Master of landscape photography talks about the art of light, structure and artistic conception in his works

Lead:? The essence of a photo is that it can arouse emotions. ? Eliot Porter, 1987

Skill is important, but it is only the first step in photography. Mastering exposure and controlling depth of field will help convey ideas, but only if you have ideas first. Just like Anseur. Adams said, The worst thing is that the picture is clear, but the thinking is vague. ?

light

Michael Frye photography

Edward Weston once said: Among the elements that photographers must deal with, the most important one is light. Cameras, lenses, negatives, developers and photographic paper do nothing but capture and present light. However, although light is very important to photography, modern photographers often ignore, don't understand or abuse light. ?

Michael Frye photography

It seems clear that you must know about the light before shooting the scenery, but how many people have really studied the light? Weston once suggested a friend? Go out with your camera, get to know the light for yourself, and see what effect the light has on the familiar and unfamiliar scenery, trees, faces, floating clouds and cloudless sky in Wan Li. Observe the same scenery carefully 24 hours a day. Don't just look at it, but experience it carefully until you learn to see everything from the characteristics of light. ? His son Brett Weston put it more bluntly: If you know nothing about light, you may forget it. ?

Michael Frye photography

Generations of color photographers from Eliot. Porter learned how to enjoy the scenery. He used feature films to shoot familiar scenery, emphasizing meticulous color and texture. The limitation of the feature film Gao Fancha turned into an advantage in his hands.

composition

For many photographers, composition is the most difficult part of photography. Perhaps because of this, the law of composition came into being. However, the predecessors of landscape photography scoffed at this formula. ? Referring to the law of composition before shooting is like consulting the law of gravity before going out for a walk. ? Weston said.

Michael Frye photography

In some cases, these rules (perhaps called guidelines) are really helpful for composition, but nature is so complicated that it is impossible to have rules that can be applied to all situations. But there is one principle that can never be wrong: simplicity. The best composition only extracts the essence, without unnecessary scenery. Or, to quote Weston again, a good composition can only be viewed and presented in the strongest way. ?

Michael Frye photography

Michael Frye photography

In addition, excellent works almost all have one thing in common: powerful and abstract design. Many times, photographers will pay too much attention to the subject of photography and ignore the design. For example, when many photographers approach trees, they already have established ideas about the images of trees, but they ignore the unique properties of the trees in front of them. Anseur. Adams thinks:? Photographers should not only pay attention to the subjects they are interested in; If he doesn't resolutely use his mind to see the picture, the finished product will be disappointing. ?

Artistic conception of artistic works

The best photos should be attractive, not only beautiful, but also capture some emotions and feelings and stimulate the audience's reaction. Adams believes that photographers should feel the throb first: I have taken thousands of photos of natural scenery, but only those photos that make me feel the deepest at the moment can be tempered by time. ?

Michael Frye photography

Adams described the magnificence and artistic conception of American natural scenery with his unique ability, consolidated his position in the history of photography and captured the hearts of millions of viewers. His best works not only show the immortal features of mountains and deserts, but also capture a unique moment: the feeling of light, clouds and weather when it is just right.

This photograph of Yosemite's half-moon mountains, rocks and waterfalls shows a stable and magnificent landscape with light, weather, contrast, hue, color and repeated triangles.

To inject artistic conception into photography, you must pay attention to the light and weather like Adams, and use all visual tools as much as possible, including lines, shapes, patterns, tones, colors, dynamics, exposure and depth of field, to emphasize the feeling you want to convey.