Not Everyone Looks at Photos Like a Photographer | Fstoppers
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When you look at a photo, are you able to look at it from the perspective of other viewers? Unlocking the ability to see from other perspectives is a great way to grow your skills and become more knowledgeable in certain genres. Models and makeup artists don’t talk like photographers. A creative director's needs don't always line up with what would make the best photograph. Being able to talk in their languages and understand their needs not only clears up confusions, it creates trust, because it shows you understand what they’re doing and shows you're on the same page. In this article, I want to go through the ways different members of a team might look at the same photo. For the sake of the article, let's say this was for a beauty counter promotion for a hair brand. This will be important later on. The Photographer 1. Does her shoulder look natural for the pose? 2. Are the eyes open enough for the smile, and are they an even size? 3. Are the highlights exposed correctly? 4. Are her lips natural in the photo? Can we get the teeth to show a little in the light? 5. Is the lighting picking up the hair shine enough? Should we add an extra hair light? Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist 1. Is the eyeshadow showing up well under the light? Is the light picking up the highlight/color? 2. Is the contour too heavy? 3. Are the lips even on each side? 4. This is for the hair. Is it coming too far over the neck? Does it need to be moved? 5. Is the wind separating the hair too much? Does the wind need to be changed/moved? You'll see from this the hairstylist is mostly paying attention to how the hair looks under the lighting like a makeup artist, but also paying keen attention to any time the hair gets out of place. They're looking at the volume, shine, and styling of the hair. Model 1. Are the eyes giving off the right intensity? 2. Do the lips looks good, are they open enough? 3. Does this pose look good? Their job really works in tandem with the photographer and/or creative director. Letting them know the context and directions helps them understand how they should be posing for the photos. Retoucher 1. Is the texture, specifically in the midtones even? In the highlights and shadows, it's also very important, but not as noticeable as the areas where skin tone and texture show the most. 2. Minor details are taken care of like neck lines, nose hairs, stray hairs, eyeshadow powder on the cheek — all the small details you might not notice until you look up close. A tighter crop so you can see more of the smaller details in the photo. Creative Director 1. Is the hair showing the proper shine for the product? 2. Is her facial expression showing what we are going for? Should she be smiling? Something else that is important for the creative director in pre-production that affects the shoot is: where is this going? An ad for a beauty counter (this context) won't work as well as a social post, because the audience is different there and is looking for different things. A part of their job is to devise creative ideas that will be successful in different environments. This is good to know for when you're talking with creative directors. Being able to understand the contextual difference from a marketing perspective shows them you understand why all the little choices are made. Normal Viewer and End Consumer For products in a store, this photo might be great. Perfect for a conditioner ad at the beauty counter. It isolates the subject and gives you the idea that the product adds shine to the hair. But on social, this post would be easily forgotten. There's no color, no context to the photo. It looks like every advertisement they're served on a regular basis. A great example of what normal people like and how they think comes from an Fstoppers video, when Lee has his mother on their Critique the Community series. Seeing her opinion on the photos as a normal viewer is important for everyone to understand. The end consumer does not think like you or me. And these are the people that most of us are trying to cater to. So, it's important to take their opinions into consideration when it comes to photos that are meant for their viewing. Here are some timestamps I found interesting: 6:05: She likes some aspects to this, but doesn’t note specific things like the hands on the model or the pose. She just thinks the model has an attractive face and the owl is beautiful, but it just doesn’t work. All true, but she doesn’t note any of the other aspects on why it’s not great. Like the unattractive hands, the color grading, or the model’s expression. 19:35: She values the interest in this photo way higher than anything else. The attractiveness of the animals, the tones, the boring lighting: none of it matters to her. 23:36: This is, to me, a world-class street photo. She doesn’t see the value in it at all. The artistic value that Lee saw, she didn't. She's just not aware of the artistic details and why they're important to others. So Dave, Why Is This Important? And that's what this is all about, understanding everyone's needs and helping them get their job done. The best photographers, makeup artists, and models all know more than just how to do their job. A great model will be able to understand the context of the final product and pose to match the concept. A great makeup artist will understand light sources and know how those affect the makeup before even starting application. The people knowledgeable in more than just their positions make the best team members. If you plan to be part of larger teams, you should strive to be one of these team members. Most don't look at photos the way photographers do. The funny thing, in my very first exhibit, one of those engine shots received the third place ribbon. :-) But I realize that another judge may have given it a thumbs down. You have to consider your target audience. A pleasing shot doesn't have to follow all of the rules we use. As for adding the normal viewers. This was about concepts and final products. Your artistic vision might fall flat to the end consumer and you need to think about their perspective as well in the pre-production. I like to shoot commercial beauty. If I showed the end consumer an avant-garde beauty photo they might cringe at first sight compared to the bright smiling work I normally shoot. As for the artistic impact of an image we also have to remember that artists deeply involved in their work have been thinking and doing things for such a long time they have long since left what was commonplace and familiar. That is how new ideas get made. The entire modernist movement in art came about because artists were wrestling with the idea of perception, representation and what the meaning of images were. Thus we get explorations such as impressionism, cubism and surrealism. To the layperson, Magritte's painting actually is a pipe. That being said, to get feedback from only other photographers is not a good idea in my opinion. Photographers can notice a clipped foot, cropping at a joint, "busy" background, etc., and be bothered. Whereas a non photographer couldn't care less if the aesthetic fits their tastes. It goes with everything - It's weird until it's not; it's not popular until everyone is doing it. I hope this made sense to someone haha :P
