The combination of the historical approach and modern technology empowers an opportunity to construct the subject with an unimaginable and exciting image.
Many people need to understand how intertwined classical art and modern photography are. Even before the beginning of photo capture, great painting and sculpture artists worked out complex ways of rending light, establishing points of view, and expressing intensity. These principles have not changed and are valid today, following the shift of the instruments and the artist’s means.
Mastering Natural Light: Lessons from the Old Masters
Even though Rembrandt painted centuries ago, the way he applied light in his paintings affects photographers of the present. Natural lighting, as one is often made to understand, is one of the most complex forms of photography to master and becomes relatable or understandable when viewed from an art history perspective. Learning how the masters of old-treated light is one way to change how you want to approach your photography.
Window light provides a perfect starting point for understanding classical lighting techniques. Secondly, standing your subject close to a large window allows you to see the light shades on the face and other features, which is why Rembrandt’s portraits are so dramatic. This technique, therefore, becomes potent during the golden hour, when natural light has the rich, non-tinted quality that Renaissance artists loved.
Contemporary photographers can find uses of this classical approach to light in one way or another. Whether you are shooting a close-up of someone’s face, the jewelry on their neck, the visiting card on their pocket, or a particular object, be it a car or a cup of coffee, the fundamental ideas are the same. The secret is observation and timing – seeing how light transforms over the day and knowing where to place your subject to get the best results.
The Power of Color: From Canvas to Camera
While classical painters had to prepare their colors manually, modern photographers possess excellent color correction methods. Nevertheless, Weiner asserts that classical artists concocted the unassailable principles of color theory. Knowledge of these principles can transform photography from mere photojournalism to photo art.
Color management helps define the proper emotional response to images. The classical artists found this out through experience by using complementary colors to build up tension and analogous colors to build harmony. This information is helpful for all activities in photography, including selecting a shooting location, the model’s outfit, or settings for color correction.
The contemporary digital technique of color grading is much stronger when it draws from color theoretical knowledge. Sometimes, we take a portrait photo of Van Gogh, and by analyzing how he used colors to express emotions and establish contrast and form, photographers will have a better foundation of how they, too, should work on color.