Why is photography important and what skills do you need? Photography is an important way in remembering parts of history for example photographs are key evidence in history to look back on and refer to when talking about the past. It’s also important not just to remember key events in the world but to share moments from around the world. Online you can find thousands of photographs from around the world that allow you to look into other cultures etc so in that sense photography allows you to stay connected to those around the world. I personally believe that anyone has the skill to be a photographer however to be a photographer that stands out I think it’s most important that you have a view that looks outside of the ordinary, weather that’s looking at things from a different angle or simply just being creative with your ideas.
Different kinds of photography There are hundreds of different types of photography these can include everyday images like landscape photography, selfies, self portrait, portrait, event photography, wedding, the list really does go on. However some examples of more Obscure photography could include fine art, photojournalism and Ariel photography.
Why Do people take photos? I believe people take photos to capture things that they would consider beautiful or something they want to remember. Furthermore I think people take photographs to remember important events in their life such as when with family and friends.
How does photography help us see the world? As I said previously access to the internet and social media now let’s us view images from all over the world. This allows us to explore other cultures or events around the world without leaving our home. Furthermore photography in my opinion also allows you to see the world from a different perspective as no photo would be the exact same weather it’s lighting change, location change, exposure etc. As someone who has family who live abroad photos are a main way of communicating and keeping up to date with their lives. Social media links a lot to this way of communication through photographs as millions are uploaded online to social media everyday. So yes I believe photography helps greatly to see the world as it allows you to explore and communicate to other countries and people.
Can photographic images be trusted? This question is quite difficult as I am torn between the two sides. On one hand photography can allow you to capture events that actually happened in history which then yes they can be trusted as there is proof of that. However on the other hand as many people see on social media photographs can be edited and manipulated which can then be misleading so then no you can’t trust them. I personally think it can be trusted but to an extent. On the right we can see a photo in which I have edited a cloud onto. This image was used to show my photoshop skills and is quite clear in the ways in which I have photoshopped it. However some images online are photoshopped to look very very realistic to maybe portray features on a person in which they don't have. These images are an example on how photoshop can make untrustworthy images.
Similarities and differences between photography and other types of visual art I think the similarities between the visual arts is that you can all capture the same thing it would just have a different outcome. For example a photo of a dog for example can also be drawn, painted, made into a sculpture, featured in a film etc. However the end product would look different in each visual arts form even though they all have the same idea and concept. Some differences could be the process in which eat art takes to get the outcome. For example photography can be seen as quite quick and you just press and button however it could take hours or days to paint or make a sculpture.
When would it not be ok to take a photograph? I believe it is not ok to take a photograph without a persons consent beforehand, furthermore at events such as weddings i do not believe it is appropriate unless you are the photographer that had been hired. This is because even-though you may want to capture and remember that moment it is also important that you are present in some moments and not looking through a Lens.
How do you know when you’ve made a good photograph? I find that a feel a sense of pride when I’ve taken a photo that I believe is good. A good photo can be interpreted differently by everyone there’s no right or wrong in my opinion it’s just what you personally think looks good. For example the image above is not perfect but it is a very special image to me and therefore I believe it’s good. Furthermore I think you know you've taken a good photograph when it looks like how you pictured it in your head. It can be quite a hard task to take a picture that looks exactly like how you imagined as factors like lighting can easily ruin an image if not correct. So once looking back on the photos in which you've taken you can spot which images are great by comparing it to the image in which you envisioned.
Where is the best place to see photography? I believe that seeing photos online is not the same as going to an exhibition for example. As online you don’t get to see how each photo is grouped or the actual image size or how it’s placed on each wall. Going to exhibitions or gallery’s allows you to get a lot more from an image then just seeing it on google. An alternative however if you do not want to have to pay or travel to an exhibition however is to look up artist photography book flip throughs on vimeo. These flip throughs allow you to see the artists work whilst also seeing how they have actually laid that out in the book. For example if an image takes up two pages or is allocated a page to itself with a blank page beside it.
What photography interests you most? I personally love taking landscape or event photography. This is because I like exploring peculiar places that not many people may have seen before. Furthermore I also like event photography as i like to document moments in my life to look back on.
What frustrates you about photography? Photography doesn’t necessarily frustrate me however when an image doesn’t turn our how you pictured it in your head or planned it can be pretty annoying and very disappointing. However overall you learn from that and try again or plan a new photo. For example in the photo below I love the colour and how up close the jellyfish are however it frustrates me how you can see people in the reflection.