Jun 3, 20233 min read

a brief inquiry into photography

Updated: Jun 3, 2023

photography, a poem in fragments

photography itself is pretty simple. in latin, it blatantly means writing with light (photo = light, graph = write). when you write, the two things that are going to matter beside your skills are your pen and paper. when it comes to taking photos, your pen is your light, and your paper is your subject.

a brief inquiry into subjects

in chinese calligraphy, paper making is as important as ink making, as it determines how the ink permeates and spreads on paper, which contributes to the elegance of the letters¹. when it comes to photography, having intention is the first step to taking photos that matter. to take photos of something is to not take photos of other things. you really have to think about your purpose: why are you taking photos? do you want to show off, or do you want to tell stories that provoke raw and authentic emotions? if you are a part of that subject, think about the clothes you wear and the poses that you strike. oftentimes, simple clothes and poses help light travel more smoothly and boldly.

a brief inquiry into light

light can be roughly divided into several categories: (1) indoors or outdoors, (2) artificial or natural, and (3) warm or cold.

outdoors, natural, warm

photos that are taken outdoors with natural and warm sunlight are often harmonizing. I tend to allude photos taken under this condition to collectivist societies, where social harmony is encouraged². as sunlight pours onto most things, the contrast between things is largely minimized, giving off this well-blended quality of the subject and the background in the photo.

indoors, artificial, cold

photos that are taken indoors with artificial and oftentimes cold light are often sharp and deeply contrasting. I allude photos taken under this condition to individualist societies, which maximize differences between the subject and the background². on the contrary to outdoors, natural, and warm photos, which gently guide your attention from the subject to the background for more details, indoors, artificial, and cold photos hit you with the subject and leave your eyes no room to rest in the background, leading them to rest on the subject itself. this makes the subject more memorable to those witnessed it.

backgrounds with solid colors such as black are often used in photographing endangered animals to draw the viewers' attention and empathy (I heard this in a time zones interview by national geographic's photo ark)³. this also explains the mesmerizing quality of paintings such as the girl with the pearl earring by vermeer. by setting the subject free from the background, whether it be one's culture that defines one's identity, vermeer made subjects that can withstand the flow and erosion of time⁴.

indoors and warm

although most artificial lights are colder than sunlight, some can be manipulated to be warmer. compared to fluorescent lights, neon lights give off light that is more coherent and less bleak, which tones up the skin instead of exposing the imperfections of the subject. in addition to that, lamps with warm colors such as danish lamps can be used to induce an intimate feeling in contrast to the distanced vibe that fluorescent lamps have⁵.

the way we perceive colors has evolutionary roots. good color vision helps animals find food on the land or in the water, as well as discriminating the good from the bad⁶. we often associate warm colors to intimate things such as fireplaces and candlelit rooms, and cold colors to alien things like ufo or sci-fi movies. as indoors space is more private and closed compared to outdoors, the use of warm light indoors helps foster this feeling of security and belonging.