How Does On Photography Critique Modern Media?

I get a little annoyed when a perfect glossy cover gets wrecked by a crease — it’s like someone pressed a wrinkle into a mirror. For me, the biggest issue is how light behaves: glossy surfaces act like tiny mirrors and a crease is literally a change in the angle of those microscopic mirror facets. That abrupt slope shift concentrates specular highlights and creates a bright streak or dark shadow that the camera happily records as a hard line across your image. When I photograph books for my shelf shots or for listings, that line draws the eye away from the artwork and ruins the sense of continuity the designer intended. It can also blow out highlights or create loss of detail right where the crease hits printed color, so the photographed hue and saturation look wrong compared to the rest of the cover. Practically, I try to shoot with a big softbox at a grazing angle to minimize hot spots, use a polarizer if the lighting allows, and take multiple exposures to blend. If the crease is unavoidable, I do careful retouching in RAW — clone and healing with attention to grain and specular falloff — but even then it's rarely as convincing as an uncreased native cover. If the book matters to me, I’d rather reshoot with better lighting or swap out the copy than wrestle a stubborn fold into submission.

Sunrise over a fjord is like a secret handshake between the earth and light — I always chase it. For me the very best time is the hour just before and after sunrise (and the same for sunset): that thin window gives you low-angle golden light that sculpts cliffs, wakes up mist in the water, and paints glaciers in peach and gold. If you can, aim for clear-to-partly-cloudy mornings; a little haze or high cirrus can make the light buttery, while dramatic shelf clouds add mood. Summer's long golden hours — and in some places the midnight sun — let you shoot for many fleeting moments; autumn cuts that down but rewards you with colors and crisper air. Practical bits I live by: check tide charts and local boat schedules, because reflections and accessible viewpoints change with the water level. Bring a sturdy tripod, a wide-angle for those sweeping fjord vistas, and a telephoto to isolate waterfalls or distant eagles. A polarizer helps control glare and deepen skies; ND filters let you smooth water for that ethereal look. Exposure bracketing plus a quick HDR blend is my go-to for scenes with sky-cliff-water contrast. If you want drama beyond golden hour, plan for blue hour and the star/aurora season in winter — though daylight is short and weather trickier, the payoff can be otherworldly. I often rewatch an episode of 'Planet Earth' before a trip for inspiration and then try to make my own small versions of those frames. Above all: be patient and stay warm — sometimes the best shot sneaks up while you’re sipping something hot and waiting for the light to change.

If you're hunting for a definitive location for where Narnia 4 will shoot principal photography, I’ve been following the rumor mill and official channels and the short version is: nothing concrete has been publicly confirmed yet. Production chatter tends to bubble up on social pages, trade outlets, and local film commission announcements first, so that’s where I keep an eye. Historically, big fantasy projects usually pick places with dramatic landscapes and generous tax incentives, so the usual suspects keep popping up in my head. Thinking like a location scout for a minute, I’d bet on the UK (studio space like Pinewood/Shepperton or on-location moors), Ireland (for wild coastlines and forests), or one of the Eastern European countries that have pitched for large productions before. New Zealand is always in the conversation for sweeping fantasy vistas too. If Netflix or another major studio is behind the project, they’ll also consider crew availability, weather windows, and tax credits — so keep an eye on regional film commission press releases and the film’s official social accounts for the first real clue.

I get a thrill out of these nights — the chandeliers, the tulle, that slow dance where everyone suddenly holds their breath. For me, preparation is everything. I always scout the venue early: look for where the light falls during the ceremony and reception, note dark corners and reflective surfaces, and imagine a few backdrops that will make the dress pop. Shooting in RAW is non-negotiable; it buys you room in post to fix white balance and recover highlights from a sparkling gown or glossy boutonnière. During the event I split my focus between emotive candids and composed portraits. I keep a fast prime like a 50mm or 85mm on hand for shallow depth and flattering compression, and a wider lens for groups and the dance floor. Settings-wise I aim for a shutter speed that freezes movement (usually at least 1/160 for slow dances) and open the aperture to let in light — then bump ISO as needed while keeping an eye on noise. When flash is necessary, I bounce or use a diffuser and warm gels if the ambient light is yellow; that keeps skin tones natural and avoids harsh shadows. Details matter: close-ups of gloves, shoes, corsages, the invitation font, the nervous hands fixing a corset — those tell the story. Be polite and unobtrusive during speeches, and coordinate a quick shot list with the family beforehand so you don’t miss the big moments. Finally, back up files immediately, label cards, and deliver a mix of polished portraits and raw emotion. It’s a night for memories; I try to make the photos feel like you could step back into that ballroom and hear the music again.

Sunlight hits the hills there in a way that seems to prefer cameras — that's the first thing I tell friends. When I wander through the Oma countryside I get this constant mix of textures: patchwork fields, weathered stone walls, narrow country roads that curve into hedgerows, and that famous painted-wood forest that looks like someone left a modernist painting scattered among the oaks. Those contrasts make composing shots feel effortless; you can pull foreground interest, mid-ground layers, and a distant horizon all into a single frame. What seals the deal for me are the seasonal moods. In spring it's a riot of greens and blossoms; in autumn the light goes honey-gold and fog drifts into the valleys; in winter the bare trunks and long shadows invite minimal, graphic compositions. Low light pollution means star fields and milky ways over the fields, and friendly locals point you to forgotten lanes and hidden viewpoints. I shoot with a slow shutter and a wide lens there, but honestly, even a phone will capture something memorable if you chase the light and the angles.

This vibe makes me reach for my 50mm and a pocketful of wildflowers every time — nature romance is basically a gentle love letter to light, texture, and tiny human moments. When I shoot this look I chase soft backlight: golden hour or late-afternoon sun through thin trees gives that halo around hair and petals. I lean into shallow depth of field (think f/1.8–f/4) to melt backgrounds into creamy bokeh so the subject and details feel intimate. For landscapes, I stop down a bit (f/5.6–f/11) and use foreground elements like branches, lace, or a sunlit path to create layers that whisper rather than shout. Practical stuff I actually use: shoot RAW, set white balance slightly warm, and underexpose by 0.3–0.7 stops when backlighting so highlights keep color instead of blowing out. Carry a small reflector or white cloth to bounce light into faces, and a polarizer when leaves look too shiny. Props matter — a faded blanket, a paperback like 'The Secret Garden', a sprig of lavender, or a vintage bottle can make a scene feel lived-in. Pose direction should be simple: tilts of the head, soft fingers brushing hair, eyes down as if reading a secret. Candid moments beat stiff poses every time. For editing, I favor pastel highlights, softened contrast, warm midtones, and a touch of film grain. Use the tone curve to lift blacks a little for a dreamy haze, and push HSL toward muted greens and rosy highlights. If you want a storytelling exercise, recreate a scene from 'Kiki\'s Delivery Service' but set it in a meadow — it helps establish gestures, wardrobe, and mood. Most of all, trust the moment: a single stolen laugh or a hand on a shoulder will sell the romance more than any preset.

As someone who's studied photography for years, Roland Barthes' 'Camera Lucida' completely reshaped how I view images. This book introduced the concept of punctum - that unexpected detail in a photo that emotionally punches you in the gut. Before Barthes, photography theory was all about composition and technique. Now we understand that the most powerful photos contain elements that transcend technical perfection. The book also distinguished between studium (general interest) and punctum (personal wound), giving photographers a vocabulary to analyze why certain images affect us deeply while others don't. I see its influence everywhere - from photojournalism prioritizing raw emotional moments to portrait photographers seeking that one authentic gesture.

I've read countless photography books, but 'Camera Lucida' stands out because it's not about technical skills or composition rules. Roland Barthes dives into the emotional core of photography, exploring how images make us feel rather than how they're made. The book introduced me to concepts like studium (general interest) and punctum (that personal sting) that changed how I view photos forever. It's philosophical and deeply personal, blending memoir with theory in a way no other photography book does. The focus on death and memory gives it this haunting quality that sticks with you long after reading. Most photography books teach you how to take pictures, but this one teaches you how to see them.