What is a photographer?

A photographer (from Greek φωτός (photos), meaning "light", and γράφω (graphos), meaning "written") is a person who takes photographs.

Photographers take pictures of people, places, or things. They want us to get a special feeling when we see their pictures. They take pictures to sell products, entertain people, report the news, or bring back memories.

Photographers know how to choose the right equipment to give them the best picture. They use different things such as lights, lenses, and film to create a picture. New digital technology is being used more and more by photographers. A lot of them use computers to finish their work.

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation. The process of obtaining a usable exposure must involve the use, manually or automatically, of a few controls to ensure the photograph is clear, sharp and well illuminated. The controls usually include but are not limited to the following:

• focus
• aperture
• shutter speed
• white balance
• metering
• ISO speed
• choosing the appropriate focal length, lens, and filters

What kind of person is a photographer?

Photographers need to be artistic, persuasive, determined, energetic, kind, and outgoing; and have a strong affinity for aesthetics and beauty. Photographers are extremely perceptive and aware of others. They constantly gather specific information about people, and seek to discover what it means. They are usually penetratingly accurate in their perceptions of others. They genuinely care about people, and are strongly service-oriented.

A photographer needs to be artistic, intellectual and thoughtful. They need a creative eye and an easy going personality; and the ability to simply observe, analyse, and clarify.

My temperment generally falls into the INTP personality type.

"When involved in portrait or people photography, the INTP will also be primarily concerned with the mood conveyed by the person in the eye of the lens. Quality photographic skill, as well as an intrinsic feel for imagery, is usually second nature to the INTP and can make a good career choice. When viewing photographic images, say in magazines, the overriding concern is for how the photo is conveyed; its mood, its colour, contrast and shading usages, its perspectives and image quality." http://intp.org/intprofile.html

Ever wonder why some photographers are attracted to street photography while others work exclusively in their own studios? Or why some love landscapes while others care only for portraiture? It has to do with more than a simple preference for one subject over the other. Based on years of personal observation I believe the root cause has to do with personality type. Allow me to explain.

Broadly speaking, photographers who are, shall we say "control freaks," want their photographs to turn out a certain way. They have a vision in their minds and they want their photos to reflect that vision. They therefore prefer to shoot in situations where they have almost total control of the environment--in other words, a studio. A studio allows them to control every aspect of the lighting, from direction and degree of diffusion to intensity. They can control the subject and its positioning. They can control the camera position. If they shoot digitally they can control, well, you name it. Although they might admire the mindset it takes to venture out into the wild and wooly world with their only controls being location, time of day, camera settings, and when to release the shutter, the idea of actually doing it themselves is horrifying.

Street and the sports photographers tend to fall at the opposite end of the spectrum. They give up the bulk of their control in exchange for the joy of the hunt and the miracles of serendipity. The difference between them is that sports photographers are generally extroverts. Although some street shooters are extroverts who think nothing of walking up to perfect strangers and either engaging them in conversation or snapping a few quick frames outright, others are introverts who prefer to be on the outside looking in. The last thing they want is to be noticed and the less attention they attract the better.

Landscape, location, travel, wedding, and architectural photographers tend to fall somewhere in the middle. They understand that they are often at the mercy of mother nature, time, and logistics, yet they're often willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot, whether it be waiting hours or days for the light to be right, or adding unseen lights, shims, and reflectors to a scene. They can certain recognize and take advantage of a serendipitous moment when they see it yet they are perfectly willing and able to seize control if the need arises.

As for me, it's no secret to loyal readers of this blog that I love location photography - the grassy hillside, endless rail road tracks, city side walks, stone walls, iron gates, play grounds - these provide some of the most amazing images; showcasing you as you naturally are, capturing "you".

Between all of the different types of photography, cameras, films and all of the different personalities of photographers, it can often seem an impossible task to choose the right photographer. Ultimately, you must choose a photographer who can capture the unique images that you are looking for.

At Dawn Michelle Creations, we offer more than professional photography. We capture the moments your family will cherish for years to come. We know exactly how to bring out the unique personalities of each individual, creating a photographic record that can be shared and displayed. We translate our passion for storytelling into images destined to last you a lifetime. Dawn Michelle Creations does more than take photographs; we create memories that last a lifetime.