Bored Panda wanted to learn about composition, reducing the 'noise' in images, and what folks who pick up a camera for the first time should keep in mind, so we reached out to professional photographer Dominic Sberna, from Ohio. He was kind enough to answer our questions and share his knowledge with us.
We asked him how photographers can help guide where the audience looks first in the photo. "Strong composition first and foremost. Leading the eye to whatever you're intending to stand out in a chaotic scene will do wonders for an image," he said.
"This could mean an opening leading to the main subject or just something about the subject that makes it stand out against the rest of the image. But, strong composition will ultimately help create the best image possible."
According to photographer Dominic, one way to reduce the overwhelming 'noise' in pictures is to be aware of one's surroundings and to try to consciously avoid unnecessary clutter.
"Pay special attention the edges of your image. Too many times have I seen a light bulb or a branch or anything just barely just creeping into the photo. I'm guilty of it myself, so it happens, but just try to keep an eye on those little pesky borderline distractions," he shared with Bored Panda.
Meanwhile, here's Dominic's advice for amateur photographers who are completely new to the craft and composition. "Take what you think looks good and go from there. That's what I did when I started. Eventually, I learned the rules of composition, but on top of shooting what I thought to be appealing, I looked at other works of photography from accomplished photographers," he explained.
"Use the work of other photographers to drive inspiration in your own work. Study how their shots are framed. Practice makes perfect, but getting out and photographing the world is what's going to make you a better photographer at the end of the day. Just get out and shoot," Dominic said that there's no substitute for actual experience.
Created in early October of 2020, the ‘Images with a lot of stuff going on’ Facebook group will soon be celebrating its second birthday.
The group is very to-the-point: it doesn’t allow any bullying or hate speech, and they ask that members don’t report any posts, otherwise, they’ll end up getting hit by the Ban-Hammer. If there’s a problem, the team running the group asks that the users tag or message a moderator or administrator to help solve the issue.
The photos, of course, won’t please everyone. Some are so incredibly bizarre that they might probably make even internet veterans question their experience (and possibly even sanity). A range of these pics really do make you feel like you might want to talk about it with your therapist to help you understand exactly what it is that you saw.
Others are just downright yucky and low-key evil, and their only function is to shock the viewer. Which, in the age of mass media and lightning-fast info transfer, is still a pretty darn impressive achievement, when you consider how much some people have become desensitized to content.
And consuming so much weird and dark content that it desensitizes us isn’t all that great for our wellbeing and mental health. That’s what psychologist Lee Chambers told Bored Panda during an earlier interview.
“The challenge we face is the fact that consuming too much of this can desensitize us, and cause us to become less empathetic to the suffering of others, more fearful of our own environment, and potentially be more likely to use aggression ourselves,” the mental health expert told us that we have to be mindful of what type of media we consume and how much we let it into our lives. As with all things in life, moderation is key.
“It can also cause us to be triggered by our own previous adverse experiences, make it harder to manage our own emotional balance, and increase our stress levels, so moderating our consumption is something we should have front of mind, even when we get embroiled in the latest series that is pulling us in,” the psychologist explained, referring to consuming TV content. However, it's applicable to all types of content consumption.
It’s no secret though that weird, dark, and mysterious content grabs our attention (and doesn’t want to let go). Being fascinated by what’s strange and peculiar is a part of what makes us very much human.
"When considering why the darker side of humanity and entertainment are so compelling, we have to first look at our evolutionary journey as human beings. For the majority of our existence, we were prey and always hyperaware of threats to our safety, which created a negativity bias that we are drawn towards," psychologist Lee said why content that explores the more unsavory aspects of humanity, like true crime shows, fascinates people so very much.
"But in today's safe and often sanitized world, we are rarely threatened significantly, and the ability to explore evil, frightening and gruesome entertainment is one of the few ways we can visit this part of humanity while remaining safe and comfortable,” the mental health expert told Bored Panda.
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