THE ART OF THE PHOTOGARPHER
(Summary 1)
In this YouTube video Farland Chang whom is an award
winning journalist, presents a documentary by the legendary National Geographic
photographer Michael Yamashita. Chang introduces the documentary by quoting a
famous quote stating, “A picture says a
thousand word, a story says a thousand pictures” than he gives a brief
background about photographer Michael Yamashita.
Yamashita works inspire both amateur and professional
photographers alike, his work is mostly done in Asia, however he travelled six
continents on various photographic assignments. Yamashita is a very humble man,
he confidently states that he had no formal training in photography, what he
loves most about photography is the lifestyle of a photographer itself,
travelling, experiencing different cultures and recording everything on camera.
Yamashita very wisely and consciously explains how
photography is not about equipment, although he uses the best gear to record in
the best quality possible, what really matters is the vision. This is an absolutely
valid point and it’s a fact since some modern photographers fail to realize
this meaning, instead they think that the best equipment will render the best
images, ignoring the fact that it’s the vision and thought behind an image that
produces a good result. Yamashita also explains how he gets his ideas mainly by
two different approaches, from the environment and elements around him at a
specific moment, to something more elaborate, which is planned several weeks or
months in advance.
His approach in exploring the subject is also
explained very well, by the use of different equipment and various angles he
shows how to capture the best moments, in certain parts of the video it looked
he was actually part of the subject by placing himself just a few meters away,
the final images produced from those angles are shown and proved to be very
affective.
Another
aspect covered by Yamashita is
the use of light, since this is one of the most important elements in photography;
he explains why the best timing for outdoors photography is half an hour before
and after sunrise, and the same for sunsets. This is most commonly know as the
golden hour, although he mentions it as the magic hour, the meaning is the same
for both two terminology. He stresses the need to keep the composition as
simple as possible, mostly by the application of the rule of thirds, however
again very wisely Yamashita recommends
that rules are there to be broken and shouldn’t limit one’s experimentation. Preparation,
planning and research are explained with simplicity and in a manner to be
apprehended by the audience. In a photographic expedition that consisted in the
re following of the voyage that Marco Polo did from Venezia to China, Yamashita read all the books he could about this
subject, this way he visualized what he will encounter along his route and was
able to plan the images ahead of time. This approach is of a relative interest
since it may take a longer planning process, it can guide you towards a better
understanding of the subject and therefore a much better outcome once you are
on the scene, since you will already know what to capture through the research
and reading conducted. In today’s world photographers are everywhere and to
survive in this highly competitive field, one must eat, sleep, drink
photography as Yamashita clearly
states.
The
second half of this video is a review by Yamashita himself on a photographic publication
he produced about a fifteenth century Chinese admiral and his travels, certain
pictures are only related to the admiral as a direct reinterpretation by Yamashita,
for example the boats which this admiral used to sail with are non existent
anymore, Yamashita managed to capture an image of a sailor on a wooden boat and
explained why and how he links it as what the admiral might have felt like on
his own sail boat.
Upon viewing Michael Yamashita video I
felt like if I had rediscovered the true essence of photography, his humble
approach towards explaining and making his points are of such a good impact
that stimulates you. The initial part in which he goes through the different
components of photography, giving simple yet valid suggestions are very
effective. The video as a whole is well structured by a good introduction
directly linked to photography, an explanation by Michael Yamashita on what
stimulates him to do what he dose in the photographic world, to the
explanations of the various photographic techniques.
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