Photo road trip
Albert Pedrosa
Photo mania
IT’S summer! Time to hit the beach or do some road trip with a bunch of photographers. Meet fellow worshipers of light and share just about anything about photography. Those who missed the activity will have to settle as the subject matter of a joke.
Shooting outdoors relieves me of all the perfection of studio and artificial light. I believe that when you’re a photographer, you’re either the creator or the innovator. There are those rare photographers that are strong in both classifications – you probably want to call them divergents.
Creators are those who imagine a shot and they build on it. They use artificial lights with all the different modifiers to help them realize the image. They hate moving clouds and consider the sun as one of their light sources.
The innovators, on the other hand, are those who make the most of what’s available. Their creativity is based on the given elements in the site. They see patterns and angles that are invisible until you see the shot.
Whether you’re an innovator or a creator, both require a strong photographic intelligence. Both understand the science of light and how the camera will see things in terms of dynamic range and the psychology of how we define visual impact.
I’m a creator. I envy those photographers who can think on their toes and quickly come up with composition before I can even turn on my camera. But like any other skill, you can always improve and learn. Whether you’re an innovator or a creator, crossing that defining line will help you contrast your strength.
No matter how camera equipment progress, one very important requisite to ensure your success in photography is experience. This is the time that you spend shooting and learning from the many attempts on what works and what doesn’t.
Learning photography will never cease no matter what level of expertise you are in. There’s always the struggle of perfection and never ending frustrations. You’ll learn all that in the university of life.
One of my toughest challenges when we were shooting along the southern coastline of Cebu was how to share the image just as I experience it myself. I reviewed my shots as I try to remember the amazing scenes – they’re totally different. I’ll try to narrow the gap next time and come up with a better shot.
Meantime, there are two major photo contests coming up: the NCCA’s “Simbahan sa Sugbo,” and “Tatak Pinoy” by PAGCOR. Don’t miss the deadlines. Keep on shooting, everyone!
photomania.sunstar@gmail.com / www.grp.ph
