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Storytelling with Mobile Photography

Lesson 3 of 21

Aesthetic Considerations when Photographing a Cultural Event


Storytelling with Mobile Photography

Lesson 3 of 21

Aesthetic Considerations when Photographing a Cultural Event


Lesson Info

Aesthetic Considerations when Photographing a Cultural Event

So we sort of talked about the aesthetic considerations, now I think we're gonna roll a video. We're here in Seattle to photograph the Sister Kate Dance Troupe, which is a local Seattle arts organization and cultural organization. And this is an example of photographing a cultural event. Now, they're not performing, they're rehearsing, but still, it's a chance to... There's a different set of skills and needs, challenges if you like, when you're photographing a cultural event. So I wanna understand, who are they? Why are they doing this? How does it fit into the local cultural scene? And then in terms of the pictures, because of the lighting conditions here, this is a good example with mobile photography of how, actually, this can be a tool with limitations. So you need to learn to work with them because the light level is low. But more importantly, or more germane to this is they will be moving. So in this case, I'm going into it thinking, I'm going to be working with blur, because my...

camera cannot freeze action in this light. I guess, this month we just want, like, one thing. So went to the Romeo and Juliet ballet. We went to the Libra Opera thing, which I'd recommend everyone go to, it was amazing. And then we went to Seaside Jazz Festival this weekend, which was also really fun. (upbeat swing jazz music) (dancers laughing) Sort of running with them shooting. You know, not, I know that they're going to be blurred, but that, again, that was what I was going for. (slow jazz music) We love props. Ooh. Ooh. Oh, right, sorry. (dancers laughing) Omen, actually it's the title of my next book, and it's a way of photographing that this sort of a scene really epitomizes where I'm, in some cases, very out of control, and there's movement. And I'm just looking for these sort of magic moments that I don't even see, actually. You know, as opposed to a much more precise way of photographing. (slow jazz music) One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Is that you look like you're having fun. That you look, and I'm not saying, like, you fake it, but that, again, people pick up on your energy. And if you're being weird, or you're having a good time and then it makes them, it opens the welcome mat for you that much more. (muffled speaking) (dancers laughing) Us too. Yeah. I just realized. (drowned out by talking over each other) (laughing) Five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. (dancers laughing) One, and hold. (dancers laughing) Still doing the comedy routine? Yeah. (muffled speaking) One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. (stomping) One, two, three, that's four. One, two, (drowned out by stomping) (dancers laughing) (choreographer drowned out by stomping) Aren't we? Alright. Which foot are we? We are doing this right before here. Yeah, that's weird. Yeah, it felt a little bit dippy. (laughing) It appears that we kind of should have. Yeah. Right? Both of those legs, right? Yeah. (laughing) Yeah, so I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go five, six, seven, eight. (muffled speaking) Eight, five, six, seven, eight. And to say that while I use an iPhone, everything we're talking about today is appropriate for Android users as well. And you know all of this, this class is not meant to be highly technical. I welcome any questions from the audience on technical stuff. But I really want this to be about opening your mind up to what the possibilities, the opportunities, and to inspire you to take your mobile camera and make pictures. (laughing) Oh. (drowned out by talking over each other) (stomping) One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. (muffled speaking) (squealing) (laughing) Talk about one of the technical things, I use the ProCamera app, generally, to capture, because it gives you very high quality 17 meg TIFF. And there's functionalities that I really like you can trip the shutter by touching any part of the phone so there are ways that I can shoot much more freely. But when I'm in a situation like this, whoa, where there's a lot of rapid movement. And as I, I don't know if you noticed, in some cases I'm shooting almost like motor drive, well, thumb drive. Anyway, so the dance rehearsal is over, and as I suspected, the light was pretty rough. So I really tried to focus on either portraits and moments where the women were still or play with lots of movement and kind of crazy energy. Speaking of energy, one of the things I love about photography is that, in this case, I got to witness a group of women having so much fun doing what they're doing that it doesn't even matter whether they're good or bad, or it looks great or not. It's just the energy was so beautiful and it really, I got a contact high from it. Now I need to take a nap. (chuckling) So just to finish the point that when I'm shooting in a situation that's, where it's very rapid or I might be making a lot of pictures, then I'll use the in-camera, the in-phone camera. In the case of the iPhone, the camera that comes with it. Which is a great camera because that, while it still makes good quality photographs, it won't buffer. But with the ProCamera app, if I'm shooting rapidly, then it'll actually slow down because the image size is so large. So, again, with like any tool, you need to learn, as well as with the apps, what are its strengths? What are its weaknesses?

Class Description



You’ll learn:




a Creativelive Student


belinda leung


Lynn Hernandez
