make one ponder them for that bit longer, make you want to frame them, publish them in your Blog, see them published in a book - or whatever. I think by now, if I'm not boring you too much, what I am trying to say is that in real photography you are trying to capture something of the soul of the landscape, building, person......etc.
Photography is very subjective, and personal. While the technical side is objective the picturing side is not. The technical side is about focal length, shutter speed, hyperfocal distance, aperture, relative aperture, inverse square law, and a whole lot more besides. The picturing side is a different matter completely. Technical savvy in photography is a great help in getting a properly exposed and in-focus image. However, the actual picturing bit springs from the inner being of the photographer himself. It is an expression of that which is meaningful to him, never mind anyone else. It speaks to the inner being, suggestive of a depth of reality beyond the casual perception. It is a quest which never ends and is never truly satisfied. Occasionally, you might produce the odd shot which makes you go "wow", but the emotion is fickle. The truly dedicated photographer is never satisfied for long and very quickly back on the hunt.
I am, in my own way, quite passionate about the pictures I take. I like to try and give each one that little extra something that makes it stand out from the crowd. There is a world of difference between taking a snap shot and taking a photograph. A snap shot is quite simply taking a quick look through the viewfinder at Mabel and Fred, saying "smile" and pressing the button with the camera set on full auto. Apologies to Mabel and Fred - no offence intended. I am not saying there is no value in snap shotting, before any offended snap shotter gets the wrong idea. The snap shots of today are bread and butter to the future historian trying to build up a picture in the 23rd century of what life was like for Mabel and Fred in the 21st. However, real photography for me, goes beyond the snapshot. You are constantly looking for images which make some kind of statement, have depth, make one ponder them for that bit longer, make you want to frame them, publish them in your Blog, see them published in a book - or whatever. I think by now, if I'm not boring you too much, what I am trying to say is that in real photography you are trying to capture something of the soul of the landscape, building, person......etc.
Photography is very subjective, and personal. While the technical side is objective the picturing side is not. The technical side is about focal length, shutter speed, hyperfocal distance, aperture, relative aperture, inverse square law, and a whole lot more besides. The picturing side is a different matter completely. Technical savvy in photography is a great help in getting a properly exposed and in-focus image. However, the actual picturing bit springs from the inner being of the photographer himself. It is an expression of that which is meaningful to him, never mind anyone else. It speaks to the inner being, suggestive of a depth of reality beyond the casual perception. It is a quest which never ends and is never truly satisfied. Occasionally, you might produce the odd shot which makes you go "wow", but the emotion is fickle. The truly dedicated photographer is never satisfied for long and very quickly back on the hunt.
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