From the camera
One of the many problems I face as a budding young photographer is finding my style. What is style? How does one go about finding it? I know that I need one if I'm going to be successful and distinguish myself from the thousands of other very talented young photographers working out there, and yet, I can't help but feel like I want to try it all. I think I definitely have a visual preference; I certainly like moody, usually single-lit images. And for the most part, I think they speak to me in a way most of my more "production heavy" photos don't. I think this is generally the case with photography. The dynamic image is usually bold and brash, allowing us to see in stark unflinching contrasts providing us with a dramatic, and therefore different, view of the ordinary. Single-lighting provides that contrast and the old axiom "less is more" seems really appropriate in the case of photography. But even though I think photography is 99% about the light, it's also 99% about the subject. And according to my fuzzy math, that's pretty legit. Where most of us go wrong is that we choose the wrong light for the subject, or vice versa. Light is the best tool I have for telling my story visually, but I also know that without a good subject, or the appropriate combination of the two, no one really cares what I'm shooting. A photo is just a photo is just a photo, until it's a photo.
For this post I wanted to share some variations on a single image that came from a recent shoot with Jeff. Hands down my favorite model so far and I can't wait to throw some actual paying work his way, because the guy is great. He poses well for me and I think he has a great look. Can't wait to work with him some more in the future. But for this shoot, I can't seem to decide which style I want to process the photo. To make it especially challenging, I've chosen a difficult photo in terms of its shortened dynamic range and very high contrast. I thought it would be fun to see how effective my PS work would be at changing the visual style of the image. I think I have a favorite look from the five shown, and I think it's thanks to exercises like this that I continue to form my style. Enjoy.
Color Corrected - plain jane
B&W - Moody
Desaturated - Subtle blueish hue
cross-process
retro color funk?
1 comment:
I don't know if you're looking for opinions, but I think the "pain jane" color corrected image is the most successful. Like you said, simpler is better.
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