it's morphin' time
01/01/2019
Woah man, you watch an episode of Bob Ross, pass out, and bam! It's a whole new decade.
It's also the perfect opportunity to talk about new goals, projects, and ideas for the upcoming year! I started out strong today with a fun, little annual goal for myself:
Be comfortable composing in and cropping down to an anamorphic aspect ratio.
So a quick and dirty lesson for those who are unfamiliar with aspect ratios, anamorphic just means that the photo is very, very wide. To be specific, anamorphic formatting has an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. This ratio refers to how long the width of the screen is compared to its height. So if you see an aspect ratio that is 1:1, it means the screen's width is the same as a length (a perfect square)! What means for anamorphic is that the width of the photo is almost 2.5 times wider than its height. The standard for TV screens and monitors used to be 4:3 aspect ratio way back when, but 16:9 is the new norm for widescreen. As time goes on, screens are only becoming bigger and wider, so the status quo is forever growing.
Woah man, you watch an episode of Bob Ross, pass out, and bam! It's a whole new decade.
It's also the perfect opportunity to talk about new goals, projects, and ideas for the upcoming year! I started out strong today with a fun, little annual goal for myself:
Be comfortable composing in and cropping down to an anamorphic aspect ratio.
So a quick and dirty lesson for those who are unfamiliar with aspect ratios, anamorphic just means that the photo is very, very wide. To be specific, anamorphic formatting has an aspect ratio of 2.39:1. This ratio refers to how long the width of the screen is compared to its height. So if you see an aspect ratio that is 1:1, it means the screen's width is the same as a length (a perfect square)! What means for anamorphic is that the width of the photo is almost 2.5 times wider than its height. The standard for TV screens and monitors used to be 4:3 aspect ratio way back when, but 16:9 is the new norm for widescreen. As time goes on, screens are only becoming bigger and wider, so the status quo is forever growing.
What's special about 2.39:1 is that this aspect ratio is often used in movies for that iconic, cinematic look.
I would say that being obsessed with movies as a kid was fundamental in how I perceive media today. My original foray into the arts came from older science fiction movies, amongst them the worlds of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, The Thing, and Blade Runner.
As I learned more and more about film making, editing, and composition, I would always go back to these movies and watch them again to see if I could apply my newfound knowledge. To me, anamorphic formatting does something very interesting, it highlights the feeling of movement. From the longer width of the anamorphic frame, we are given the perception of a broader horizon for our subjects to move through but it is the height that controls the scale of this motion. These were just a few reasons as to why I chose this aspect ratio over any others.
I would say that being obsessed with movies as a kid was fundamental in how I perceive media today. My original foray into the arts came from older science fiction movies, amongst them the worlds of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, The Thing, and Blade Runner.
As I learned more and more about film making, editing, and composition, I would always go back to these movies and watch them again to see if I could apply my newfound knowledge. To me, anamorphic formatting does something very interesting, it highlights the feeling of movement. From the longer width of the anamorphic frame, we are given the perception of a broader horizon for our subjects to move through but it is the height that controls the scale of this motion. These were just a few reasons as to why I chose this aspect ratio over any others.
I think it is important to note at this point that when I refer to motion, I mean the movement of both the subject within the frame and the individual holding the camera. In cinematography, cameras are also a dynamic element as they often move around the scene as well, continuously adjusting the framing and creating new composition on the fly. I think this aspect ratio just helps me not worry about framing the shot as much as trying to capture the essence of movement because, in my head, I view my framing as a single snapshot of an entire scene. Sure you want it to be a good shot, but when it comes to photography, I'm not a perfectionist nor do I possess the skill to always perfectly capture that decisive moment in a blink of an eye.
Ah well, I guess that's why it's important to experiment and practice. This fun little project has certainly helped me see composition from a new perspective and I can't wait to get out there again and try a little more.
Until next time!
-kdo
P.S. You may have noticed that somewhere, halfway through these images, my "color" editing style changed considerably. For a while, I was using a yellow filter for my black and white photos for slightly higher contrast but soon realized that I did not enjoy how it rendered skin tones and highlight detail. So I played with my recipe a bit and I think the new results (which begins with the parade photos) look a lot cleaner and pleasing to the eye. Anyways, hope you have a great day!
Ah well, I guess that's why it's important to experiment and practice. This fun little project has certainly helped me see composition from a new perspective and I can't wait to get out there again and try a little more.
Until next time!
-kdo
P.S. You may have noticed that somewhere, halfway through these images, my "color" editing style changed considerably. For a while, I was using a yellow filter for my black and white photos for slightly higher contrast but soon realized that I did not enjoy how it rendered skin tones and highlight detail. So I played with my recipe a bit and I think the new results (which begins with the parade photos) look a lot cleaner and pleasing to the eye. Anyways, hope you have a great day!
