David Pisani
www.davidpisani.com
Does a photographer choose a location or vice versa?
It’s a bit of both. Photographers are by nature curious minds, constantly seeking a place that allows them to express deeper ideas about the world or humanity using locations, situations or objects as subject matter. However, photographers are always located somewhere and this has a deep influence or how they will make an image. A photographer taking a picture of a lemon in Shanghai will produce a different image from the same photographer taking a picture of the same lemon in Sicily. The mindset of the artists is always influenced by the location and all that it encompasses.
That the location can at times choose the photographer is also true. The photographer who seeks to portray the world in a meaningful and artistic way must be open to its subject matter much like a lover who receives a loved one almost blindly.
The French philosopher and poet Charles Baudelaire coined the term ‘Flâneur’ which loosely translates as a wanderer or stroller, an urban rat that places himself at the mercy of chance encounter and is open to accidental situations, someone who takes time to go nowhere looking for nothing and everything. This poetic vision of a wanderer should be at the core of any photographer’s aspirations and by placing oneself in this open state, the location will eventually choose the photographer.
What determines the choice of a location?
Chance in most cases, and the so-called accident of birth for all other places. Most photographers have, at some stage or other in their lives, documented the place or country where they were born or grew up. It’s such an intimate photographer-subject relation that it’s almost inevitable, akin to a compulsive need to show where you exist, or at least where you come from.
In my case it had to be, or happened to be, Valletta, because it’s the one place I know best – I was brought up close to the city and lived here for many years. This led to a 20-year documentation that describes the city as an urban and architectural reality at a given time but also lays bare my admittedly romantic vision of its sensuality and outright erotic nature.
When does a location act as mere background and when does it add to the narrative photo?
A location can never be a mere background, because whatever is happening in the foreground (and we may assume that this is the subject of the photograph being taken) can only exist as a consequence of its surroundings, therefore the background. In other words, we cannot exist outside of a habitus, or cultural context, and that context we can argue is contained in the background of any photograph.
I have recently returned from a trip to Japan and my photographs taken there can only be a summation of the location (be it background or subject) and the life in all its complexity that unfolded around me. At any point I chose to photograph a scene or situation, that moment was determined by an incalculable amount of conditions that may be loosely defined as the background, yet they are as much a part of the subject (or foreground) as the girl on her bicycle just a few feet away from my lens.
The location can also be at the forefront of the narrative. I have been photographing in Nicosia, Cyprus, a city which is torn apart by an unresolved war.
I was fascinated by the way the buildings that carry the scars of the war from the mid 1970s can say so much about the inhabitants and the victims of the war. The location in this case is the protagonist and the witness of so many broken dreams.
Natural and urban location – what different stories do they tell?
In the 1930s, American photographer Ansel Adams dedicated his life to photographing with incomparable virtuosity the natural heritage of North America. Retrospectively what Adams was trying to do was to fix on paper something that he thought would disappear forever. His predicament has sadly been proven to be correct. The modern and so-called developed world has little time or respect for wilderness and for most of us it’s something we will never experience. The world’s demography is convening at a vertiginous pace towards cities that are heaving at the seams to contain the influx of millions of urban converts.
The urban location is man made, designed as a functional space to provide for urgent needs such as shelter, food, clothing and some kind of employment. It’s shamelessly utilitarian and derives its energy by consuming its inhabitants, on which it feeds for its own self-gratuitous megalomania. A city that thrives is a city that is obsessed with its own existence.
I have always been drawn to the urban landscape and have felt uneasy in the presence of natural beauty. The photographer Robert Adams eloquently versed this feeling of unease towards the natural landscape in an essay entitled Truth and Landscape (Beauty in Photography: Robert Adams, Aperture, 1996) and explained how the experience of scenic grandeur can be painful because we carry within us a deep-seated responsibility that our generations have forever altered the natural landscape beyond repair.
Possibly, my evasive nature has drawn me to the urban landscape because I am not confronted by guilt as long as I am surrounded by high-rise buildings, trash cans and six lanes of traffic.
Where is your favourite location?
It’s the one I will visit next, and that will probably be Japan again, a place for which I feel a deep-rooted affinity and where I felt I could express many ideas about my own vision of life and humanity. I am the perfect outsider looking in with little or no predetermined ideas of what it’s supposed to look like and I am constantly surprised.
Innocence of vision is a rare thing indeed – we know too much about everything, thanks in no small measure to Google, but in the words of Jean Baudrillard, one is purest when in complete ignorance.
Lux Moments for Yesus de Maris by Jesmond.Keith Borg and Ian Pace
www.luxmoments.com
Does a photographer choose a location or vice versa?
The first rule of real estate – location, location, location – applies to photography. One of the first elements we determine is where the photographs will be taken.
The location of a shoot plays an important role in setting the mood of the final product. Fortunately, Malta is blessed with beautiful locations for photo shoots but the lack of space is usually an issue.
Most of our locations are crowded with people, especially during the weekends when most shoots are planned. For us, this is a challenge with a simple solution – we have to get there early, before everyone else does.
This does not necessarily mean the clients will be on their feet applauding our suggestion knowing that they have to be ready by 6am on a beautiful spring day – but it has so many advantages that will reflect in the final product.
We are always on the lookout for good locations and when we find one that fits our liking, we pre-scout it, taking note of the lighting and best spots where to places models or clients. The location for a shoot should fit the purpose or occasion. Every photo session has a purpose – when choosing a location, one has to keep in mind that the mood set by the location should match the purpose of the photos. By using a location that has meaning to our clients, we’ll get much more personal, meaningful photos. As an added bonus, they’re likely to feel more relaxed, helping us capture more natural shots.
What determines the choice of a location?
Every subject is a unique individual and this is something we try to capture in every photo we take. Choosing a suitable location is an important part of this. When our clients leave the choice to us, we take the time to get to know them. We also like to choose locations that offer a few different scenes, giving the photos variety. The best locations are those that are simple and offer depth, texture, colour and good light. Even if you have the most scenic, beautiful location, if it does not offer good natural light, then your photos will probably turn out poorly.
When does a location act as a mere background and when does it add to the narrative?
A suitable location is crucial, but it’s not the main subject, so we never let it overpower the scene. We choose locations that offer non-obtrusive backgrounds – when possible, we create some distance between our subjects and the background.
However, sometimes the locations must be portrayed well in a photograph, especially when we’re shooting subjects in a meaningful location.
Natural and urban locations – what different stories do they tell?
Shooting in an urban setting can create a fun and unique atmosphere, while a natural location is more quiet and intimate. Urban photography is cool but crowded places can be the worst locations for a shoot – you’re constantly waiting for people to move out of frame and dealing with questions from onlookers. In a more natural location, clients, especially those with no modelling experience, will feel much more comfortable posing in front of a lens. Natural locations also give you more open shade.
Where is your favourite location?
A location we like to use is Riviera Martinique at Golden Bay. The location offers magical views of the sea and countryside, depending on the angle.
Moreover, the lighting here is splendid – we have used this location for various shoots and every time, we’re blown away with the result.
Marc Casolani
www.casolani360.com
Does a photographer choose a location or vice versa?
I would like to say that it’s a case of both – however, in the end, the location ends up choosing you. Whatever your reasons for shooting and no matter how much you set it up for whatever purpose, the location captures you with the elements that you would have been looking for or subconsciously thinking about.
What determines the choice of a location?
It all depends on the type of photo you require. However, when I go for a landscape shot, I look for an area that suits the season. I make sure there is enough of a story to fit the mood and try and get the shot at the right time of day.
When does a location act as a mere background and when does it add to the narrative?
Depending on what the subject is and what story the photographer would like to share, the location will either help the composition and add vibrancy to the objective of the shot, or it may determine the feeling of the environment as a whole.
For instance, if I want to capture a moment that shows life, colour and movement, I try and find a vibrant urban environment during sunset – I can then bring out multiple colours using natural light and a light strobe effect. On the other hand, if I want to highlight the subject, I simply use the location for its background space or colour.
Natural and urban locations – what different stories do they tell?
They tell a very similar story but in a different language. Nature tends to tempt a photographer into trying to capture a moment of grandeur and beauty, whereas urban areas allow us to share mundane moments. However, both environments can allow a photographer to blend in with the surroundings.
Where is your favourite location?
I feel that with a natural location, I can express myself freely without restrictions and can play around with space and unconventional angles. Also, nature helps me bring out stories that I want others to see.