As a Melbourne Fashion Photographer I come across a lot of photography locations as well as clients seeking bizarre and new locations for their next shoot. The city of Melbourne is a city of roughly 3 to 4 million people and is quite young in comparison to many European cities. The architecture reflects this and it can sometimes be a challenge finding location for clients that fill certain criteria that is more suited to Europe. With fashion photography we often try and sell a story. The photos needs to convey a mood and feelings. It is the photographers that need to -dress up- the clothes with something more. Fashion photography then draws on sets, locations, props and models to create something that will engage the viewer and the clients know this. A sun-filled morning in an old house may speak about softness, comfort and natural beauty, whereas or cold and stark warehouse might convey strength or a darker edge.
Melbourne has warehouses and sun filled houses. What we lack is the castles, the mountains and the snow. We lack some of the charm of the 18th century architecture which photographs beautifully. Sure, locations exist but they are usually photographically exhausted by many photographers and clients. We do have beaches, some forests, lakes and, you guessed it, more beaches.
Photography is a way of life for some and at least a part of life for everyone else. In this day and age, technological advances await us at every turn, and the field of photography is no exception. Cameras have gone digital, and the potential is astounding. The following will take a look at some of the differences in the old and new ways, and weigh them out as either pros or cons of digital photography.
Light is considered to be one important element in photography that helps in giving different effects on photos. Photos taken in natural light or in warm glow of incandescent light, the camera captures the effect of light on the objects and subjects. Though light is an integral part of every type of photography, in fine art photography it plays an important role in setting the mood and giving the texture to its subjects and props. Professional photographer understands how the lens and eye perceive the light color spectrum and therefore make complete use of light in photography. Natural light due to its inconsistent lighting projects different shades of the color spectrum. At midday, the blue portion of the color spectrum produces the clearest, sharpest pictures in bright light. Where as, at sunrise and sunset the red portion of the spectrum produces warmer pictures with a softer contrast. The direction of lighting in photography helps in creating different effects on the pictures. The different angles of light create different shadows and helps in changing the appearance of the subject. Different types of artificial lights like bulbs, tube lights, florescent lights and LED lights on panorama fixtures create different types of lighting environments and produces different effects.
Since fine art photography is related to art and is dedicated in producing pictures for aesthetic purposes, light is the core of this type of photography. Capturing the exquisite and beautiful pictures in different forms of light for exploring the meaning of any expression or emotion is one of the most difficult tasks and fine art photography is all about this.