Photography | Camera | Photographer - What’s the Relation between all three...
The
connection is not merely physical, of course the metal touch and the
configuration of lens & camera body and the functional settings and the
lighting conditions and the visibility factor and the mental agility and the
fleeting moments and the unforgiving dangers of misreading the situation … are
all bits of an absolute relation and attention that the picture taking scenario
demands every single time you go out to shoot. You either come out with a
winner or a blunder of a life time. Ask any professional photographer what is
at stake when he or she is on an assignment. In any given scenario the
acclaimed or the accused is only one of the three … the photographer obviously
… and very rightfully so.
There exists a beautiful relation between a Photographer and the
Camera. The unassuming closeness a Photographer has with his/her second eye is
to be experienced to believe. The importance and dependence on the tool is not
any different from what Cutting Tools have for a Sculptor or an Artisan,
Paint Brushes for a Painter and even a Writer's Pet Pen. In fact this is
critical to such an extent that without their personal favorite piece of tool
or equipment, their creative process and flow of work gets affected and they
may face a Block. No wonder we often hear remarks that Artists are pretty moody
and we see here that they are so, not for no reason.
But how important or essential the tools or paint brushes or pens
or cameras are to the quality and creative excellence of the particular
Art? Isn't it true that the hands that hold those tools are solely
responsible for every finesse and flaw in the work?
Same holds true for Photographers and their dependence on their Cameras & Lenses in marking a standard in their particular niche in photography. They use to say in those days that a photographer has a GOOD EYE when he/she consistently took admirable pictures. How often do we notice shadows under eyes and nose when we see someone's sunlit face. A photographer can only shoot what he/she can SEE. Seeing is the key in photography. You have to see a photograph happening before you swing your camera into action.
This was shot in Fujairah hills (UAE), the area has some of the most
ancient volcanic and sedimentary deposits.
One has to train his/her eyes to start seeing the pictures without
the camera in the first place. Our eyes see images inverted, as that's the way
images are projected on to our retinas and then the signals are sent to our
brain via the optic nerves for our brain to do the necessary corrections, such
as rotating the images upright and adjusting to the light and dark areas to
make us see some details in dark areas as well.
The design of our eye is such that with one single eye we can see
180 degrees but the bridge of our nose cuts it back to around 135 degrees. It's
the bridge of our nose that separates our both eye visions and our brain
combines them to create a binocular 3D view. With both our eyes we can see
little over 180 degrees but the focus area of our field of view remains in the
center of our vision at about 46 degrees, same as a 50mm normal lens coverage
in 35mm format. The peripheral vision of our eyes is monocular therefore we
don't see much detail or a perception of depth in that area. In photographic
terms our eyes have a field of view of a Fisheye lens but the perspective of a
Normal lens.
That was lot of science … but this bit was necessary as it is
important to understand how we see things the way we see them and why beginners
are so disappointed to see the results of the pictures they just shot and are
puzzled as to why the images look so different from what they visualized. Play
of light and shade, interaction of vibrant colors, geometry of different forms
and shapes and a beautiful vista that we see turning our head from one side to
the other, it all grabs our visual attention and one feels the irresistible
urge to capture it all ditto in one single frame … Aahhh … that's when we need
to learn and understand the workings of the craft and the tool.
This was shot on one of
my solo trips into the interiors of UAE. I almost walked past ignoring this
uprooted tree...the setting Sun was behind me, just peeking enough from behind the hills to light the trees...the shadows creeping up towards the horizon, some light still touching the ground where the goats are grazing under the tree. (Sunsets have the best stories to tell...read Jim Corbett's Man-eaters of India and other shikar(hunt) stories on Indian Tigers)
....My first encounter with the camera was a thrilling one. It was
a very hot summer afternoon of 1973 when my cousin thrust a small camera into
my hands asking me to take his picture. His instructions were simple, just look
through the eyepiece and press a button when he says ready & the picture is
taken. I obliged perfectly & asked him where is the picture that I took
just now, he replied…it's on the film inside the camera and we have to
develo……..before he could finish his words I opened the camera's back to take a
look at my masterpiece…….his screams still echo in my ears.
Photography is, capturing…recording…shooting…photographing what
you see through a Camera's Lens...and immortalizing it into an IMAGE
on.........
- A
Negative Film – as a Black & White or Color Negative to be
printed on a b&w/color light sensitive paper.
- A
Color Transparency Film – a direct color positive.
- A
Digital Sensor – as a digital image file.
One of my commercial
shoot...Redknee's office in Dubai, designed and built by The First Ferry, a
premium global interior design brand in Dubai. Link to their business site is
: www.thefirstferry.com
Let's go no further than this technical description and get on with our simple and straight learning. It dawned on me many years into photography that our mind reads 3 basic things in a photograph and in the following sequence…“who” is doing “what” and “where. For example if you see a picture of one of the most recognized face in the world, the US president, obviously the first thing you notice is him and then what he is doing and then where it is happening, e.g., the President.....is speaking to the journalists.....at a press meet or the President.....is in a discussion with his aids.....in his Oval office.
Change the picture to that of a stranger on a sidewalk or a
picture of a dog in the street, you will have the same pattern of looking at
the things in those pictures of "who" "what" n
"where".
We try to see the reflection of our known world in every picture. Every photograph has its own small world and things to show…like…
- A
skier on a ski slope.
- A
homeless in a street / on a pavement.
- A
lady with a shopping cart in a supermarket.
- A
group of students in a class room.
- A
wooden ladder resting against the wall.
- An
old man fishing at the pond.
- Or
your friend's pictures on a social chat.
Another of my
commercial shoot, Starlit bedroom in Burj Khalifa, designed and built by The First
Ferry, Dubai. www.thefirstferry.com
I've come a long way in Photography since that fateful day way
back in 70's, the camera has taught me how to SEE … and the photographic images amaze
me as to how things can be frozen in a moment of time. The images exist outside
the camera and then form and takes shape in our eyes and in our brain before we capture them…we see them happening everywhere
and everyday.
From my next post onward we will get into real action, learning
the basics and things that one has to imbibe as stringent rules to follow every
single time one goes out on a picture hunt.
Best Regards
Zubair
Zubair we all know you have mastered the art of Photography - and now the way you have made subject more interesting through narration of your three decades experience is just so class - keep up the good work and waiting for your next chapter !
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ReplyDeleteThanks again and my best regards
Zubair
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