Photography Questions & Answers with Stefen Chow
Zoe Morrison from Western Academy of Beijing, 10th grade participated in Stefen Chow's Beijing Photography Bootcamp on November 13-14 and enjoyed it tremendously. After the photography bootcamp, she asked Stefen more questions via email (as part of her school's academic work) and here's Stefen's replies)
1) How does film photography differ from digital photography?
Visual wise, there is very little difference between film and digital photography, unless the photos are pushed to their limits of potential, i.e low light conditions. Film photography exhibit film grain that shows natural degration within the film itself, while digital photography shows noise, a digital signal that appears multi-colored. Digital noise is usually seen as less desirable compared to film grain.
At the same time, the thought process is different between the 2 mediums. With film photography, the photographer works through a sequence of events without knowing the exact final outcome, while a photographer working on a digital process would continuously streamline and refine his work flow as there is instant feedback generated from the digital camera.
2) What techniques do you use when taking photographs (rule of thirds, elements of art, etc.)
I like to see things in a certain energy flow, and how elemental parallels happen within the frame of a picture. Rule of thirds, geometric patterns are useful to frame traditional pictures, then break the rules resulting in photographs that can be more interesting.
3) What subjects benefit from black and white photography?/Color photography?
Generally, dramatic subjects, huge contrast subjects benefit from being presented in black and white. Color photography is good for everything else.
4) What can i use in terms of Shutter speed, aperture, etc. to make my photographs more interesting?
Shutter speed is good to show the concept of time. Fast shutter speed gives a subject a frozen treatment, and when it is used creatively, you can capture a moment where normal humans wouldn't see, such as a dog shaking water out of its body (a very hairy dog), while a slow one would show what the human eye wouldn't see, such as vehicle light trails on a street at night.
Aperture is good to either isolate a subject from its surroundings, or to show everything in focus. The creative use of aperture creates a perception that an eye might not usually notice, and will likely cause the viewer greater interest in exploring the photo.
5) What is your favorite thing to take photographs of?
Big scale manufactured landscapes.
6) Why do you prefer digital over film? Or, if not, why do you use digital and not film?
Digital photography gives me instant analysis of what I have shot, which allows me to learn and relearn quickly with each shot. The quality of digital photography has also moved so fast it is very difficult to tell photographs taken by digital or film cameras. Digital has vastly more advantages over film in today's age.
7) Why do you think photography is such an important part of your life?
I have always consider myself a creative person, but I wasn't able to express it through other forms of art, such as painting, playing music or dancing with my 2 left feet. Having a camera in my hands allows me to say what I think, what I want, and photography has become my most efficient means of spelling out my thoughts.
8) How did you learn about photography?
Self taught. A lot of it was observation of how other artists work their craft, whether they might be in the photography field or not.
9) What do you think a critical thing for young photographers such asmyself to know?
Shoot a lot, analyze, shoot a lot. Never be afraid of getting an opinion, especially a negative one.