Many photography enthusiasts, when they first start their journey in photography and are faced with numerous excellent works, may not be very clear on how to appreciate them. They often overlook the other hidden content within these works. Learning appreciation is one of the essential basic skills for a photographer. Only by learning how to appreciate can one learn more from others' works. Today, I would like to share with you my experience and opinions on this matter, and I hope you will kindly point out any shortcomings.
Photography is mainly about the process of restoring reality, objects, and scenes. During this process, it's not just about photography equipment and techniques but also about the photographer's instantaneous feelings. When we face different kinds of photographic works, such as those from Anhui Hairdressing School [http://www.ahainisi.org], what kind of perspective should we use to view and evaluate them? Most works today express the beauty of nature, society, and art from different angles, bringing us visual and spiritual enjoyment as well as passion for life. Of course, some works like candid and documentary photography do not have strict requirements for composition, lighting, and angles. When facing different themes and styles of photographic works, what kind of attitude should we adopt to appreciate them?
Since photography art has its unique artistic characteristics that distinguish it from other arts, it also determines its own artistic laws. The elements of photography art appreciation include four aspects: basic modeling factors, technical skills, artistic expression methods, and theme ideas, as mentioned in Anhui Hairdressing Learning [http://www.ahainisi.org].
Firstly, photography art shapes images through color, tone, etc. Therefore, appreciating photography art should start with the basic elements that can be directly perceived by the viewer, such as composition, lighting, tone, etc. These elements are not only the foundation of a work but also the artistic premise for the viewer to feel and understand the photographic work.
Secondly, photography art is also a perfect combination of technology and skills. An excellent work cannot be separated from the application of technology and skills. The shooting techniques used in the Beijing Olympics swimming competition photography make the main subject stand out, blur the background, and give the whole picture a more dynamic effect, making the viewer feel as if they were there. If you have certain photography knowledge, you can immediately know the shooting method used in the photo and evaluate and deliberate on it, feeling and recognizing it at a deeper level. Conversely, if your understanding of related photography knowledge is not deep enough, when you see the photo, you might only feel the dynamic effect between the virtual and real parts of the photo and ignore the wonderful moments and expressions in the work, missing a valuable opportunity to learn.
Thirdly, the artistic expression method is also an important factor in appreciating photos. It is the different expression methods used by photographers under the guidance of their artistic views and themes based on the needs of theme creation. In many commercial and artistic photographic works today, we can see many different artistic expression methods. For appreciating this type of work, it is closely related to the education we have received and our personal artistic cultivation. We can improve our personal artistic cultivation through continuous learning and thus learn more knowledge from the works.
Fourthly, the theme idea is the concentrated manifestation of the content of photographic works. It runs through the entire process from conception to completion of the work and is the unity of content and form. Generally, the theme idea of news-related topics is relatively obvious, while landscape works sometimes do not highlight the theme but have obvious differences in artistic expression methods.
In fact, whether it is photography art or the appreciation of photographic works, both require a long-term accumulation, learning, and summarization process. Only through constant practice can we improve our appreciation level and form our independent creative style. Among the numerous photographic works we see, we don't need to demand that every photographic work has beauty. As long as we appreciate it with our feelings, I believe every photographic work will bring us unique beauty and emotion!
Recently, many people have been asking me on QQ and MSN how to learn photography. Technical or theoretical things are easy to explain because 1+1=2 can be calculated with fingers, can be empirically verified, and anyone doing it will get the same result. No matter who says it, the fact that "the smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field; the faster the shutter speed, the more frozen the image" will not change. However, in terms of how to learn photography, it is very important for beginners. This is somewhat a matter of concept, and concepts won't be consistent for everyone. I hope to let beginners know my views and thoughts so that they don't lose direction or fall into errors when stepping into the world of photography.
How to start learning photography? Here's the answer: First, of course, is to develop an interest in photography. Interest is the most important driving force. The stronger the interest, the stronger your motivation will be. Similarly, the more you gain from photography. Of course, most readers are interested in photography, which is why they come to photography networks. So for this point, I want to tell everyone: stick to your interest, and you will gain more.
Next, someone might ask: Do I need to buy a camera? What kind of camera should I buy? Regarding this question, I once said in the forum that you don't necessarily have to buy a camera first. You can start by liking "looking", exquisite pictures, recommended detailed printed albums, or landscapes or various people and things on the road. Since you are interested in and have feelings for these images, you want to capture them with a camera. Is that right?
The second step for beginners in photography is equipment.
So recognize a fact: for a photography enthusiast, the camera is just a "tool." Of course, for many people, the camera is also a collection item, and many enthusiasts are more interested in the equipment itself than in photography. So! Buy a camera with basic functions (this condition is met by the vast majority of cameras nowadays), and then temporarily focus on the equipment. Of course, my meaning is that if you really want to gain something from photography, familiarizing yourself with your tools is absolutely necessary. Learn to operate step by step. Spend some time going to the streets, gardens, fields to find inspiration. Often, the most ordinary things photographed are the most genuine. We often say "sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime." (Don't ask what the camera can do for you, ask what you can do for the camera.) That is, after becoming familiar with your tool, when it comes time to use it, you won't panic and even mess up important events that cannot be reproduced.
The quality of equipment is relative, not absolute. Choosing equipment is also crucial. For rookies, we just need to choose a DC model that we like and can afford. You can go to the shopping guide channel and look at some recent discount models and purchase notices. I'm sure you'll find a beloved DC!
The third step for beginners in photography is communication.
After becoming familiar with the basic operations, of course, you should seize opportunities to take more pictures. The works you produce can be studied and discussed with fellow enthusiasts. Don't feel embarrassed, especially at the beginning, you may not know where the problem lies in the picture? Is the focus not set correctly or is the shutter speed too slow? Can the composition be improved? Can the light angle be better? Next time you encounter the same environment, can you take better pictures than this time? Find different shooting themes, find different shooting locations. Before you reach a certain level, I suggest trying multiple approaches. At the beginning of learning, joining a photography community with the right concept can make your start easier without having to grope alone. Going out to take pictures with friends, returning to study together, exchanging opinions and experiences, all make photography more interesting.
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