ESSENTIAL CREATIVE TECHNIQUES

Improve your skills by learning some new creative techniques from the experts

CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY IS A WIDE-REACHING TERM THAT INCORPORATES AN ALMOST UNLIMITED VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES, STYLES AND ARTISTIC INTENTIONS. THIS MAKES DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR ANY GIVEN SUBJECT OR LOCATION CHALLENGING, ESPECIALLY FOR INEXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO ARE

YET TO MASTER THE ESSENTIAL TECHNIQUES OF THE MEDIUM. AT ITS MOST BASIC CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE PRODUCTION OF IMAGES THAT SHOW THE WORLD IN A UNIQUE WAY, IN A DEPARTURE FROM HOW WE SEE THE SUBJECT EVERY DAY, WITH OUR OWN EYES. THIS CAN

BE AS SIMPLE AS CHOOSING A COMPOSITION THAT PRESENTS THE SUBJECT FROM AN UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVE, OR AS COMPLEX AS UTILISING ADVANCED, MULTIPLE-SOURCE, OFF-CAMERA LIGHTING SETUPS.

THE FIRST STEP TO NEXT-LEVEL CREATIVE IMAGES IS TO ADDRESS EACH ASPECT OF THE IMAGE-TAKING PROCESS IN ISOLATION AND

THEN MAKE INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT HOW TO COMBINE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES WITH EACH COMPONENT. FIRSTLY CONSIDER LIGHTING AND EXPOSURE, AS THIS IMPACTS ON THE OVERALL BRIGHTNESS AND TONALITY OF THE FRAME. THIS WILL SET THE FOUNDATIONS FOR THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE COMPOSITION AND HELP DEFINE THE MAIN SUBJECT, THROUGH THE CONTROL OF DETAIL IN BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SPACE. NEXT

ADDRESS COLOUR, BY USING BOTH PLACEMENT WITHIN THE FRAME AND OVERALL TONAL RENDITION, USING WHITE BALANCE AND FILTRATION, TO ALTER THE VIEWER’S EMOTIONAL JUDGEMENT OF THE SCENE. FINALLY LOOK AT SHARPNESS AND DETAIL, TO DECIDE HOW TO DEFINE IMAGE QUALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF YOUR SHOT – ABSOLUTE SHARPNESS AND NOISE-FREE COMPOSITIONS MAY NOT ALWAYS BE THE ULTIMATE GOAL FOR CREATIVE EFFECT.

OVER THE FOLLOWING PAGES WE WILL BREAK DOWN THE CORE COMPONENTS OF CREATIVE IMAGING, EXPLORING A NUMBER OF POPULAR AND CONTEMPORARY TECHNIQUES, TO DISCUSS HOW BEST TO APPLY YOUR CREATIVE VISION AND HOW TO AVOID COMMON MISTAKES.