Welcome to Adorama TV,
my name is Marcin Lewandowski
and you're watching the Viewfinder.
In this video inspired by all the different portrait
video sessions available to us online,
I would like to encourage you
to borrow from the best photographers out there,
to improve and develop your
own photographic technique.
I will demonstrate an interpretation
of two photographs I really like
by adding my own personal twist.
I thought we should have a short session
where we'll go a slightly different direction
and I could paint the scenes of stories in my head
and try to translate them into photographs.
By following the notion that
the final pictures shaped by the photographer
and creating a visual
storyline which is open for the viewers interpretation.
I will try to have a look
at how much the viewers perception
is shaped by the photographer's idea.
I will also try to see how much of this perception
is shaped by the choice of
basic tools we used to make the photograph.
I'm working with basic tools
and I don't want to use techniques
that are totally out of reach for some of us.
The complicated lighting setups used by American
photographer Gregory Crewdson
and for example create a movie like feeling,
giving us the viewers great
potential to come up with our own interpretations.
Following this thought
light and darkness can give us many
options when setting up our scene simply
by lighting someone with car headlamps
at night we can create a very moody
and almost sinister portrait.
If we add another tweak the potential for
interpretation will shift once more
just by simply moving our model
to sit in the car we use previously.
As much as we can make and change the stories
with light or lack there of,
the same principle applies to certain focal lengths,
for example portraying our scene or subject
with a wide angle from a short distance
can give the photograph
a slightly humorous edge
or at least edge out the seriousness out of it.
Changing the angle of the lens is not
necessary however it can force
a different point of view.
Just by portraying someone from a lower angle
puts them in a position of power.
It creates a perception of strength.
Different aperture settings
can also be very effective
in conveying what we're trying to say.
The more details there are
in the background, the easier it will be
to put our subject in context while fast
aperture, will have the opposite effect,
leaving it all for the imagination,
concentrating all our attention on the subject.
Look at other photographers ways
to create visual storylines
and try to copy their approach to tell your own stories.
Some of the other photographers
such as Tim Walker or David LaChapelle
can do this within one frame,
while photographs by Duane Michals
are almost like a graphic novel.
I've had an idea for a different take on one of my
favorite photo sequences
by Duane Michals
but at the same time I never had
the reason or maybe time to do it
and so I decided to reboot it for this episode
just to twist this idea a bit.
Here is also a new take
on the Jeff Walls Passerby.
See my main goal of this
episode is to encourage you to look
at different approaches on how to take
photographs and to get better at it,
by trying to emulate another photographers style,
remember to always steal and learn from the best
and that a good picture is worth
a thousand words.
Subscribe to our channel
for more and check out the
Adorama Learning Center
for more tips and tutorials.
This was Marcin Lewandowski
for AdoramaTV,
see you next time.