How "noise" is often misunderstood

Noise is one part of photography that I've been exploring a lot lately. 

It's the effect that you get when you increase the exposure on your picture so much that it starts to look grainy. 

Aesthetically speaking, pictures with a lot of noise can start to look quite amateurish - as though you didn't know what you were doing, and are thus overcompensating in your post processing to balance out the lack of light. 

They can also be easily perceived as out of focus, and quite bland and grey.

I, however, think that there's quite a bit of artistic quality to a 'noisy' picture. 

Here's why: 

Photography back in the day used to be with film. And with film, it's quite rare that you get the crispest and sharpest picture. 

The film effect gave it a quality that is somewhat lost today. 

The grainy, dull like look that you can get from a film or noisy picture does take skill to capture. It requires a lot of subtlety in the way you express yourself, and requires you to go for a minimalist approach, which in itself is quite a hard skill to master. 

I find the grain very appealing, and in fact have been focusing more on getting this quality to my pictures. 

Obviously, it depends on who I'm working with and whether or not my vision matches up with theirs. 

But the grainy feature, while it can be a romantic notion, doesn't necessarily mean that the picture is actually 'bad.'

I find photography a very, very subjective art, and I'm going to strive towards bringing noise back into focus. (No pun intended).

Follow Oliver Mumm to get a better idea of what I mean. 

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Cheers

Spotlight #5 (with special guest!)

This week's photo spotlight is something special. It's the first one featuring a fellow photographer but first a friend, Mike Schwarz.

This kid is a genius and is on his way to doing some great things. You can see what he's up to here. 

I've been following him for a while, and came across one of his pictures that i foundfascinating. It hit me hard, and got me curious about the story behind it. I immediately knew there had to be one because of the character and life that the picture has got. 

Here it is.

So i did a bit of digging around, and asked Mike if he'd be interested in talking about it.

And here's what he has to say about it

"I was visiting Cuba with my brothers. We spent four days exploring the island, meeting new friends, and eating everything we could.

They had left on an early flight out. Mine was the following morning.

I had one last day to salvage in the gorgeous city of Havana. What did I plan to do? Take photos, write, and drink rum.

I explored the streets for hours, documenting the incredibly unique architectural aesthetic, street food, and people found on every corner. After being driven around in several '52 Chevy Bel Air taxis, I learned of the incredible respect Cuban drivers have for their cars.

This mentality speaks to the Cuban's perseverance and resilience both economically and politically.

Each car takes on a character of its own in my photos. The bright colors, antiquated design, and unique drivers made this subject matter impossible not to obsess over.

I took probably over 100 car photos while in Havana. This one happens to be my favorite."

-Mike

Let me know what you guys think. Does this picture speak to you as much as it did to me. 

Be sure to follow Mike to see what crazy stuff he gets up to. 

Website - http://www.mschwarzthekid.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mschwarzthekid/

Instagram - http://instagram.com/mikeschwarzthekid

Made my way back from the dead

Sorry for the radio silence.

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted anything, and that's mostly because I've been wrapped up tying in many loose and ends and following different leads. 

There's going to be a host of new different dropping on this website starting tomorrow. 

I've been extremely busy with work, which is great. I'm learning everyday, and I'm super excited for the road ahead. 

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, and keep an eye out over the next few weeks for everything that's going to go down. 

Cheers :D

Aman

Spotlight #4 - The eye in the sky

It took me a while to capture this picture perfectly. 

The landscape is photogenic, which is easy enough to capture the vibe, but what really makes this picture what it is is a really subtle part of it. 

Check it out below.

Can you spot it?

It's a massive part of my life - keeping out a keen eye for birds, especially raptors. Ever since I can remember I've always been OBSESSED with all birds of prey. 

When I was looking up at the mountain side, I noticed this bird, which I guessed to be an eagle and I just knew I had to get it. 

Can you tell what bird it is? Leave a comment or two below and share your thoughts on the picture as a whole

Cheers

A

Spotlight #3 - New York, New Yawk

This week's spotlight is on one of my favourite pictures. 

It was early June of last year, and I was roaming through the streets of New York with a mate of mine. 

It was 6 in the morning. We had just got off the bus from Boston and were killing time before we took the train out to Long Island to get refreshed. 

As per usual, we traversed the High Line. 

The High Line in Chelsea is just one of the billion places in New York that's amazing, and it's easily one of my favourite spots. 

It appeases the side of my personality that loves to walk, and it also shows me so much of the city, which satisfies the adventurous explorer. 

The picture is from my time there.

Shot with an Iphone, the picture makes up for the lack of technical edge with the personal memories I have attached with it. 

What's your favourite spot in New York? What's your favourite city to shoot in, or just explore?

Leave a comment or two below and we can have a chat!

Cheers

Aman