We listen with our eyes. You don’t believe us? How is it then that the face and body language of a single photo can speak more than a thousands of words? How is it that we sometimes actually understand more from something silent, like a photo, than something somebody actually describes to us with words? Our community member Marco Gressler (Marcogressler) is an Austrian graphic designer and photographer who believes photography can talk! His beautiful photos are telling a story without expressing a single word (that is verbally). We wanted to learn more about the silent photography techniques of his. Enjoy our conversation!
I love photography because:
Photography is a segment of the art world and there are two areas that spellbound me. One by the depth, detail and color that the nature gives us with the tiny objects in the world of insects that we'd never be able to see with our naked eyes. One by the rich diversity of our face and body language. It's amazing what our face is able to tell without telling a single word, and how much more we're "listen" with our eyes than with our ears. Thats what I'm trying to freeze in the moment I put the shutter. And there's one thing that's fascinating me. It's the living of the true maxim "the journey is the reward" because there is no goal in photography. Once it's done - it's done and I head to the next picture, it's just about getting better every day, knowing I'll never become perfect, knowing there is no goal. That is totally contrary to our daily life we're stucked in, and I believe thats one of the reasons photography is that popular these days.
My camera lets me:
See things I can't with naked eyes, it lets me create memories and capture moments that are gone with the blink of an eye. And because of my workshops and the coaching I do, I have the opportunity to share my knowledge and to meet interesting people from time to time. Thats what I probably love the most.
I find inspiration when:
I try to work with other photographers of various areas of photography. People are always inspiring. I spend a part of my spare time surfing through the web at photography platforms, social media, searching for photographers I didn't know yet and look what they do and I always ask myself why I love a picture. Thats a very important question and you can learn a lot by doing that.
One of the photos I am most proud of is ”Anetta Keys” because:
As I thought about shooting with Anetta, I had this idea in mind. The shot was created through our work flow and by not pushing it. It was a real fun shoot, with wonderful people around me - resulting in some great shots that I really love. And this is one of them.
My favorite place to shoot is because:
Everywhere. I don't have a specific spot, there are so many beautiful spots to pick from. For portraiture I always scout the locations for matching colors and shapes to what I have in mind. Leading lines or symmetry, structures and patterns that would fit into my vision of the shot I have visualized. It always depends on the model, the outfit and what you want to achieve. For macro it doesn't really matter because you won't recognize the environment.
One of my favorite photos on ViewBug is ”Melinda”. It makes me feel:
It's the simplicity of that shot. There was a window, a model and me - thats all! We fooled around a bit and we had this almost meditative time when we shot and the moods she created were amazing. I love it how she looks outside of the window and has this melancholy in her expression. She doesn't say anything but she's telling a whole story. Thats what I'm looking for as a portraiture photographer.
One of my favorite photographers on Viewbug is ”JakeOlsonStudios” because:
Because I love the warm tones and the moods he creates. His portraits are amazing! There's so much story in his pictures.
These are 3 quick tips I’d like to share with fellow photographers:
1. Don't get stuck with technology. Dani Diamond is one of the best portrait photographers I know and he shoots in Aperture priority mode! See the camera as a tool to get good pictures. You have to understand it but you don't have to know everything about it. With macros it’s totally different, you have to get stuck with technology here.
2. We're digital, so don't be afraid to shoot too many pictures. It takes a bit longer to figure out which the best picture is, but it's worth it.
3. Don't try to imitate others, be yourself! Photography is personality and therefore, if you wanna be authentic there's only one way - get inspired, but create your own style.
One photo that was difficult to shoot was ”a wet Fly”, because:
This was an opportunity I waited years for! For me, macro photography is all about documenting the beauty of the smallest things of the nature. That requires a lot of patience. It means, that I get up early with the hope that I'll find an insect thats fitting into my vision of such a shot. There are not too many days in a year that give you that opportunity. It has to be one of the first warm spring days when the insects are back to the fields or one of the last warm days in autumn, when they are still there (autumn works better for me, because many of the insects are at the end of their life cycle, which means they are less active). And if the temperature falls below 0°C at night, you have the chance to find one of those tiny little animals frozen in dewdrops because it wasn't able to find a shelter soon enough. And believe me it's difficult to find these little contemporaries when it's dark and the time is working against you with the upcoming sunrise. But the best way to find them is to stay calm. Even if they're almost frozen they still have a flight distance.
The tips and secrets behind this photo:
It's a stack of more than 50 images finally, so the insect should not move haha. Get used to programs like helicon remote and helicon focus. Use flashes (I use a dual-arm Macro flash bracket mount) to lighten up the entire scene, because it's almost impossible to shoot this with natural light. Use mirror lockup to minimize vibration. Use a heavy tripod and a gearhead!
For more great photos taken by Marco, visit his profile, website, Facebook page and Instagram.
