Often a still image can convey a greater story than most feature length movies, creating a mood that goes far beyond what is a solitary frame.
On doing a Google search for ‘cinematic photography’ I was disappointed with what popped up: mostly some Flickr photo’s cropped top and bottom with a black bar.
I also got some tutorials on turning a photograph into something ‘more cinematic looking’ – which basically involved upping the contrast and saturation and adding the obligatory horizontal black bars.
I’m sorry, but this is not cinematic.
Cinematic (to me at least) is not simply taking random snaps and re-formatting/messing about with curves!
Cinematic involves making a picture that tells a story that goes beyond the act of photographing a single moment in time.
Cinematic photography is making an image that creates in the viewer an experience that makes you start to piece together a storyline that exists before and after that initial frozen moment in time.
With that idea in mind, here is a brief list of just a few cinematic photographers that I like (in no particular order).
Click on each name to see a tiny thumbnail sample image of their brilliant work and make sure to look them up on Google to view more of their photographs.
The thing to notice when you check out these images is how none of them feature those dreaded horizontal black bars!
Do you know of any other cinematic photographers that you’d like to share?
Get in touch or leave a comment on the blog.
-Shane
