NZPhotographer Issue 23, September 2019

EXPOSURE
This has to be in accordance with the message of the
photo; it should compliment your imagination and
intention for the shoot. Ask yourself Did I adopt the best
exposure or lighting for this photo? Does the lighting or
exposure compliment the context of this photo?
For example, in the image below, the idea of the photo
shoot was to lay emphasis on the model’s skin and
body structure so I needed to use a moderately harsh
light to create specular highlights on the model’s dark
skin.
apportioning enough space to the main elements in
the picture, it is about allowing the viewer to capture
the most important element in the picture at a glance.
This can be done through the use of colour, (using a
particular colour for that element to ensure it catches
attention), focusing, lightning etc. It can also be
achieved by intensifying the artistic element that drives
the message for example, the texture.
An example of visual weight misappropriation is an
image that has the subject in front while putting the
complementary element at the back but adjusting
the focus so that that the element in the background
is sharper than the main subject. The element that
catches the most attention in the picture has the most
visual weight so make sure you know where the visual
weight is, and should be, if there’s a difference.
COMPOSITION
This has to do with how the elements in the photo are
arranged in order of importance or in sequence. There
could be as many as 5 elements or more. Ask yourself
the questions; Did I properly arrange the elements?
Did I make the most important element conspicuous?
For example, in a photo that has elements that look
similar on both sides, using a symmetry composition
(so that when split into two halves the elements on
both sides are similar) can be very accurate like in the
picture below.
VISUAL WEIGHT
Another thing that falls under technical judgment is the
visual weight of the photo which is often overlooked
and underrated. Visual weight is about more than
SHARPNESS AND DEPTH OF FIELD
It is important to review if you have used the right depth
of field for the image. For instance, in a landscape
photo where there are mountains and several other
natural elements, if the photo is taken so that just a few
elements are sharp versus having every element sharp
by using a wide depth of field, it would defeat the
purpose of that particular photo. On the other hand,
newborn photography essentially requires shallow
depth of field to be used so as to express the tender
nature of the subject.
56 NZPhotographer