While technical education and quality equipment become more accessible every year, one thing remains the domain of each individual photographer: vision. As proof, see how three different photographers interpret the same brief.
Irene Rudnyk, Anita Sadowska, and Julia Trotti joined forces to create a YouTube video showing how each interpreted a simple brief — wilderness — to create a series of photographs. Each photographer shares behind-the-scenes videos while describing their thoughts and processes for interpreting and carrying out the concept.
The most interesting aspect of watching each photographer work is seeing how differently they internalized the idea of "wilderness." While each used the outdoors to set the scene for a natural light portrait, you see conceptual, fashion, and traditional lifestyle portraits. Each photographer also used light in an individual way, from soft, subdued light to hard, direct sunlight and glowing late afternoon light complete with sun flare.
Photo shared with the permission of Irene Rudnyk
Photo shared with permission of Anita Sadowska
Photo shared with permission of Julie Trotti
What I think is most valuable about this video is the reminder that it's not the gear, the light source, or even the concept that makes a photographer's work stand out, it's the mind behind the lens and how each photographer brings their own skill, experience, preferences, tastes, and vision to bear on a shoot.
Cover image shared with permission of Irene Rudnyk, Anita Sadowska, and Julia Trotti.
Lovely, evocative photos but none of the three have any idea what wilderness is.
Anita Sadowska's photo gave me wilderness - interestingly accentuated by the model's feathery haute couture and haughty vulnerability.
I know it's pretty far from Tokyo but visit Yakushima, or even aokigahara, and then revisit these photos.
I'm not sure if that would change my mind on these. (3 decades in Japan here, btw, not only in Tokyo.)
I agree the first is the closest one to "Wilderness" for me but I guess I'm not very "artsy". ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
My wife is Japanese. I live in the US but we go to see her family every couple of years and visit different parts of the country each time we're there. She owns an apartment in Ukima, we'll probably retire to.
David I agree with you that Anita's captures wilderness. The other photos are nice but I get more of an outdoors or nature feel from them. Wilderness is a type of outdoors/nature.
hey, thanks for your comment! The idea was to show how each photographer interprets a very broad concept of wilderness, what it means to each of us and how it translates into our style and work :)
Of course everyone has a very different understanding of it, and that's is the beauty of this video !
Well, you know I thought a lot about that. Having not experienced a thing doesn't mean an individual doesn't have a concept of it or their idea isn't valid for them. The problem is, anyone with actual experience may be turned off, explaining my knee-jerk reaction. It would be like me attempting to create an image representing pregnancy. :-)
I think you are thinking way too hard into this. The challenge was made to show an artistic interpretation of a concept, its subjective and it definitely might not be what You personally associate with wilderness.
I am actually gonna challenge the viewers to also participate in the challenge for the next episode :)
Not to be argumentative (I guess it's too late ;-) ) but wilderness can be physical or psychological. Their interpretation is clearly supposed to illustrate the former, which isn't a concept. It's a thing! That's not to say you can't conceptualize it but you need some idea of the reality you're portraying. They fail in either case. Had the theme been "Nature" or something similar, you wouldn't have heard from me. Again, they're very nice photos. Maybe I'm just not getting the hang of the current culture where EVERY SINGLE THING is subjective.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I definitely see your point, to me wilderness and nature are very very similar concepts(themes) so i guess that's where we disagree.
But again, thank you for your comment, I am trying to make sure the next episode is gonna be even better, so any constructive criticism helps!
By definition, wilderness is an uncultivated or uninhabited area. All 3 shoots fulfill that definition. I'd say each photographer did great.
Finally one of theses challenges without 80% being utter snapshots like usual. Rejoice
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The key difference is that there isn't some ridiculous time limit. Most of these I see are along the lines of: "you have 5min to shoot"
3 very talented ladies 👍
My favorite is the first I see a story but I love stories..