{"id":31617,"date":"2017-07-06T12:00:43","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T19:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=31617"},"modified":"2017-01-21T20:44:41","modified_gmt":"2017-01-22T04:44:41","slug":"how-to-make-a-perfect-photograph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/06\/how-to-make-a-perfect-photograph\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make a Perfect Photograph"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Hayward,
Hayward, 2015 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u009dPerfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00c3\u00a9ry\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

For a long time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve aimed for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfection\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in my photography \u00e2\u20ac\u201d whatever that means. I tried to set a certain standard for myself. I wanted to make memorable, powerful, and emotional photographs that would inspire others. I wanted to make photos that could stand the test of time. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to bring any ugly photos into the world \u00e2\u20ac\u201d only beautiful ones.<\/p>\n

But what does it mean to make a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photograph? By whose standard should we judge this? And does such a thing as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfection\u00e2\u20ac\u009d really exist?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t add the superfluous<\/h2>\n
\"Garden
Garden Grove, 2016 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The author, pilot, and French explorer Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00c3\u00a9ry (author of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Le Petit Prince\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) said that, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away<\/strong>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

It quite mirrors that of a lot of Taoist\/Zen\/Stoic philosophers. They believed that happiness wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t getting everything in life you wanted\u00e2\u20ac\u201d rather, happiness was about not<\/em> having pain, misery, and stress in your life.<\/p>\n

Minimize<\/h2>\n
\"Downtown
Downtown LA, 2016 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Therefore a theory we can take to make a perfect photograph \u00e2\u20ac\u201d to minimize and simplify our frame until there is nothing to take away.<\/p>\n

It means to have a single, compelling, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153happening\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or emotion in the frame. And not having any superfluous distractions taking away from the frame.<\/p>\n

It means to not have a busy background, not to have additional characters that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to be there, or any other distractions.<\/p>\n

Work on subtraction, not addition<\/h2>\n
\"Melrose,
Melrose, 2016 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In photography, we are trying to carve out a small slice of reality which we find beautiful. That means to discard and exclude the rest.<\/p>\n

Therefore if you want to aim to make a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photograph \u00e2\u20ac\u201d always think of what you can subtract, or remove (rather than what you can add).<\/p>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re making a portrait of someone \u00e2\u20ac\u201d perhaps you can cut away at a messy background. Maybe that means photographing your subject against a simple white background.<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s say in terms of your aesthetic choices \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like the distraction of color. You prefer the zen-like nature of black and white.<\/p>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re making a portrait of someone \u00e2\u20ac\u201d what do you decide to keep, and what do you decide to not<\/em> include? Perhaps a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153portrait\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of someone can just be a photograph of their hands. Or of just their face, or teeth, or midsection. How can you best tell the story of someone with as few parts as possible?<\/p>\n

Perfection on your own terms<\/h2>\n
\"Berkeley,
Berkeley, 2015 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfection\u00e2\u20ac\u009d exists in an objective sense. If you put together 100 of the world\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s top photographers in a room and asked them to judge a certain photograph, never will all 100 say a certain photo is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Everyone has their own opinions, based on their life experiences, and personal sensibilities.<\/p>\n

My suggestion: aim for perfection according to your own standard.<\/p>\n

To me, a perfect photograph is a photograph which I can see myself still loving 5, 10, or 20 years from now. A perfect photograph has the perfect balance of form, composition, and emotion. A perfect photograph doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just say something about my subject, but says something deeper about myself.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photographs come to me only about once a year. A \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photograph can still have some small imperfections, but it is still perfect to me.<\/p>\n

Just like how my loved ones might have small imperfections \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I still find them beautiful and perfect.<\/p>\n

5 tips on how to make a perfect photograph<\/h2>\n
\"Marseille,
Marseille, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So what are some tips to make a perfect photo? Some brief ideas below:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Start with the background<\/strong>: I find that distracting backgrounds are one of the things that kill a photograph\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s effectiveness. Seek to start with a simple background first, and then add your subject.<\/li>\n
  2. Focus on the edges of your frame<\/strong>: If you want a strong composition, you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want any messiness in the edges of your frame. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting, focus on the edges of your frame, and make sure they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clean.<\/li>\n
  3. Wait before deciding<\/strong>: You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t decide whether a photo is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by your standards in a single day. For me, it often takes me months, a year, or sometimes years. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in doubt whether a photograph is perfect or not, just wait and let time be your ultimate counselor. There are photographs that I took 5 years ago which I thought were \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d but now I realize that they are lacking.<\/li>\n
  4. Marry composition and emotion<\/strong>: A photograph without emotion is dead. A photograph that is memorable is one which combines composition and emotion. These photos punch you in the chest, and burn themselves into your hearts.<\/li>\n
  5. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just take 1 photo of a scene<\/strong>: If you want to create the most perfect frame possible, you need to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work the scene\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and take many different variations of the same scene. I know some photographers who will take 300, 500, or even 1000 photos of a scene to get the closest thing to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfection\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in their eyes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ultimately, you need to be your own judge of your photos. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be the slave to the opinions of others. Create photos you want to look at, and seek personal greatness in your work.<\/p>\n

    Always,
    \nEric<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    \u00e2\u20ac\u009dPerfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00c3\u00a9ry Dear friend, For a long time I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve aimed for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfection\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in my photography \u00e2\u20ac\u201d whatever that means. I tried to set a certain standard for myself. I wanted to make memorable, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31519,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/eric-kim-photography-Cindy-Project-color-2.jpg?fit=4928%2C3264&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31617","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31617"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31617\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31617"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31617"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31617"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}