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Six Photography Directors Every Photographer Should Know


Cinema can be an inspiration for photographers. And if we think of movie titles or names of directors, we usually pay little attention to the director of photography, also known as the cinematographer. Big mistake! Those are the people who master the camera and lighting techniques to turn ideas into images.

John Alcott

Although his career was short, his work had a great influence on the history of cinema.

From 2001: Space AdventureWhen he had to change the director of photography, he collaborated on many of Kubrick’s major films, no less Orange watch or shine. He developed revolutionary filmmaking and had to demonstrate the quality of adaptability in keeping with Kubrick’s ambitions of constantly changing styles.

He also continued in the film what he had learned during his advertising career: he made great use of diffused filters and realistic lighting (a light source included in the frame).

While in 2001 he mainly used bounce light to allow Kubrick to shoot from any angle, he had to rely on the famous Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f/0.7 lens, developed by NASA, nonetheless famous and challenging awake Barry Lyndon in scenes lit only by candlelight. Even for a perfectionist and control freak like Kubrick, Alcott found a way to use his own techniques and tricks. Sprinkle water on the streets to light up the city lights and stopping at a few stops is one of them.

Even now as we continually push the limits of modern cameras when it comes to high ISOs and shadows, such ingenuity can certainly still be used in practice today.

Roger Deakins

Possibly one of the most famous directors of photography. His early interest in painting probably greatly influenced his work collaborating with famous directors such as Sam Mendes, Martin Scorcese or the Cohen Brothers. There is no country for the elderly, the sky falling down, Swordsman 2049or more recently 1917 embodies both his versatility and style, characterized by a simple aesthetic and the use of natural light.

When deciding on lighting, he voluntarily leaves some unnecessary elements in the shadows by contrasting a scene and thus bringing out important details.

To achieve that, he often uses three light sources and applies unusual angles to convey the moods of the characters.

Two other things to learn from him: his belief in thorough preparation and the way he dedicates his knowledge to the needs of the project. At the end of the day, the story has the final say. It can be something to keep in mind when participating in a group project or when a client stands by his or her own particular idea.

Christopher Doyles

You won’t be surprised to learn that he moved to Taiwan in his twenties and even learned Mandarin when you learn that he is the man behind Wong Kar-wai’s photo shoot. In the mood for love And 2046.

His taste for many types of art can be seen in his work. His multimedia painting and paper collage practice shows in the layout and colors displayed on the screen.

As a creator, he feels that he too has a responsibility to speak up for the world and visualize it in a unique way.

He takes an instinctive rather than technical approach and intuitively follows his artistic flow, nourished by his mixed culture, European and Asian. For him, with an open mind, any new life experience is a way to feed his aesthetic story. A wise lesson for all creative types.

Janusz Kamiński

A name often associated with another celebrity: Steven Spielberg. They have been working together since 1993 on the popular show Schindler’s List.

There’s an old-school aesthetic in his cinematography that aligns with Spielberg’s main ambition: to tell a story. And to that end, he uses traditional visual grammar, where perspectives and camera effects convey ideas and help viewers capture moods and concepts.

He adjusts the technique to mean: everyone remembers the unsaturated images of Saving Private RyanIt puts us in the middle of filming. Munich, spy bridgeor Post very good visual depiction of the era in which their story originates.

His use of film certainly contributes to this, possibly the Kodak 320T for Catch me if you can or 200T for Private Ryan.

Another recognizable feature of Kamiński’s image is the light mist, accentuated by the glowing backlight, creating an atmosphere close to the natural look he’s after.

Emmanuel Lubezki

Three films, among others, demonstrate Lubezki’s visual talent: man’s child, birdmanAnd Tree of Life.

Although very different, the films all exhibit some common features of the Lubezki image. His camera is usually handheld, but its movement is more fluid than the reportage style and the shooting time is also longer. The camera follows the characters in a way that is “organic to the story”, as Lubezki put it.

In terms of lighting, Lubezki is looking for available light that fits the film’s story.

Planning the position of the sun and the quality of its light took a good place in his interest when shooting. Consistency is more important throughout a film, but photographers can certainly benefit from applying this to their work.

The type and color of light also contributes to the mood of the scene, whether it is sharp, clear light, as in Gravitationor the light at the end of the day, as in man’s child or Avenger.

His contemplative scenes often substitute any voice or dialogue to trigger a particular emotion through the use of photographic language.

There’s certainly a lot to learn from watching the chemistry in Lubezki’s images.

Robert Richardson

Another cinematographer’s work has contributed to the visual milestones. Judge for yourself: platoon, JFK, Desert island, kill bill.

With the requirements of the position of director of photography, Richardson tried to combine his art with the vision of the film director.

However, he has popularized some of his gimmicks across different films. Creating halos around characters with well-placed backlighting that reflects the subject’s face is one of them.

This pattern has become part of his method of thinking, depending on where the camera is, where the light is, and how the light is reflected back.

Technically, there are “big, wide sources that go from muslin to muslin… We call it a book,” he explains.

The lenses and frames are also used precisely in the narration. Wide angle is a reasonable choice for setting up the situation, to show the stance of the character in its environment or to show the giant landscape around.

It seems obvious, but the good old image syntax is still proven to work.

Conclusion

A photographer most of the time is his or her own director of photography. Even if that’s not the case, and when he’s part of a creative team assembled to complete a task, it can be helpful to approach a shot with those thoughts in mind.

By practicing and adapting these methods, we can also find our own techniques that fit the ambitions of a project.

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