The Introduction Of Film
Interestingly on my journey to discover better photography, I was coming across a lot of frames that were not advertised or posted online with credit to the photographer. These were just frames with no explanation and stunning visuals, and what I realised was how many of the shots were actually stills from films I’d never seen before, from cinematographers I’d never heard of. A lot of the work that I was gravitating towards and being inspired by were from films rather than stills. Connecting with film through the beauty of the frame and the emotional response created became a bridge between my photography and video. As I had grown to understand, making a beautiful scene in a photograph was an impressive feat, but managing to pull it of in video form was almost more impressive because of the challenges in moving image that are not there in stills.
Roma
A beautiful example of framing taken from a film
Days Of Heaven
Another inspiring example from a film
Life Of Pi
Seeing the reflection of sky with the placement of the boat and raft was an amazing example
Understanding what it takes to create a photograph gave me a new appreciation for the work of filmmakers. I had always loved going to the cinema but now I had a new lens to view the films. I began to understand the amount of work that was going into the production process and how they achieved the look of the visuals. I began to question what lenses they’d chosen based on the distortion and compression visible, or try and guess where the lights had been placed in the scene. It became a new way for me to immerse myself in the experience and to appreciate the work of the creative. Composition was the most inspirational element for me, closely followed by the lighting and colours present. I would question what the film was trying to tell me based on the colours they’d chosen and the way they’d lit the character.
Joker
Observing not only the framing but the colours in this scene is a joy
Joker
The lighting in this scene is almost euphoric
Joker
The colours here are rich and bold. But he still stands out from the background
