As mentioned in my previous post, I feel that the key emphasis as a photographer is in composition. However, no matter how good or efficient a photographer is, he or she will never get a perfect shot every time. Usually, there are more than one subject in focus, which is not encouraged. This is where mastering the art of cropping is essential.  In fact, this can be considered to be the most important function that a photographer should learn and master since it affects composition directly.

Consider this photo:

This image is captured very well. However, if you look at the photo carefully, there are two primary subjects of interest. And most photographers will usually opt for one. If not , the viewers will be confused as to what the photographer wish to tell his or her viewers. In this case, is the subject of interest the parallel pillars/long walkway on the left or or the train on the right? One of the most common mistakes that photographers make is in making viewers decide where to look. More often than not, the photographer should decide for the viewers (unless it’s a scenic shot whereby the viewers are invited to appreciate every aspect of the image).

In this instance, I personally feel that this photo should look best in a “portrait” rather than “landscape” format because of the parallel structure to its left. In addtion, the parallel pillars/long walkway should be a better subject of interest (there’s no wrong or right answers. Everything is based on one’s aesthetics preferences) as the part of the train to the right of the photo looks dull, despite the colour red which is usually striking. Therefore, I will choose to crop the image of the train on the right, leaving the image in a “portrait” format like this:

Now, we will have an image with one primary subject of focus.

As mentioned previously, there are no right or wrong answers. Cropping is merely the effort of the photographers to align what the viewers see with what they see.

Dear class, 

During one of our class discussions, some of you have brought up the concept of “Show, do not tell” when it comes to the reports by the media. I figure most of us will interpret this as a neutral, factual reporting of the media and not making any aspects of the report subjective.

Along the same vein, the concept of “Show, do not tell” can also be applied in the field of photography. Photographs often have a strong presence even in the absence of captions. They have the ability to evoke emotions while allowing every one of us to interpret the pictures independently of one another. This might be a bit constraining when it comes to the field of photojournalism (since the pictures are taken primarily to describe an event or a happening), but there’s still space left open for interpretation in this aspect as well. Once again – as mentioned in my previous post – composition is important since this is the most crucial factor when it comes to enabling the viewers to interpret the message of the photograph.

In a world where we are constantly being bombarded by noise, photography grants us that silence that enables us to have peace of mind. However, some advertisers are beginning to use photography as a form of visual attraction to engage our attention (when often we do not wish to). What begins as a form of art has now been turned into a device for consumerism, which is a very regretful development.

Nevertheless, it’s undeniable that the concept of “Show, do not tell” applies well when it comes to photography. If not, advertisers will not maximise the usage of such concept in recent years. Indeed, they are beginning to realise that a picture indeed speaks a thousand words.      

Photographs are most impactful when left alone. It is unbelievable how much we like to add information to photographs, Editors place captions below them, photojournalists adds an article alongside them and image editors edit them often to enhance the photo’s visual appeal.  It’s understandable that all of this is done to align the photographs to the reports that the media wish to make. However, at the same time, the impact of the photo is reduced since adding information in such ways reduces the number of possibilities of interpretations open to the viewers.

Hence, “Show, do not tell” should be the motto of every photographer.

Such is the essence of photography.

Storytelling has been getting more and more popular in Singapore. Or maybe, it has always been popular.

Storytelling has always been magical, because all (if not, most) of us love stories. This is what makes reading a novel or watching a movie so interesting. To understand the allure of stories, we need to dissect them and look at the various factors that capture and sustain the interest of readers and movie-goers respectively:

• Themes: All of us love a good theme.  In movies or novels, we love the portrayal of heroism when the hero saves the damsel in distress. We love the moral theme of good overcoming evil. We love the romantic themes of lovers overcoming all obstacles to be together. While there are some of us who feel that this is a form of escapism, I feel that the thematic elements serve a more fulfilling purpose: to enable us to move towards the greater good.  We love to be the person who is recognised for our achievements, we love to be the person who contributes to mankind and we love to be someone who is loved. Thus, themes enable us to fulfill this fantasy, which we are able to turn it into a reality.

• Dialogues:  The dialogues in films and novels often have the power to take us into the world of narratives, where emotions are expressed and characters are revealed. It allows us to peel away the layers of mystique from characters in movies and books while offering us a glimpse into their rich inner world.

• Morality: There are often lessons that we all love to draw from stories. Just think of the Little Red Riding Hood and the Sleeping Beauty. Don’t these stories teach us lessons? Then there’s Aesop’s fables, whereby morality lessons are often imbued in each of the short stories.  Stories often offer us glimpses into the world of others and through their eyes, we learn the lessons of life.

Taking all of the abovementioned factors into consideration, we can integrate stories with these factors and use it in presentations. Of course, the presentation sessions should not consist merely of stories, since factual details are also important. However, one or two stories narrated by a member or two do make a presentation more lively and interesting.

Stories are also useful when they are used to start or end a presentation. As audiences are able to recall the beginning and the conclusion of a presentation better, it will be good for presenters to begin and/or conclude the presentation session with a good story, and a lesson behind it.

So, the next time you present in your teams, think about using the art of storytelling. It will probably enhance your presentation.