The Book of Special Effects Photography [antikvár]

6 Introduction ntroduction Special effects photography is concerned with manipulating reality - to form an eye-catching image, or to create a dream-like, even nightmarish visual situation. It Is visual theater -generally larger than life, sometimes subtle, but often outrageous. Oddly, photography still has the reputation of being truthful and objective. The misconception that photography is accurate began with its invention 150 years ago. At that time, people were in awe of a process which drew pictures "by the action of light itself". Surely nothing could be more proof against manipulation? In fact, photography is no more objective than the printed word, but both are taken as accurate representations of reality because they appear to be definitive and sound. Photography is a medium of expression and communication, and you can use it with the same freedom of imagination as any other type of medium. Most books and courses on photography have sections that tell you how to avoid mistakes. This book will encourage you to make them. To become a good special effects photographer you must experiment - be prepared to waste some materials, and in the process you will discover new kinds of image. You need to be a good technician in order to get the most out of tools and processes, and devise new gadgets. And you must be flexible and inquisitive - before you throw away a "spoiled" image, consider how you could take that type of image further or turn it in a different direction for an interesting result. Also, you must be able to recognize visual qualities in subjects and situations which you can strengthen by using a special effect. Use the examples in this book as a visual guide to the sort of images you can achieve with each technique. In practice, you will find that subjects and ideas lead you into using mixtures of methods. Never limit yourself to the manufacturer's official uses of any product - use this as a starting point to work out ways in which you can "abuse" material. As new equipment in fields like home video and color copiers appear, and new types of regular and instant films are introduced, you should test products for their manipulative possibilities. The earliest photographic manipulations were photograms - made by pressing objects in contact with light-sensitive material. These pre-date true camera photography by 30 years. !^!ygyypyj _---