By : Nikon School Blog | 5 Nov, 2015 |
As the notes come together, music is formed. When many visual elements converge, a photograph is born.
How does music relate to photography? Though the two are completely different disciplines, there are amazing similarities that will make you realise, they aren't so different after all.
Music is a combination of different notes, which combine to form a tune and many tunes form a composition. Quite the same way, many visual elements form an image. Multiple real life elements form a visual, and a combination of these visuals is a photograph.
Good musical compositions have many variations of notes, the more the better. Different kinds of sounds further add to the richness of the composition. In photography also, the more visual elements the better. Multiple visual elements placed correctly in a frame make the composition rich and engaging.
Often a particular music evokes a certain kind of emotion in us. Photographers have been known to use music to inspire themselves in this way. Portrait subjects are often made to feel relaxed by photographers before a shoot, by playing music they like. This is a proven way of calming down a person posing for the first time in front of a camera.
The art of using each sound at just the right time and for the right duration is crucial to a good musical composition. Likewise, a good photographer must judge how much frame area is to be given to the different elements of the scene, in order to make a compelling image. Too much or too little of an element can destroy a potentially great photograph. It is this judgment that differentiates the average images from the great ones.
A great piece of music makes us react as intended by the composer. Even if we do not understand the language, the notes hit home and we feel happy or sad. A photograph can stimulate similar emotions in the viewer by the use of different angles, colours, motion blurs, framing techniques and focusing methods. Even without knowing the details, like - what, when and where - a well thought of and executed image can evoke strong reactions in the viewer, just as intended by the photographer.
Often, music is used as a background of slide shows, exhibitions and online galleries to add to the overall effect. Similarly, before you reach a certain destination that you want to photograph, listening to music native to that place can help you feel the location better.
Just as music inspires photography, the reverse is also true. Many musical compositions are known to have been inspired by iconic photographs.
The basic formula for creating a musical composition and a photographic image are the same. Perhaps that's why we get visuals when we listen to great music, and can hear music when we see a great photograph.
