When we see a photo, what is the first element that attracts us?
When we feel that a photo is very interesting, or has a story or emotion, what do we pay attention to that leads to such rich emotions and feelings?
What is the reason that makes a person stare at the content in the photo for a long time, constantly pondering and appreciating it? Even if you decide to turn around, do you still feel that you still have more to say?
What is the reason why when you see some photos, you have the urge to download and collect them immediately?
Regarding the above issues, I believe that every friend who pursues the art of photography has encountered it. The key to the quality of a photograph is not determined by the shooting equipment, but its content. Decide with the layout, as well as the core theme of the photo. This requires photography creators to invest a lot of energy and time. Photography, like jade, requires careful preparation, planning and carving to create better works and make them shine with more brilliance.
In order to achieve these, when we create photography, we must first ensure that these 6 basic conditions are completed. Here we will share them with you:
Condition 1: The first visual effect
is the first time the audience sees the photo. It is not easy to be deeply attracted by the overall effect of a photo at a glance, but if we can make the audience willing to stay for three more seconds when they first see the photo, Congratulations, your work already has the basic conditions for high-quality works, but how can you make the audience continue to stay with your photography after taking a first look at it? Let’s take a look at the suggestions given by FUN below:
First of all, we need to do a good job of visual guidance, which simply means creating the first visual feeling for the audience, and it is a good feeling. To create an intuitive and effective first impression, it is actually very simple. We can find some interesting elements that can guide the line of sight, such as: a long and winding road, a shaped bridge, or some regular and distinctive elements. Objects that can form guiding lines, combined with clever composition, can create better visual effects.
For example, in the picture above, normal people’s shooting ideas will place the first angle on the main body of the building, ignoring the scene and other elements. If we shoot the ancient building alone, the picture will appear dry and monotonous, but if we retreat to the building walls and At one end, follow the extension of the building and tower to find the angle. Then you will find that the lines of the branches above your head and the roof lines at both ends of the turret can cleverly guide the line of sight to the turret building, forming a very interesting and interesting Beautiful visual sense.
So when we take some architectural or landscape photos, sometimes we don’t rush to press the shutter, and don’t always think about using a cross-cutting method to frame the shot. We can consider using a shooting method that creates guiding lines in the downward direction, and you can Look forward, backward, left, right, or up and down to find some special angles, keep trying and observing, maybe there are some new opportunities hidden in it.
Condition 2: Use virtuality and reality to create visual contrast and gap
If we only observe the world with our naked eyes, you will find that all the scenes you see are "real", in a certain way The visual feeling is not strong enough, but if we combine the characteristics of mobile phone lens or camera lens to shoot, we can create a contrasting effect of virtual and real with an aesthetic atmosphere. This effect can bring a strong sense of distance, layering, and space to the audience. Therefore, the reasonable and correct use of the contrast between virtual and real can also add more visual highlights and effects to your photos.
1. The application of foreground blur in virtual and real
The principle of foreground blur is very simple. Whether you are using a mobile phone or a camera, just keep the lens close to the object and ensure that your focus point is on the subject in the distance. In this way The foreground that is closer to the phone and the subject that is far away will form a relative depth of field effect, resulting in a blurred effect on the foreground.Using foreground blur can give photos a stronger sense of layering and beautiful haziness, and can also make distant subjects appear less monotonous and pale.
Another idea for using the foreground is to weaken the proportion of the foreground in the picture, and let the foreground serve as a companion to set off the subject being photographed in the distance. This can form a strong contrast between far and near, large and small.
2. Can you use the background blur effect correctly?
Background blur is the most common method of creating a contrast between reality and reality in a photo. The virtuality of the background can better highlight the reality of the subject, and directly highlight the subject. role. However, many photography enthusiasts are still unable to grasp the degree of blur. When they encounter a beautiful scenery or want to take a good-looking girl, they directly open the maximum aperture and blur the background to a completely smooth level. Such sugar-water photos It's okay to watch it for a while, but after a long time, you'll find it uninteresting.
So when I use background blur, we need to pay attention to adjusting the relative parameters. Sometimes a slight blur effect can express those interesting background lines or objects in the shooting environment, which can give the audience a subtle Sense of environmental immersion. It allows the audience to understand the shooting environment through the guidance of the subject. Will stay longer to understand the background of this photo.
Therefore, when taking pictures with a mobile phone, the background cannot be completely blurred, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Reasonable use can play a finishing touch.
added: 's use of virtuality and reality not only reflects the blurring of the front and rear backgrounds, we can also use some environments, such as fog, or transparent umbrellas as in the picture above, or some other objects, or Some scenes are artificially created, and they can all be used in photography. Making good use of these third-world elements can bring us many unexpected surprises.
Condition 3. Control the number of elements in the framing screen to ensure the simplicity of the photo screen
Speaking of this, many people will think of photography themes such as minimalist style. Yes, if you want to create better visual effects for the audience, you need to We remove those elements from the picture that are easy to cause interference. We can adjust the element performance of the picture by changing the angle and distance, and by post-retouching. The simplicity mentioned here does not require us to keep only the main subject. If necessary, we can add some auxiliary elements appropriately, but in terms of composition and layout, we need to consider a more strict, reasonable and regular layout.
For example, in the photo above, when we take a picture of the lightning rod of a house, if we frame too many architectural elements, it will feel that the bottom of the photo is too heavy and the line elements are too complicated. At this time, the author can consider framing fewer buildings. , only take the main body with guiding lines above the eaves, and use more white space in the sky. It can create a good sense of balance.
Another example: The picture above uses pure black and white to shoot wild ducks on the water, forming a very beautiful minimalist style photo effect. The foreground of the water birds and the hazy small trees in the distance form an obvious sense of distance and layering. At the same time, it combines the composition of the rule of thirds to control the proportion of the subject in a relative area. It will look much more comfortable.
Condition 4: Color Control
also shared an article with you this morning, saying that if you have no inspiration or encounter a bottleneck in your photography creation, you can try black and white photography. Yes, black and white photography can stop us from thinking about other things. There are so many color balance factors that allow us to focus more on considering the composition and the overall effect of light and shadow.
But in the creation of photography, the control and application of color are not limited to these. There are more details that require our attention. For example, if you want to convey passionate emotions, you can consider shooting those with red or orange. Color elements; if you want to convey life and vitality, you can consider shooting green or cyan elements; if you want to convey tranquility or melancholy, you can consider shooting blue or light-cool color main elements.
However, these elements often do not appear according to your wishes. Most of the time they appear in a single color form or in a mixture of multiple colors. At this time, when we are shooting, we can control the size of the viewfinder through distance and angle. Depending on the number of elements, the hue expression can also be adjusted through post-processing software. For example, when we find some interesting two-color contrasting graffiti walls, we can consider finding a suitable viewing angle to take pictures. Or you can wait for a passerby to appear and take a photo. This way you can take a good photo shoot.
Condition 5: The series of photos should be consistent in tone.
When we create photography, if we encounter a suitable opportunity, we will take a series of photos of the same theme. However, due to the constant changes in the shooting environment, the photos will also be damaged. The color tone will change with the environment, making the color tone of the photo messy, which will weaken the visual feeling of the subject in the photo.
Therefore, when we are shooting, we need to pay attention to adjusting the white balance and color temperature of the camera to ensure the unity of the tone of the photo. If it is not possible, use the post-retouching software on the mobile phone to achieve the unity of the tone of the photo, so that multiple photos can be Photos can trigger the audience's continuous thinking and observation, making it easier to resonate with the audience, thus allowing the audience to stay on your work for a longer period of time.
Condition 6: How to shape the story and emotion of the photo
Whether the audience likes your photographic works and whether they are willing to stay for your photographic works, the key core is not only the reasonable layout and beauty of the photo frame, but more importantly Can your photography express the stories and emotions that the audience expects? Where did the stories and emotions in the photos come from? In addition to your use of color, light, shadow, and composition, choose your subject carefully.
Most viewers prefer photography that stimulates both the vision and the heart. At the same time, the low threshold of photography now also allows people around you to see too many similar photo effects. If you just use conventional techniques Or if you shoot and create in an environment where everyone often goes, it will easily make the audience feel visual fatigue.
So if you have nothing to do, go out more and go to some strange places to find some photography themes that are closely related to our lives or emotions; or to shoot some things that everyone is looking forward to but because of life or time issues An environment that cannot be visited. Or use some unconventional shooting techniques to shoot creations, such as drone photography, slow-motion photography, dynamic video shooting, etc.
In short: If you want your photography to have better visual effects, emotions or a sense of story, you must first invest yourself and search for and discover these environments and things that have stories, emotions, and visual effects. Coupled with your use of photography technology, your cultivation and understanding of photography art, you should use your "heart" to execute every photography creation. Only in this way can we create blockbusters that satisfy both the audience and ourselves.
