Lessons 21–22: William Albert Allard—Storytelling
it may show good use of negative space. Look particularly to see where your
subjects’ gestures lead the eyes of the viewers.When you make a portrait of someone in your story, do it with the hope
that the viewer will connect with your subject in an intimate way. That’s
aiming high, but if the portrait is well made, it can introduce the person
in the photograph to a viewer who may live a continent away or speak a
different language. Somehow, if the connection is strong enough, viewers
may feel as if they have come to know something about the person in the
photograph—perhaps even what that person might be like to know as a
friend. When working on a photographic essay, your primary intent should
be to show the people and the place with a sense of intimacy—to show the
environment and the ambiance, whether it’s a landscape, a cityscape, or the
interior of a home or café.Using Available Light
Of course, light is really what photography is all about. It’s a fact that some
of the most attractive light for photography can be had in the early and late
hours of a sunny day because at those times, the shadows are long, and that
low, skimming light can give form to your subject and bring warmth to
color. The French have a wonderful saying about the soft light of dusk, with
its subtleness and its questioning. They refer to dusk—the time when it’s
neither light nor dark—as the time between dogs and wolves.%HDXWLIXO OLJKW FDQ DOVR FRPH IURP GLIIXVLRQ :KHQ OLJKW UHÀHFWV RQWR
subjects, it carves around the shapes of their faces. But it’s also true that
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the shadows are hard and harsh, try to use them. In essence, there’s no such
thing as bad light; the key is to know how to use the light you’re given to
get a good picture. One of the most interesting aspects of photography is
discovering how to use the available light in any situation.Staying with the Shot
When you are in an environment with strong visual stimuli, it may seem that
pictures are everywhere. It’s in those moments that you have to be careful as
a photographer. Remind yourself to slow down and think about the pictures
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