WYSIWYG

Reagan's Senior Photos in Deep Ellum, Tx

What You See Is What You Get, you may know the term from website building software but I use the term to mean; You don’t need filters when you know what you’re doing. In one of my previous post I mentioned how technology has made lots of advancements in photography, sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes not. Some of those advancements, like filters for your images, has made getting a look easier for people and saturating the world with the idea of great photography, that isn’t. I see so many images that have a filter applied to it and it’s the only reason why people think it’s a good photo. The photo isn’t well composed, lighting is completely off and there is no story in the imagery.

That’s why I live by WYSIWYG. When I can photograph something or someone then show the image on my tablet and they are WOW’d by seeing an unedited image, I know I’ve done my job. My mentor Kellie, that taught me what photography is about, told me once, 80% of capturing image is the story that is told in the image. The other 20% is all the technical work or knowledge that creates an amazing look. If you don’t have that 80% in your shot and then you apply a filter to get your 20%, you’re failing your job. If you’re an artist of photography then you’re a failing all those that made photography what it is, by using filters and not learning how to achieve the same effect just with knowledge.

Learn the craft, don’t rely on cheap tricks to make something look great. If you understand what the camera actually does then you’re able to produce any look you want with out a lot of post production. Take the time and learn the camera and what you can do with it and find your style. Then add in some lighting. Learn what you can do with that and elevate your work higher. Once you get that down and hone your skill, then you’ll be able to WOW people with what you can do without being a cheap photographer.