Beauty in Photography

Beauty in Photography

According to Xiangyang (2020), we strive to achieve beauty in our personal lives and photography. It has been a long-standing question of what makes a photograph beautiful. The answer lies in both the subject and its presentation. In a nutshell, the beauty of photography lies in its ambiguity. Photography is an art, and art cannot be defined. The viewer can only interpret it, and every viewer will interpret it. Photography is a medium that involves both science and art, and the balance between the two is never easy to achieve. The science of photography is concerned with the basic principles, technology and methods of producing images on film or electronic sensors, while the art of photography deals with the aesthetic value of those images. Photography is a reflection of the world around us. Our photos depict the beauty we see in our everyday lives, and we can capture it forever. Our photos are evidence of our experiences, and they take us on journeys back to the moments when they were captured. They tell stories, preserve history, inspire others, and give them visions of what could be. They evoke emotion, feeling and meaning beyond words. The photographs we take are beautiful in more ways than one, making them special. Beauty in photography is a very controversial theme. I will discuss it from two points of view, firstly how society promotes beauty in photography and secondly how beauty can express oneself. This paper seeks to discuss how to attain beauty in photography, societal promotion, use of beauty in photography as an expression and business.

Attaining Beauty in Photography

People's reactions to the beauty of a photograph are immensely varied, but one thing is for certain: beauty is subjective. Some people admire the simplicity and elegance of a photo. Others get lost in the fine details. Still, others are drawn to the brilliance of a strong color scheme. Beauty comes in many forms, and it is up to people to discover what resonates with them most. If passing judgment on photographs has always been difficult for some, it might be time to reevaluate their standards. Here are photography tips that can help people attain beauty in their shots:

Use natural light when possible: artificial lighting can result in unflattering photos, but natural light can be even more problematic because it creates hard shadows (Vijitbunyanon, 450).

If shooting outdoors, choose a location with plenty of shade or at least try to minimize harsh sunlight by using reflectors or other solutions. Do not forget that evening light can also cause problems if shooting silhouettes or other bright subjects; these pictures look great at first glance but produce poor results on the screen.

Avoid photographing subjects in high contrast: If the contrast between a person's skin and background is very high, this will make their facial features stand out too much, giving them prominence over their surroundings.

Aperture control: This is the setting on the camera that determines how much light gets into the camera. A higher number means less light but generally better quality. Experts can adjust the aperture on the camera by moving the dial-up or down (the higher number is wider open) or by pressing a button on top of the lens (change the number on the screen).

ISO: This affects how fast the sensor can capture light and how clear and color-rich the pictures will be. The higher it goes, the more grainy they look (think of taking pictures with a grainy SLR in a dimly lit room). Higher numbers mean less light but generally better quality because less noise is added at higher ISO settings (Mazur, 360).

Shutter speed affects motion blur; photographers can use faster shutter speeds to freeze movement by photographing fast-moving objects. If shooting stationary objects, such as buildings or people, they can use slower shutter speeds to blur their movement.

Societal Promotion of Beauty in Photography

The sociological theory of beauty is perhaps the most controversial and hotly debated issue in aesthetics. The basic idea of this theory is that the human brain responds to beauty in a way that can be explained by the human tendency to find order and symmetry in nature, or what scientists call "narrative." The beauty ideal, according to this theory, is extremely fluid. It is not static but rather elastic, and it changes contextually based on culture and historical period. This means that different eras have different ideals of beauty. Suppose a woman was considered beautiful in the 18th century. In that case, she might not be considered so much today, even if her measurements were still close to those recommended by society at the time. The theory is particularly controversial because it gives an aesthetic value to subjective judgments such as those we might make about a photograph's composition or lighting.

Many modern theorists argue that these judgments do not reflect actual objective features of the world but rather purely subjective preferences. The beauty ideals of years past have changed. Some women still feel the pressure to be "sexy," but most women today see themselves as people, not objects. They want to feel good about themselves and their bodies, and they want other people to see them positively. This is why so many women struggle with body image issues (Ling, et al, 1560). The rise of social media has made it easier than ever for women to share photos of themselves and connect with others more personally. Women are no longer just judged by what they look like; they are judged by how they feel about those looks. For example, if you post photos of yourself smiling or looking happy, you will likely get more likes than if you post a photo that makes you look unhappy. It is important to remember that the online persona is different from the offline one. It is easy to criticize others for not being "polite" or taking selfies in an unprofessional manner when we do not realize that the same behaviors could be viewed negatively on the street.

Use of Beauty in Photography as Expression

Beauty is a highly subjective element of photography. Some find it to be essential, while others think it's superfluous. Regardless of your opinion, beauty can significantly impact the perception of the overall imagery. The human eye is programmed to recognize beauty in everything; it will find it even in subjects that are not beautiful or pleasant to look at. And while many people will argue against the idea of beauty is subjective, the fact is that one person's idea of beauty might be completely different from another's (Jerslev, 350). Beauty on Instagram has become a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy, and it is changing beauty standards for the worse. In the era of Instagram, beauty has become an obsession for many girls. The popular social media app has also increased competition between girls, who are constantly trying to outdo each other with their selfies, edits and filters. Social media has always been a large part of my life. I began using Myspace in middle school, which was the origin of my addiction to social media. As time passed, I moved from Myspace to Facebook, then Facebook to Instagram. Every year, it seemed like a new app to get hooked on. In 2022, it is all about Tik Tok, Snapchat and Instagram. The more I used these apps throughout my adolescence, the more I realized how they impacted me. I felt like every girl had something better than me. There was always something better, whether her body, face, eyes, or hair. This mindset hit me until I started high school: The more beautiful a person is on Instagram or Snapchat, the more attention they get from followers and friends, especially boys.

Importance of Beuty in Photography to Business

The main driving force behind the style of photography that we see in magazines, advertisements and other media is largely based on the social promotion of beauty. Photography's roots can be traced back to the 19th century, yet it was not until about a hundred years ago that it became widely accepted as a legitimate art form. Some people credit this to the introduction of cameras and improved photographic techniques in the late 1800s, but it also had a lot to do with post-World War I, when women's magazines started publishing photos showing women at their most glamorous. As a result, advertisers quickly adopted photography to promote products (Aubry, 648). Using flattering images to sell products could make them seem more desirable than they were. With advertising budgets growing exponentially over the last decade due largely to the internet and social media, it has become easier to present an idealized version of the world far removed from reality. Beautiful photos can be the key to success for the eCommerce business. On Instagram, which is common advertising and product promotion platform, there are more than 1 billion users. This social network is the home of beauty and fashion, with users sharing photos of themselves in all their "glowy" glory. The best photographers use powerful lighting techniques, striking angles and beautiful backgrounds to create jaw-dropping photos.

Conclusively, this paper has discussed how to attain beauty in photography, societal promotion, and the use of beauty in photography as an expression and business. Beauty is not a concept that words can define. It is individualistic, and it varies from person to person. Therefore, there are no hard and fast rules for beauty in photography. I would suggest people do their best to create something they feel is beautiful, regardless of whether others agree or not, because it is art at the end of the day. The beauty industry is a multi-billion dollar, a worldwide enterprise that is more pervasive than anyone realizes. From cosmetics to fashion to celebrity endorsements, the beauty industry has an enormous impact on our culture, and its marketing tactics are getting more sophisticated by the day. When it comes to making money from beauty products, it does not take much to get advertisers and retailers interested. Anyone with a computer can start selling cosmetics and skincare products using the Internet. That means these industries have a lot of vulnerabilities when it comes to hacking. The importance of social media in today's consumer society can not be understated. Social media is incredibly important for brands trying to reach consumers, whether they promote a new product or themselves. Social media is especially important for small businesses looking to get their first foot in the door because it is relatively easy to establish an online presence with minimal effort. People do not need a huge budget or a high level of expertise.

Works Cited

Aubry, Timothy. "Feast of Excess: A Cultural History of the New Sensibility The Beauty of a Social Problem: Photography, Autonomy, Economy." (2017): 647-649.

Jerslev, Anne. "The elderly female face in beauty and fashion ads: Joan Didion for Céline." European journal of cultural studies 21.3 (2018): 349-362.

Ling, Yizhou, et al. "Integrating Aesthetics Education into Chemistry Education: Students Perceive, Appreciate, Explore, and Create the Beauty of Chemistry in Scientific Photography Activity." Journal of Chemical Education 97.6 (2020): 1556-1565.

Mazur, Adam. "Brief Glimpses of Beauty. Thinking about the History of Lithuanian Photography: Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis." Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis 99 (2020): 342-362.

Vijitbunyanon, Pimphattra. "The importance of food styling and food photography towards customers’ perspective at kitchen corner café." Dusit Thani College Journal 13.2 (2019): 454-463.

Xiangyang, Xing. "The significance of photography basic course in higher education-the present situation and development of photography basic course as a general art course." IETI Transactions on Social Sciences and Humanities 6 (2020): 65-71.