In an age of instant gratification and automated everything—from smart TVs to AI-assisted cameras—there’s a quiet power in going back to basics. Manual mode offers photographers the opportunity to slow down and engage fully, learning to control your camera completely rather than letting it make creative decisions for you. Amid the fast-paced evolution of technology, mastering manual settings becomes an act of intention—reclaiming the craft in a world increasingly driven by convenience.

A hundred years ago in what now seems like the dark ages, a photographer needed to be one with his camera. Not with AI, but by learning the intricate details of aperture speeds, exposures effects and how to use natural and artificial shadows and light to create effective images.

Before the next wave of technology invades the art of photography, there is still time to explore the Zen of manual mode and learn to control your camera by taking off the training wheels of automatic photography.

The Zen Of Manual Mode

Most cameras, even those made and purchased in the social media era, still have the capability to switch to manual mode. Manual mode is a different dimension of photography. It is a learning process to elevate your hobby, or career beyond the exposure of automatic and take a step back in photographic time.

Manual mode and the study of its techniques is where technical mastery meets the artistic intention of the photographer. Studious dedicated photographers are in a quiet zone when taking photos. Even photographers who are in the midst of news or sporting events are often lost in a quiet zone of self-fulfillment while looking through their lens. It is a quiet space where the person and their camera are in full sync. It is not yet the era of robotic implants that embeds cameras and brains into one. It is the Zen manual mode.

Classes, YouTube, Manuals, Mentors, Practice

Manual mode is intimidating at first. Just like riding a bike without training wheels or discovering a car with a manual transmission, they all take concentration, study and a desire to master. The social media age of instant can be used to take a step back in photographic time.

To learn the Zen of manual mode, the now of instant offers more choices and ways to learn for the avid photographer. There are classes in communities, schools, local colleges and the college of YouTube. Books (yes they still exist), camera manuals, mentors and practice are all steps along the way to master the Zen of manual mode and learning to control your camera completely.

The Manual Components

The key is to understand the core elements of manual mode. They are ISO (light control), shutter speed, and aperture. Learning each and how they relate to each other makes the camera a tool for expression, not just a machine for capturing images.

The aperture controls how much light enters the lens. It determines the depth of field. A wide aperture (like f/1.8) creates a shallow focus, blurring backgrounds beautifully for portraits. A narrow aperture (like f/11 or f/16) keeps more of the scene in focus. It is the perfect setting for landscapes. By choosing your aperture, you decide what the viewer should focus on.

Shutter speed controls how long your camera’s sensor is exposed to light. A fast shutter (1/1000s) freezes motion. It is ideal for action. A slow shutter (1/30s or slower) introduces motion blur, useful for creative shots of flowing water, light trails, or intentional movement.

ISO, the sensor’s sensitivity to light. A low ISO (100–200) gives clean, noise-free images but requires more light. A high ISO (1600 or higher) allows for low light shots but can be grainy. Understanding ISO allows an interplay between balance, clarity and brightness.

Practice with these three settings is known to experienced photographers as the exposure triangle. It is the core of understanding how to create a photograph and not just snap a picture.

Understanding the exposure triangle enables photographers to expand their artistic endeavors with a dreamy portrait with a soft background blur at sunset. Every setting and their combinations are creative choices that the photographer selects not the automatic button on the camera.

That is the Zen of manual mode. Photography becomes a focused and meditative art guided by the decisions of the photographer not the auto button of the camera.

Chasing shadows is at the heart of mastering silhouette photography, where storytelling is reduced to its purest visual elements—light, shape, and contrast. Unlike other forms that rely on sharp detail, vibrant color, or intricate textures, silhouette photography communicates through the absence of detail, using outlines and negative space to evoke emotion and mystery. To truly master this art, one must move beyond instinct and into intention, carefully planning composition, exposure, and the balance between light and dark to craft compelling, shadow-driven narratives.

Techniques and Control

Controlling exposure, and focus are two of the techniques that allow a photographer to capture mysterious, poetic and carefully orchestrated interplay of shadow and light. An essential technique in controlling the light in silhouette photography is controlling the exposure. The art of underexposed works best in achieving dynamic silhouette photographs.

According to Michael Grecco, in his 2006 book Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, “Light creates mood, but shadow defines form”. This is a foundational concept to master silhouette photographic stories. It is a form of photography where the absence of detail is not a flaw but an asset. In the silhouette photograph, the featured subject is a shape. Whether a dancer, auto, building, or a tree, the shape in a silhouette photograph must be recognized just by its outline.

Photographers often talk of the golden hour, the moments just after sunrise or before sunset as the idea balance of light. It is also the most effective time to study, practice and master the art of silhouette photography. Before beginning to tackle this type of photography, it is important to learn how to meter the camera exposure for the background, not the foreground or subject. This technique ensures that your foreground falls into the shadow giving you a rich, black silhouette that is in contrast to the brighter backdrop. It is the essence of technique and control where practice makes photography.

Quality of Light

In his book, Michael Grecco emphasizes the importance of understanding the “quality of light”. Although it seems counterintuitive the quality of light is crucial in mastering silhouette photos. Whether bright, diffused or overshadowed, any subject can be silhouetted when its form is defined, and its composition is backlit. A golden hour with clouds or haze can be a perfect setting for practicing silhouette shots, or it can be a total washout because too much haze or cloud cover obscures the form of the subject. Light, especially when working in natural light changes in seconds, which is how much time the photographer has to capture a shot.

Framing, Composition and Light

All the rules of photography apply when learning, practicing, shooting and mastering silhouette photography by chasing shadows. The nuances are slightly different but essential rules can be diligently applied. As with all photography, a cluttered background should be avoided, in achieving a masterful silhouette clearing the background of forms that will distort the shape of the subject is particularly essential. Overlapping forms can confuse the shape of the subject in a silhouette shot. Separation between elements adds to the definition of the forms. A person standing sideways or with limbs apart can create a dynamic shape and add character to the photograph.

Framing, composition, and light are essential facets of photography. Silhouette photography asks the viewer to fill in blanks and change the story being told by the shadow. Mastering the delicate interplay between light and dark, the photographer transforms simple outlines into powerful visual narratives. Grecco says, “Light tells the truth. Shadows tell the story”.

Lens choices play a crucial role in shaping a photographer’s vision, and finding the right focal length for your subject is just as important as mastering lighting, focus, and aperture settings. Once the decision has been made to pursue photography—whether as an art, hobby, profession, or career—understanding how different lenses impact composition and perspective becomes essential. Selecting the right equipment is more than just about the technical specs; it’s about choosing the right tool to bring your creative vision to life.

The focal length of the lens affects composition. It also influences perception, depth of field and the final story that the photo can tell. In his book Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography, Michael Grecco emphasizes the importance of lens choice in shaping a narrative. He discusses how different focal lengths contribute to mood and subject emphasis, a concept that applies across all photography genres.

A Summary of Focal Length in Photography

Focal length in photography is measured in millimeters and expressed as mm on lenses. The focal length expresses how near or far the subject of the photo will appear. Wide angle lenses usually 10mm to 35mm provide an expansive view and give the photographer the ability to capture a photo with a wider field.

A telephoto lens used to focus tighter or farther away comes in more choice today than ever before. Standard affordable (for the average beginner or hobbyist) lenses are most often 85mm to 300mm. Professional photographers will have equipment with more range depending on the assignment. A 5200mm prime lens made in Japan can focus 18-32 miles away and is available for private purchase. Specialty telephoto lenses beyond 600 mm can cost tens of thousands of US dollars.

Portrait Photography

Photographers of all skill levels prefer 50mm – 135mm for portrait photography. In fact, the 50mm lens often referred to as a nifty fifty is a preferred choice of portrait, street, and community event photography because it most closely resembles the depth of field of the human eye.

Grecco in his book on Portrait Photography leans towards the 85mm lens because it “creates intimacy” without distortion. Portrait photographers favor the 85mm for classic portraits but will shift to 135mm to enhance the effects of isolating the subject from its setting. Here are some long-lens images Michael has shot throughout the years:

Landscape Photography

Beginners, hobbyists, and students of the craft are drawn to landscape photography. Still subjects with sweeping vistas and expanses of scenery are best shot with 16mm to 35mm lenses. The sweet spot for professional landscape photographers is a 24mm lens. It is a lens that balances wide coverage with minimal distortion.

Other professional landscape photographers prefer an artistic approach by condensing the field with some telephoto effects that can be accomplished with 70mm to 200mm lenses.

Every Picture Tells a Story

Just as every picture tells a story each genre of photography is unique. Yes, choosing a lens is a technical decision but it is also about the storytelling. Isolating a subject with a telephoto lens will tell a different story than capturing expansive landscapes with a wide-angle lens. Focal length allows photographers to tell their stories with unique photographs. The lens selection ensures that every shot is the right narrator. Lens choices make photography a more powerful and expressive art form.

The psychology behind a powerful image lies in its ability to evoke emotion, shape perception, and leave a lasting imprint on the mind. What makes a photo memorable isn’t just its composition but its ability to capture a moment so profoundly that it becomes ingrained in the human experience. Some photographs go beyond documentation, they become symbols of history, instantly recognizable as representations of a time and place.

Although there are only a few scattered people alive today who can remember the emotional impact of Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” during the Great Depression, its psychological impact on a viewer is still prevalent. It is an image that represents a time and place while capturing the emotions clearly written on the faces of the subjects.

Lange captures the mother’s weariness as the children cling to her with trusting and hopeful expressions. The setting, colors, foreground, background, and use of light and shadows all contribute to the story of the photograph. Absorbed alone without any context it instantly conveys emotions in the viewer and becomes a photo that lingers in their memory.

Mastering Mood and Lighting

Michael Grecco is an expert at creating powerful images with his studied use of lighting and composition to create images that tell a story. Capturing cinematic qualities with dramatic lighting along with settings that enhance the narrative allows Grecco to accomplish compelling photographs that touch the emotions of the viewer.

Grecco has immersed himself in photography since the 1970s. Over the decades of experiences and tens of thousands of photographs, Grecco has studied the details of how to accomplish emotionally charged and psychologically memorable photographs. Along with attention to technical fundamentals Grecco’s work is enriched with a combination of lighting mastery, and storytelling composition. He has an innate ability to make the subjects of his photographs accessible, relatable and iconic, which stirs the emotional and psychological receptors within the viewer.

The Heart of Emotionally Connected Images

Grecco seeks to deliver emotionally connected images across the scope of his photographic endeavors. He is an accomplished news, music, fashion, commercial, sports and celebrity photographer. From a sports car outpacing the wind for a commercial assignment to a portrait of Johnny Cash in nature, Grecco uses the power of the camera to produce photos that elicit an immediate and lasting visceral reaction.

Neuroscientists can explain why a photograph triggers a psychological and emotional reaction with an explanation of the brain processes of the amygdala, a part of the brain that immediately reacts to stimuli. Maybe not the best explanation, but there are without a doubt images, songs, movie lines, and more that become ingrained in the brain.

Steve Mc Curry accomplished a psychological and emotional photograph that left its marks in brains with his “Afghan Girl.” Its emotional impact on the viewer is enhanced by the captivating colors, another aspect of powerful psychological photography. The intensity of her green eyes coupled with the vulnerability and defiance of her gaze makes the “Afghan Girl” photos unforgettable.

Another unforgettable photo to those who lived the era and for viewers who encounter it now is “The Terror of War,” also known as the “Napalm Girl,” by Nick Ut. The subject, lighting, color contrast, foreground, and background all contribute to the shock, empathy, and sorrow of this psychological and emotional photograph.

The Power of the Lens

A technically well-executed photo can be psychologically and emotionally powerful, but there is more involved. Like Grecco, throughout his extensive career, it is about storytelling, effective composition, mastering the power of the lens, and weaving unexpected elements into the well-executed photograph.

The Rule of Thirds in Photography is a theory of balance in photography. In academically studied photography, the concept involves dividing an image into nine equal parts. Within the field of vision or the scope of the lens, the photographer imagines two horizontal lines and two vertical lines, which create the grid of thirds. Rather than center the subject of the photograph in a single flat plane, it is positioned at the intersections of the imagined grid.

The Balance of the Rule of Thirds

Leaving your subject in the middle of a frame is sometimes necessary but often not the most interesting composition. This is especially true with horizontal portraits. For example, the Texas cowboy image captures the subject off-center, drawing the viewer’s eye naturally to the background details, such as the wooden fence and the open field, which add depth to the photograph. Similarly, in the Steve Martin portrait, the subject is framed using the Rule of Thirds, emphasizing his contemplative expression while balancing the red roses in the background. Sometimes, however, Michael Grecco uses tension by positioning the subject at the edge of the frame.

Photography as Art: Breaking the Rule of Thirds

Photography is both a craft and an art. Photographers often break the Rule of Thirds to fulfill their creative intent. The photograph of the gymnast mid-flip challenges the rule by placing the subject in motion within the upper third of the frame, capturing dynamic tension against the symmetrical building background.

In urban landscape photography, symmetry often dominates. The yellow and red abstract composition intentionally uses the Rule of Thirds as well as relies on bold geometric shapes to create visual interest. Similarly, the metallic curves of the urban walkway play with reflections and symmetry, demonstrating how breaking the rules can lead to striking results.

Learning from the Rule of Thirds

Beginning photographers or hobbyists seeking to emulate professional photographers should study the Rule of Thirds. The concept aligns with the natural scan of the eye. For instance, the album cover of Sara Andon and Simone Pedroni’s Cinema Morricone employs the grid to frame the subjects while incorporating dynamic lighting and shadows to enhance storytelling. By aligning key visual elements with the grid intersections, photographers can guide viewers’ attention and create balanced compositions.

Decoding the Rule of Thirds: Beyond Basic Composition

Throughout his career, Michael Grecco has embraced and reinvented photographic rules, including the Rule of Thirds. By using negative space, symmetry, and dynamic compositions, he challenges traditional notions of balance.

The Rule of Thirds is a valuable guideline, but its power lies in understanding when and how to break it. Whether adhering to or defying it, photographers continue to push the boundaries of this classic principle, creating images that resonate with emotion and artistic depth.

Photography and photographers document moments in time, create art, provide historical recollections, and capture unrehearsed and posed interactions alike. Through macro photography, the universe at our feet is revealed, uncovering intricate details often invisible to the naked eye. Since its beginnings in 1822, photography has advanced, evolved, embraced nostalgia, and even leaped into the space age.

Advances in cameras, development techniques, lenses, lighting, and computer-driven AI, VR, and AR have taken photography into a new realm since 1822. Now the world of photography for artists, professional photographers, hobbyists, and amateurs offers unique glimpses into vast galaxies of space and those at our feet.

As photography enters its third century most people are familiar with the macro lens. It is a prominent fixture on the cameras of photographers at sporting and news events. It enables the camera to zoom in to capture images from a distance. At the other end of the spectrum in photography is macro photography.

The photographer with a macro lens needs a skill set beyond the point-and-click camera; macro photography is another set of skills. A mix of curiosity, patience, a steady hand, and the right tools are required to dive into an almost microscopic view of the universe at our feet. Like the ultimate micro pictures using the power of a telescope to capture the unseen universe in photos, macro photography turns within to capture a universe of another nature. It dives down into the unseen beauty hidden in the wings of a butterfly, a blade of grass, the body of an ant, or the wonder of grains of sand, all captured in photographs.

Essential Macro Photography Equipment

The professional portrait photographer of 1822 had limited choices in their equipment selections to pursue their craft. Over 200 years later, the world of photography offers specialized equipment for a multitude of genres. The box camera of 1822 could never shoot the fast action of sports, a distant volcanic eruption, or the infinitesimal interactions in the soil around us. The constant evolution, experimentation, and introduction of new photographic equipment opens universes of techniques, styles, and specialties for the student, hobbyist, and professional photographer.

To pursue macro photography requires:

• Camera and Lens: Cameras of the digital era of photography offer built-in macro modes. Ideally to pursue the true character, skills and art of macro photography a dedicated macro lens is essential equipment. Commonly available and reasonably priced lenses for macro photography offer focal lengths between 60mm to 105mm. Experimentation in shooting macro photos will guide the user to find the sweet spot for their purposes.
• Tripod: The stability that a tripod offers remains essential in macro photography. In macro photography maintaining a steady camera is essential to capture sharp, detailed photos.
• Lighting: The light provided by nature might be enough for some macro photos, for others some additional lighting may be required to eliminate shadows. Light ring lighting and flashes could be used along with diffusers to soften well-lit images. Macro photography requires a photographer to experiment with lighting and shutter speed to achieve the desired results.

 

Macro Photography Opens the Universe at Our Feet

As 21^st century macro lenses glide deeper into the galaxies sending back amazing photos shot from a distance, macro photography offers a view of the universe within. In the space age social media age of instant, macro photography invites the photographer to slow down and discover the universe at our feet.

From Polaroid to modern instant cameras, the art of instant film is undergoing a nostalgic resurgence. In the mid-20th century, instant photography was peaking among the casual user as well as the professional photographer. Not instant as in the digital photography of the social media internet age but instant in the form of film that would develop like magic right before the users’ eyes.

The Polaroid camera introduced by Edwin Land in 1947 was a photographic revolution. It allowed photographers of all skill sets to snap a picture, print, and develop it in minutes. It may be hard to understand the fascination if born and raised in the instant age of the internet, however, Polaroid cameras became a rage, a status symbol, and a cultural phenomenon.

Artistic icons Andy Warhol and David Hockney embraced the Polaroid picture as an art in itself. Beloved for its near-instantaneous feedback, Warhol and Hockney experimented with the uniqueness of the Polaroid picture. Unlike developed film, the Polaroid offered the user a unique perspective of colors, composition, and form. The imperfections of color leaks, faded edges, and bad exposures all became embraced as part of the new art of instant photos.

A Quick Decline and Steady Revival of Instant Photos

Polaroid grabbed a majority of the market share with photographic stalwarts Kodak, and Fuji failing to dent it. The camera offerings of the big three quickly declined with the introduction of affordable digital cameras in the early 2000s. The fascination with photos exposed in minutes was replaced by the new instant photo of digital cameras. The fight for market share among all film companies and camera manufacturers quickly became a struggle for survival.

Polaroid, Kodak, and Fuji eventually saw the writing on the wall and began to make headway into the digital camera era. It was quickly squashed when the cellular phone manufacturers offered built-in cameras that exceeded the capabilities of stand-alone digital apparatus.

Everything Old is Born Again

The physicality of the instant photo is looked at as the reason for its revival. Digital photography with cameras, and cellular devices produces a different form of photography. It is missing the tangible object that is touched, hung on walls, taped to refrigerators, and passed around at gatherings.

Manufacturers noticed the growing demand for instant pictures and combined the two technologies to satisfy a new consumer. Polaroid and Fuji maintained their innovation in instant cameras and today in the instant social media digital age married two technologies, the digital camera and the instant camera.

The Polaroid Now+ and Fujifilm Instax are paving the way in hybrid cameras that satisfy the desire of two markets, the digital and instant tangible photo. These hybrid introductions that are being chased by other manufacturers offer the user the ability of on-demand editing before the photo is printed.

This hybrid concept of photography that gives birth to the old in a new and exciting form is a powerful medium for professional photographers along with amateurs, hobbyists, and influencers. Professional photographers are using hybrid cameras to plot mood boards, take test shots, and like Warhol and Hockney, discover the intricacies of new creative artistic photographic nuances.

There is no doubt that the future trend is AI. The role of AI in professional photography can best manifest this. Professional photography continues to undergo dramatic changes because of technology. Most people see the change in the transition from film to digital photographs. For professional photographers, hobbyists, and students the transformation is changing an artistic medium that is centered on human creativity into a discipline that requires technical expertise.

Along with revolutionizing the format of photography, technology has already changed the imagery of style. AI is on the road to reshaping the craft, art, and technical characteristics of photography daily. Career professional photography artists like Micheal Grecco are embracing technological innovations and traveling full speed ahead into the future.

AI Can Automate the Mundane for The Photographer

Right now, AI can act as an assistant to the photographer in carrying out mundane tasks such as sorting, labeling, and categorizing images. The AI-powered software programs can analyze images and categorize them by key features, subjects, backgrounds, and more. It can separate and collate portraits, landscapes, outdoor, and studio shots. Such software can save the professional photographer valuable time that was once consumed with these mundane tasks.

Creative Support

AI is quickly becoming more than just a helper for tedious tasks; it’s turning into a key partner in the creative process. Professional photographers are using AI to take their creativity to the next level by blending it into their workflows. For example, tools like Arsenal and AI-enabled features in professional cameras significantly enhance photographic techniques. Arsenal helps photographers by predicting how changes in lighting setups and aperture speeds will impact a photo before it’s taken. In the studio or natural light, photographers will be able to use AI to visualize their ideas, arrange storyboards, and refine the final snaps before they become images ready for postproduction.

 

The AI-based Framing Stabilizer in professional cameras ensures that the subject remains consistently positioned within the frame, eliminating unwanted shifts during shooting. In addition, AI-based Auto Framing automatically adjusts the composition to emphasize the subject, ensuring optimal framing without manual adjustments. These AI tools allow photographers to not only envision but also execute their artistic concepts with precision, merging technology with creativity to push the boundaries of what’s possible in professional photography.

AI as Professor to the Student and Novice Photographer

Professional photographers with decades of experience and knowledge gained from trial and error can look to AI as another tool to advance the technology and artistry of their work. The student and novice photographer can use AI as a Professor in learning the nuances of how shadows and light, foreground and background, focus and shutter speed will affect the look of a shot.

AI combined with auto-focus enhancements, scene and outcome predictions, as well as postproduction editing, is making high-quality photography accessible to a larger audience. Those born and raised in the digital social media age of instant can learn the art and technology of photography from Professor AI. However, the artistry of photographers like Michael Grecco, honed through years of practice, serves as a powerful reminder: while technology is a valuable tool, it cannot replace the unique artistic vision that comes from the depth of a photographer’s personal experience.

 Smartphones and digital photography dominate the social media age. Underneath the surface is a nostalgic reach back to the machinations of the past. People are rediscovering the classics in vintage cameras, wristwatches, vinyl records, and component stereos. They were all once discarded in the instant of the social media digital age but are making a resurgence. For example, the wristwatch has adopted new tech and married it with a nostalgic look. This is true for the resurgence of old-school cameras, too!

The charm of vintage cameras is in the midst of a remarkable resurgence like watches and stereos. It is not just the generations that made them popular who are gravitating to them, it is a generation that never experienced their power and magic.

They are timeless devices described as mechanical masterpieces. Today, they are more than relics of the past or museum artifacts. Photographers and enthusiasts who only know digital photography are rediscovering vintage cameras. Not as a historical or nostalgic dalliance but as a sustenance reconnection with the artistry and craftsmanship that defined photography.

Vintage Cameras Are Making a Comeback

At the heart of the resurgence of vintage cameras is a desire for authentic touchable reality beyond the instant disposable digital world. Shooting with film and vintage cameras slows the world down a touch. It encourages photographers to think more intentionally about composition, light, and subject.

In digital photography, countless images can be snapped and deleted in an instant. On the other hand, vintage cameras require precision, patience, skills, and study. Each photograph is a purposeful, thoughtful creation, a throwback to another time and place.

Film photography has a unique aesthetic, which requires the users to take the time not to smell the roses but to absorb the interplay of light and its relations to images and shadows. Vintage cameras produce images that are harkened to a reality that the digital photo cannot touch. They have rich textures, organic grain, and depth that relate to a reality that the digital age has left behind. The analog quality produced by photography with vintage cameras is in direct conflict with the over-processed look of digital photos.

Mechanical Brilliance

Vintage cameras come from an age where design and mechanical innovations were important qualities. Models, from the sleek Leica rangefinders to the popular Nikon F series, are themselves works of art as well as functional tools of the trade. Vintage cameras operate with mechanical precision. Metal bodies, dials, clicks, and whirls offer an unparalleled hands-on experience beyond the digital world. Because there was no reliance on electronics, the mechanical masterpieces of the golden age of photography still performed flawlessly.

Challenges and Rewards of Vintage Photography

A vintage camera comes with its challenges. They are not and were not meant to be point-and-shoot instruments. Sophisticated mechanical vintage cameras require some study and trial and error. Film and processing mean spending money to feed the hobby. It also requires patience unless an investment is made in development equipment, which requires more study time. Repairs and maintenance for older models are not as easy as they once were as spare parts and repair shops become increasingly scarce. These challenges are part of what makes vintage photography so rewarding. Each image is an act of creation. Every mistake and the imperfections of the result, light leaks, grain, or slightly missed focus are all part of the process when embracing vintage cameras.

Photographers use light as an essential tool. The studio photographer mostly uses artificial lighting to create the effects of shadows and light, whereas outdoor photographs take advantage of natural light. It requires the student, hobbyist, or professional photographer to learn the interplay of light and its effects on the photograph.

As a photographer with over six decades of experience in the studio as well as outdoor photography, Micheal Grecco provides insights about the use of light in his book, Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: the Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography.

Here’s a look at how natural light brings these photos to life. The black-and-white shot captures sharp contrasts and intense detail, showing the dramatic impact of light and shadow. The sunlight plays across different scenes and highlights its versatility, from a sunlit smile to the texture of sand on the skin. These examples beautifully demonstrate natural light’s ability to enhance every subject it touches.

The Nuances of Natural Light in Photography

Natural light offers a depth and variety that can be challenging to replicate in a studio, even with the most advanced lighting technology. For photographers, observation is crucial in harnessing the full potential of natural light. It is essential for the photographer to look at the world first through their own eyes, unfiltered by the viewfinder or lenses of a camera.  This approach mirrors that of artists like DaVinci, who would meticulously study his subjects and their surroundings at different times of the day to see how shifts in light altered their appearance. Similarly, photographers can tap into the unique qualities of natural light—be it the warm tones of sunrise, the stark shadows of midday, the diffuse glow on cloudy days, or the enchanting light during the golden hour—to create compelling images.

On another note, natural light is not restricted to outdoor photography, no matter the setting, natural light is an essential tool for the photographer. In the daytime even without artificial lights, interiors have a natural light. Outdoors or indoors natural light changes the perception of the subject and becomes a relevant part of it.

 

The Time of Light

Unlike artificial light, natural light cannot be controlled by the flick of a switch. It can be anticipated by study and observation. Instead of returning to a scene for months, sketching and planning the picture like DaVinci, a photographer today should invest some time in studying the scenes of their photographs at various times of the day.  The natural light of dawn, mid-day, golden hour, and dusk will have different views of shadows, light, angles, and perception that will drastically alter the scene. The background, foreground, and the subject itself will be altered by the time of light.

Contrasting times of the day can not only affect the landscape photo but also the portrait, action shot, and special effects photographs. The softness or fiery reds of sunrise, the hardness of the noonday light, and the muted light of dusk will provide the same subject with distinctively different end results when photographed. The subject and its environment, the interplay between shadow and light are key to using natural light in photography.

Finding the perfect photo backdrop is not easy as the backdrop is as important as the subject. Location scouting is an essential skill for photographers. The backdrop enhances the story, mood, and composition of a shot. Professional photographers scout for locations that enhance their photographs. Scouting for locations requires some planning, time, and leg work.

Know Your Subject and Vision

Having a clear vision of the subject is number one in scouting for a location. When shooting portraits consider how the backdrop will complement the subject’s look, style, and personality. In landscape photography, think about the elements that can be included: water, trees, or mountains can be focal points of the photograph. When shooting street photography, the mood can be gritty and urban or vibrant and bustling. Deciding on the objective will help narrow location scouting.

Research and Plan Ahead

Digital tools make it easier to research locations. Use platforms like Google Maps and Google Earth to virtually explore potential locations. Social media can also be a goldmine; hashtags and location tags on Instagram or Pinterest can lead to photogenic places that other photographers have used. Websites like ShotHotspot and 500px provide insights and reviews from photographers for locations.

Visit at Different Times of Day

Lighting is a critical aspect for photography. It changes dramatically throughout the day. A location that seems uninspiring at noon might come alive with the warm, soft glow of the golden hour, or it might look mysterious and moody after sunset. Visiting a spot at various times shows how shadows and natural light interact with the environment. Dawn and dusk often provide the most flattering lighting conditions for portraits, while midday can create dramatic shadows for architectural or urban shots.

Look for Interesting Elements and Textures

Brick walls, wooden fences, graffiti murals, or lush greenery can all create unique contrasts and layers for photographs. Location textures can set a distinct tone for the photograph. In urban environments, staircases, alleyways, and metal structures; in natural settings, rocks, trees, and water features often make for stunning backdrops.

Pay Attention to Color and Contrast

Color is a powerful photographic tool. Choosing a backdrop with complementary or contrasting colors can make the subject pop. A brightly colored wall can be a captivating background for someone in neutral tones. A monochromatic setting could add sophistication to a high-fashion shoot. Observe how colors in the background interact with the subject and keep an eye out for natural frames like doorways, windows, or arches. A great photo balances light, shadow, foreground, background, depth and framing.

Embrace the Unexpected

Remain open to the unexpected, an overgrown field, a dilapidated building, or an overlooked street corner can provide a surprising ideal location for photographs. When exploring take some detours off the beaten path. Look for lesser-known trails or scenic viewpoints., streets, alleys or abandoned buildings. Embracing spontaneity will lead to discovering hidden locations.

Consider Accessibility and Practicality

Accessibility is a major concern and must be considered when scouting for a location. Don’t pick a trail or street where it is difficult or impossible to carry or set up the equipment that will be needed for a shoot. Urban environments may be easier to access, but the “No Trespassing” or “Private Property” signs must be respected.

The Art of Location Scouting

Finding the perfect location requires a blend of preparation, creativity, and an eye for detail. Planning ahead, visiting locations at various times, and staying open to surprises, are keys to selecting locations that will add power and depth to the photograph.

Location scouting is about finding a setting that enhances the subject, supports the vision, and brings the story to life. The right backdrop can transform an image, giving it depth, emotion, and meaning.

In today’s age of pocket computers, capturing images or creating art has become accessible to everyone. However, the question of “When to choose color or black and white?” continues to spark lively discussions among those delving into various photographic styles. Cell phones have more power than the desktop computers of only a decade ago. Phone cameras have more capabilities than the photography equipment that cost thousands of dollars only a few years ago. Everyone can snap a photo at a moment’s notice but photography is about an artistic vision.

An artist painting a picture must decide on their medium whether to use oil paint, watercolors, charcoal pencils or pastels, A photographer makes the same choice when choosing to shoot with color film or black and white. The digital photographic experience allows the choice to be made before, during and after the shoot. It is a fundamental choice of the photographer whether to shoot in color or black and white. A color photograph and a black-and-white one convey different emotions and invoke different thoughts.

The Emotional Impact of Color

Colors have an emotional impact on perception; thus, a color photograph can stir up emotions in the viewer. Psychologically bright colors like red and yellow create feelings of energy and urgency, and tones like blue and green are calming and tranquil. Photographing a scene such as a city street, a sunset, or a landscape, colors can play a role in affecting the emotions of the viewer.

Color photography is essential when looking to capture accurate details, such as in nature, or landscapes. Nature photographers prefer color shots to capture distinguishing colors between species and bring their subjects to life for the viewer. Fashion photography or advertising photographs are more likely to rely on color but can change dramatically in black and white.

Color photography can sometimes draw the viewer’s attention away from the essence of the photograph. Black and white could be a more powerful choice to highlight starkness, depth, framing and the interplay of shadow and light in a photograph.

The Power of Black and White

In the images of director Martin Scorsese, the stark differences between black and white and color photography are strikingly evident.

While the color version captures the urban environment with realistic detail, the black-and-white image transcends by stripping away distractions, allowing the interplay of light and shadow to take center stage. This starkness emphasizes Scorsese’s silhouette, creating a timeless and dramatic effect. The monochrome palette enhances textures, contrasts, and mood in ways that color cannot, drawing the viewer into the essence of the scene. Especially for portraits, black and white photography transforms the ordinary into the cinematic, making it an ideal choice when the goal is to focus on form, emotion, and visual impact.

Making the Choice Between Color and Black and White

Each brings its own advantage and style to the subject and the images. Photographers as artists need to consider their choice based on:

• The Subject – Is color necessary for its identity? Or will a photograph that highlights texture and form with shadows and light evoke stronger emotional reactions?
• The Mood – Color and Black and White each capture mood, however black and white often sets a dramatic and thoughtful tone.
• Light and Contrast – The essence of photography as an art is the interplay between light and shadows. Color can add depth in low light where black and white may fail.
• Artists Vision- It is the photographer as the creator whose vision dictates color or black and white.

Every Picture is a Story

Every facet of an artistic photograph completes the story. Whether it is told in the full spectrum of color or in the nuances and hues of black and white, the photographer makes the choice based on the story he sees through the lens.

Today, the topics across every industry and everyday life are climate change and sustainability. Photography as an industry, profession, and hobby is no exception. Even though photography is often perceived as having minimal environmental impact, the processes involved in film manufacturing and processing remain a concern that needs to be addressed, even in the digital age.

Digital photography also presents new challenges with its reliance on batteries and technology. Producing and disposing of portable power sources including lithium batteries is a pollution concern.

There is a growing awareness among photographers about the environmental impact of their profession, career, and hobby on Mother Earth.

The Environmental Impact of Photography

Looking at photography as an industry, the significant environmental footprint it has on climate change may not immediately come to mind. The digital revolution in photography has lessened the amount of film manufacturing and processing chemicals pouring into the environment, but it presents new challenges.

The digital revolution from film to digital images was a more sustainable and climate-friendly process. However, the technology involved in digital cameras and all the ancillary equipment of photography changes as fast as the snap of the aperture. This is a big problem.

The rapid advancement of technology leads to obsolescence and waste. In the field of photography, new camera and equipment technologies quickly become outdated, resulting in a significant amount of electronic waste. With every new introduction for photographers, there is an environmental manufacturing footprint on air, land, and water resources.

Camera and accessory production require the extraction of raw materials such as metals and plastics, many of which are not biodegradable. The energy consumption in the manufacturing process of cameras, lenses, lights, and batteries has an environmental cost.

Photography and Sustainable Practices

Many photographers are opting for gear that is designed to last longer and designated as eco-friendly. This cuts back on their e-waste and carbon footprints while reducing the need for frequent upgrades.

Aside from using second-hand cameras and equipment, purchasing eco-friendly cameras and equipment is a conscious choice that each photographer must make purposely. Manufacturers of cameras and photography equipment like all industries are appealing to those concerned about sustainability and climate change.

The buyer, in this case, the professional or hobbyist photographer, must distinguish between talk and action. Companies have started to prioritize eco-friendly manufacturing processes, using recycled or sustainable materials in their products, while others just label themselves as eco-friendly with some minor modifications in the manufacturing processes. Photographers can support sustainable climate-friendly practices by researching and comparing the manufacturers that prioritize sustainability when choosing to make a purchase.

Surging into the future, photography and virtual reality are creating new experiences pioneering innovative applications of this century’s old art form. In the 1800s, the camera was a magical box that captivated the general public with images of the past shared in the future. Photography continues to blur the concept of time as past, present, and future are interactively explored in creating new experiences in digital and virtual reality together with machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, and the celestial frontiers of universes.

What Is Virtual Reality?

TechTarget, a leader in defining tech, new applications, and how the digital age of the present meets the future offers a clean crisp definition of Virtual Reality.

Virtual reality, or VR, is a simulated three-dimensional (3D) environment that lets users explore and interact with virtual surroundings in a way that approximates reality, as it’s perceived through the users’ senses. The environment is created with computer hardware and software, although users might also need to wear devices such as goggles, headsets, or bodysuits to interact with the environment.

In a VR computer model exploring a research outcome on a laboratory computer interactive graphics with interchangeable data inputs are a VR Experience. The Photographer, together with designers and choreographers, can create another VR experience by bringing the viewer inside of a 2-D picture and creating a 360-degree experience.

 Stepping into a Photograph

Millions are familiar with the wildly popular Van Gogh, The Immersive Experience which tours the world and invites visitors into a 360-degree exploration of the works of Vincent Van Gogh. It is a beautiful example of the horizons and possibilities of the VR experience. Aside from preserving the past, museums embraced the VR revolution by creating special VR exhibits as well as digitalizing their permanent collections into 360-degree VR tours for online visitors. It is the past using the present to embrace the future.

Integrating VR Into Photography

Throughout Michael Grecco’s career, he has studied the interplay of shadow and light, the focus effects of foreground and background, angles, framing, aperture speeds, and subject positioning to achieve photos that have gone beyond the constraints of the two-dimensional. Michael Grecco is interested in and has been experimenting with how VR can expand the art of photography. As VR is an excitingly intriguing combination of expanding the depths and dimensions of photography, it requires essential skills, knowledge, and disciplines.

In the social media age, everyone is an aspiring photographer with a camera in hand to start shooting from scratch. The age of digital cameras forever changed the paradigm of photography. Digital cameras are a built-in addition to every device, laptop, desktop, tablet, phone, and auto dashboard. These built-in cameras come complete with computerized help including autofocus, auto-correct, light adjustments, and post-snap editing tools.

Digital camera accessories take the guesswork out of taking and posting pictures for all skill levels. Users who become adept at using the auto features in digital cameras start to feel like they are becoming accomplished photographers, but what they are becoming accomplished at is using the powerful built-in photographic tools that are a seamless addition to the built-in digital camera. Even as these words are read, the experience of automatic photography is taking another leap into the future with AI-guided digital cameras.

Back to the Future

In the digital era even the definition of the word, photograph, must be reassessed and redefined. According to the Oxford Languages dictionary,  the word photograph is defined as, “a picture made using a camera, in which an image is focused onto film or other light-sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment, or stored digitally:”

The digital camera has altered that definition. Aspiring photographers can still find and use cameras that require film, but most cameras have replaced film with memory cards. Although digital cameras are a step back to the future in many ways, they do allow those dedicated to learning essential photographic practices the opportunity to start shooting from scratch and turning the clock back to an earlier time in learning fundamental photography. 

Defining The Vision

Photography is an art, or is it a skill? From its earliest incarnation, the photographer has had to grapple with the technical knowledge of how to use a camera to achieve the desired results. Those who are now renowned as artists behind the lens are also expert technicians.

Every era in photography has had unique challenges as the tech of photography evolved. What remains the same is the fundamental essentials of capturing a vision in a photograph. Michael Grecco, a legendary photographer whose career spans over fifty years has witnessed dramatic changes in photography. The constant that he has perfected from his beginning shooting black and white photos with 35mm film is an essential lesson for aspiring photographers who are starting to shoot from scratch. As a photographer, Michael Grecco has concentrated on a vast array of photographic styles defining the vision and applying techniques to produce artistic results.

The news photojournalist, social documentarian, sports, fashion, commercial, and portraits are genres in photography that Grecco has mastered, separately and as a fusion of his unique artistic style. In all of his work, Michael uses his vision to fuse a defining vision of the moment. He has the uncanny ability to combine the techniques of multiple genres to produce art that is immersed in technical expertise.

Michael Grecco Tips for Photographers

Along with writing books to guide the aspiring photographer, Mr. Grecco offers sound advice in interviews and discussions. Books by Michael Grecco include The Art of Portrait Photography, Lighting, and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography,  and a book that features his iconic photographs of the Punk Movement, Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face, 1978-1991.

Michael Grecco’s Tips include:

• No matter what device, learn it well. The tool of choice should be mastered whether it is a smart or tablet camera, a DSLR, or mirrorless. Michael Grecco points out to aspiring photographers that they must become familiar with the basic functions of the equipment, shutter speed, aperture, focus, breath, and depth of the lens and its limits. He encourages experimentation to get to know the camera. Take the automatic settings off and shoot in manual to learn how settings affect the image.
• From the earliest days of his love of photography, Michael was focused on the effects of shadow and light. In experimenting with the light, he also incorporated foreground and background coupled with focus and angles to produce unique images that captured not just images but moments in time.

His advice includes experimenting, observing, and seeing the world through the viewfinder of your own unique style. Michael Grecco says that shooting from scratch is the best way for aspiring photographers to capture their vision of the world.

Portrait photography is one of the earliest uses of the camera, especially in a studio setting. Among the earliest-paid jobs for photographers were mug shots, which were studio portraits. Mug shots as portrait photography did not really happen in the “studio”, but they were staged so they can still be classified as a studio portrait.

The size and weight of earlier cameras were restrictive so basically all the earlier photographs were, in fact, “studio portraits” whether the setting was on the sidewalk, in an office, at home, or actually at the photographic studio.

Defining Studio Portraits

Definitions are important in any discussion. The word “studio” is rigidly defined by Oxford Languages Online Dictionary as “a room where an artist, photographer, sculptor, etc. works.” On its face value that is true, but times have changed, and the word “studio” can be more broadly defined especially for the photographer to include any number of spaces. So, it is better to define “studio” in terms of the photographic portrait as a “controlled environment.”

The mug shot portrait photographer of the 1800s was in a controlled environment whether at the police station or jail., so there is no doubt at all that these pictures of which there are thousands are, in fact, studio portraits. If the accused were photographed while committing the crime, then they could be classified as “street portraits.” In the digital age of instant photography, these could not be considered portraits at all. Today’s photographic process allows for capturing “action” in a photograph.  The camera equipment and film in the 1800s could not capture action except in a blur or in the hands of an enlightened expert-studied photographer.

Defining Studio Portrait vs Street Portraits

How can the “studio” portrait be defined as opposed to the “street” portrait? The studio portrait is photographed where the photographer has control of the environment. In a “studio setting”,  the photographer controls the warmth, color, and texture of the lighting. On the set, or a “street portrait,” the photographer must have the skills to compensate for the lighting. The street portrait requires the photographer to frame and focus on the spot. Unlike in a studio where a portrait photograph can be planned, the street portrait requires a knowledgeable skilled photographer.

 

Now we have a defined difference between the Studio Portrait vs. the Street Portrait. It is the difference between a controlled environment and a spontaneous one. The photographer plans the Studio Portrait, everything is determined before the shutter clicks. Lighting, aperture, background, foreground, angle, and focus are all predetermined by the controlled environment of the studio.

Professional Studio and Street  Portraits Can be Equalized

The studied professional portrait photographer can plan a studio portrait and adjust to the spontaneity of a street portrait. Every photograph including studio and street portraits is equalized by the knowledge of the photographer.

 

As a celebrity photographer, Michael Grecco has taken studio and street portraits of actors, musicians, sports figures, politicians, people, and events in the news for over fifty years. At this stage of his career, he possesses an intrinsic understanding of capturing photographs. Michael shares his knowledge for those interested in portrait photography in his book, The Art of Portrait Photography: Creative Lighting Techniques and Strategies. Understanding the use of lighting is crucial to capturing illuminating portraits of any genre, studio, street, and even action.

 

The Role of Photography in Social Movements

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the role of photography in social movements is pivotal to inspire, influence, and be a call to action in social movements. The digital age has made the art and medium of photography instantly accessible to everyone. Although Kodak brought photography to the masses with the introduction of the Brownie camera, most people did not carry their camera around 24/7.

Those that looked beyond the Brownie and became hobbyists investing in the latest camera equipment, and lenses were more likely to have a camera at the right time and place to capture an image that became iconic in social movements. Always at the ready with cameras in hand were freelance professional photographers.

The Photography of Instant

The digital age is a unique era in photography. It is a time when every person on earth carries a phone 24/7. It is not just a phone; it is a computer more powerful than home PCs. It is a phone that has the most advanced cameras embedded, complete with video recorders, micro, zoom, and wide angle lenses along with powerful instantaneous editing programs.

In the digital age, a photograph can be snapped, edited, and posted on social media platforms, and websites and sent to the most widely distributed news outlets instantly. Within minutes millions of minds can be influenced by photography. A time when a photograph is worth not thousands of words, but volumes.

It is the age of the photography of instant. An age where a photograph can influence the thoughts and actions of billions of people within a 24-hour day.

The Photography of War

The American Civil War is a subject for the history books that seems so long ago that there could not be photographs. It was one of the earliest times when the role of photography influenced a social movement. Taking a photograph was cumbersome, time-consuming, and dangerous during the U.S. Civil War. The photographers were some of the earliest news and freelance photographers to work for newspapers, magazines, and the political pamphlets of the day. They were the influencers of their time.

It was the horrors and atrocities that were photographed and published that began to turn the tide of blind support for blue and grey. The pictures told the story of human inhumanity. The Civil War photographers were the earliest photojournalists to change public opinion. The photographers of every war now impact social movements.

Instant Karma

War photography impacted anti-war movements along with every social movement as the power of the photograph took center stage. As stringers, freelance and news photographers became permanent fixtures in political campaigns, the role of photography in social movements loomed larger.

Political, social, economic, freedom, music, and independence movements to name a few were all influenced by a photograph. The role of photography in social movements is obvious when iconic images can be recalled and instantly tell the story of the time and place. The picture of a naked Vietnamese girl running from the flames of napalm, the tens of thousands of civil rights marchers at the US Capitol, or the riots in American cities instantly invoke the memories, stories, and truths of social movements.

The Beatles walking off a plane in NYC, Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival, Woodstock, and Poison Ivy of The Cramps against a graffitied wall all tell stories of social movements. They are photographs that play music without sound. The role of photography in social movements is not new. In the digital age, it is instant karma.

The Role of Photographer in Social Movements

Photography has long been a catalyst in driving social movements, and David Turnley’s work during the South African apartheid era is a testament to this fact. David Turnley is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer renowned for his committed documentation of global events and human stories. Over a span of 12 years, Turnley’s compelling images documented the intense struggles and profound human experiences during and after apartheid. His work, notably his iconic photo of Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990, not only celebrated the end of apartheid but also galvanized global support for a new South Africa.

His dedication to capturing the heart of the struggle helped bring international awareness, influencing perceptions and fostering a global consensus for change. This momentous capture and others like it underscore the significant role photographers play in advocating for justice and human rights.

Photography in museums and archives is a unique medium for preserving the past. Paintings, drawings, sculptures, animation, virtual reality, and augmented reality each have their place in depicting and preserving the past in museums and archives. Photography is a unique depiction of moments in time.

Photography as an art and documentary medium earned its place in museums and archival records in the first quarter of the 1800s. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, a scientist in soul, is credited with producing the oldest surviving photograph from a camera. It has been anointed with the title, View from the Window at Le Gras. It is a heliographic image which is discussed in a short essay The First Photograph by Barbara Brown, Head of Photograph Conservation, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin.

The Challenges of Preserving Photographs, the Windows to the Past

The Window at Le Gras is a window to the past that challenges the present and future to create a solution for preserving photographs. Bob Dylan said, “inside the museum, infinity goes on trial.” Preserving the exhibitions for infinity is challenging. At barely 200 years old, the photograph is a relatively new addition to museums and historical archives that presents unique preservation challenges.

Museums and archives face similar challenges in preserving their collections and exhibition items. Light, time, temperature, humidity, catastrophic events, and accidents are the enemies of art, artifacts, documents, and photographs.

Protecting Photographs and Their Negatives

Museums and archives continue to add massive amounts of photographs to their collections. It requires a plan and continued funding for preservation, storage, and display. Photographs, like all art, need to be protected for infinity from the ravages of time, temperature, humidity, and dangers. The process of creating a photograph is inherently fragile. The negative from which it was printed, and the paper on which it’s printed are all susceptible to the elements and time.

The age of microfilm was seen as a solution for storage until it became clear that it too was susceptible to the damages of time and temperature. As each new storage solution comes online, museums, archive boards, and curators must have a plan to transfer photograph collections to the latest storage techniques so that infinity may judge the past, present, and future art of photographs.

Storing digital files in the Cloud is seen as a solution. Like storage innovations of the past, the Cloud will reveal its flaws. Corrupted files and damaged hardware are just two things that can go wrong with storing photographs in the cloud. Redundant copies of digital collections secured at multiple sites may be a practical solution.

 Photographers as Curators

Photographers should plan to preserve their work in the digital age with redundancy at multiple cloud storage enterprises around the world. Living photographers are the ultimate curator of their work even when showing or placing their photographs in the care of museums and archives.

Michael Grecco curated and made preservation contingency plans for his muti-media show featuring work from his “Days of Punk” period. The show was at the Centro Cultural de Cascais, in Cascais, Portugal from October 15, 2023 to January 28, 2024. It was produced by the D. Luís I Foundation, with the collaboration of the Cascais City Council.

This exhibit was made possible because of the care that Michael Grecco took to preserve his past as a photographer with intimate access over fifty years ago during the early days of the international punk era. The Days of Punk exhibit at Centro Cultural de Cascais featured over 100 high-quality prints from the thousands that Michael Grecco shot and carefully preserved for infinity and summarized in this short video.

Photography is a general term that describes genres of distinctive styles, techniques, and finished products. Exploring photographic genres includes taking a dive into documentary, art, fashion, commercial, historical, and personal snaps of the shutter.

The result of every photographic genre is unique in purpose, form, and result. The principal fundamentals of photography are necessary for effective photography whether it is a personal social media post or an iconic image.

A Dive into Photographic Style and Technique

Michael Grecco has decades of study and performance across a diversity of photographic genres. As a news photographer, Mr. Grecco became practiced in a fundamental understanding of the essentials of darkness and light. Along the way, he became intrinsically aware of the importance of focus framing and using depth of field.

In the iconic color photograph of Quentin Tarantino at the Hollywood Grill in 1995 essential photographic style and techniques are clear. The fundamental use of shadows and light, combined with framing, focus, foreground, and background are features of this photograph along with a personal style and technique that Michael has developed and perfected over the decades.

In his book Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography, Michael Grecco shares the style and technique of his art. In this tome, Michael goes into the details of turning portraits into photographic art.

He also explains the use of essentials for the hobbyist as well as the professional photographer. He touches on how the use of, exposure, shutter speed, depth of field, focal length, sharpness, camera settings, composition, and editing affect the interplay of light and shadow of a photograph.

His lessons are clear in another iconic image that he snapped in 2006, Martin Scorsese Poses on a Roof.

 

Crossing Genres into Art

The photos of Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino can be pigeonholed as “portraits.” Michael Grecco has moved the art of photography beyond the traditionally defined with an experienced professionalism driven by an innate inquisitiveness and experimental personality that crosses genres into the realm of art.

Each of the photographs tells multiple stories that cross photographic genres: art, fashion, commercial photography, etc. They are documentary photographs that capture historic moments from the lenses of Michael Grecco’s cameras.

The Genres of Michael Grecco Photography

Sports, music, fashion, portraits, documentaries, and commercials are often cited as distinctive genres of photography. Over the last half-century, Michael Grecco has studied, practiced, explored, photographed, and produced iconic images that span every genre of photography.

He has not been to space to conquer celestial photography, but that may come. In black and white or in color Mr. Grecco is a perpetual student and pioneer of the craft, art, and science of photography in all its forms.

In exploring the history and continuing appeal of black and white photography, a quick history is in order. Weissmann Preservation Center at Harvard Library has gathered and printed Harvard’s History of Photography Timeline from 1926 to 2004, a bullet-point list of important moments in photography.

Key stops for all photographers from amateur to professional include:

• 1851: Frederick Scott Archer introduced the wet collodion process – This innovation in photography required less time for exposure.
• 1874: Silver gelatin paper becomes commercially available. The widespread use of silver gelatin paper in the 1890s made it the most common black-and-white photographic print process of the 20th century.
• 1885: French criminologist and anthropologist Alphonse Bertillon introduced the modern mug shot. Taking mug shots provided professional photographers with income.
• 1888: George Eastman markets the Kodak No. 1 box camera with the slogan, “You press the button, we do the rest.

1900: Eastman Kodak introduced the Brownie camera at the retail price of one dollar, their goal was to sell film and development services.

From Brownie To Black and White Art

The Eastman Kodak Brownie camera made the art of photography accessible to everyone. It is hard to fathom the excitement of the average person to be able to document the history of their lives in crisp black and white glossy printed photographs. In its day, the Brownie was the equivalent of the Apple iPhone with a built-in digital camera.

Michael Grecco may or may not have known the history of photography as a young pre-high-school man who was gifted his first 35 mm camera, but he quickly learned to document history and create art with black and white photography.

Experimenting For Perfection

The joy of taking a picture soon became an obsession in photographic experimentation for young Michael Grecco. The Brownie was the everyman camera, anyone could take a picture. On the other end of the spectrum were 35 mm precision machines that required the operator to calculate the aperture speed based on light and the required effect.

Taking picture after picture and examining the results taught Michael Grecco the fundamentals of framing, and how to use shadows and light long before his days studying with photography historian and photographer Carl Chiarenza, a master of black and white photography. Michael Grecco was fascinated with the light, framing, shadows, and effects of black and white photography.

The artistic, documentary, and technical aspects of photography that Michael Grecco learned through experimenting paved the way for the future perfection of his detailed career as a multi-faceted photographer. He has filled roles as a freelance news photographer for the AP and captured the alluring details of the emerging Punk movement from Boston to New York for the music press.

As his portfolio grew, he captured candid and innovative portrait shots of people in the entertainment and sports industries. He is often a guest of fashion designers unveiling their latest runway creations.

The Timeless Appeal of Black and White Images in the Digital Age

Michael Grecco shares his knowledge on capturing black and white images for the amateur and professional in two books, The Art of Portrait Photography, Creative Lighting Techniques and Strategies, and Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait, the Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography.

As the digital age matures with the introduction of AI, VR, AR, and the pursuit of other galaxies, the appeal of the interplay of shadows and light expressed in black and white keeps its appeal in modern photography. Michael Grecco is intrigued by the horizon of photography and realizes that the fundamentals he learned shooting with 35 mm black and white film will serve him well in modern photography.

Athletic photography is regarded as a specialty. Capturing sporting events in motion requires specialized equipment along with a skilled photographer. The difficulties of capturing action and emotions underwater are magnified by the environment.

Capturing the tapestry of nature is an important artistic endeavor of photographers. There are professional photographers who gravitate to underwater nature photography and those who gravitate to human competition in the water. Water offers a kaleidoscope of textures and colors to the photographer that is both an ally and a nemesis.

The unique environment of photography in water presents similar challenges for all photographers who focus on nature as well as sports. Action and emotions permeate both, however, those photographers who set their apertures to photograph the live action of sports are adding instantaneous reactions to their tool belt of skills.

Equipment, Technique, and Skills that Challenge Underwater Photography

The equipment challenges of underwater photography are met by a camera manufacturing industry that competes. To best their competitors there is an inflow of capital, time, and research into developing underwater cameras and the apparatus to use them. Today the underwater photographer has freedom of movement and a choice of equipment that has never been enjoyed for underwater photography.

Photographic equipment available for underwater use includes waterproof cameras, housing, lights, strobes, and the equipment necessary. Everyday sporting events on fields, courts, tracks, courses, and raceways attract thousands of photographers who try to capture a gem among the millions of images that are taken.

Along with learning the intricacies of the latest equipment and its limitations, underwater photographer needs to challenge their own techniques and skills to capture action and emotions underwater.

The skills that shape a photographer are constant. They need to understand and use the interplay between shadow and light, negative and positive, foreground and background, and framing and perspective. These difficult skills are made more difficult to master by the challenge of water and its effect on clarity, distortion of distance, and refraction of light.

Using the Fluid Dynamic of Water to Enhance Action and Emotions

The underwater photographer must recognize the how and why of the fluid dynamic of water and its unique interplay of shadow and light on the subject. Water can be used as a foreground, background, or a combination of both to enhance action and emotion in the underwater photograph.

Michael Grecco has decades of experience beginning with 35 mm black and white photography for leading news organizations. He has developed techniques and skills that are intrinsic, intricate, and essential in creating photographs that join the forces of framing, lighting, and environment.

Each year as he tackles a new discipline in his photographic adventures his understanding of light and shadows, framing, and perspective is sharpened. Whether photographing in black and white, on the field, or in the water, Michael Grecco is skilled at capturing athletic action and emotion.

Capturing actions and emotions underwater requires Michael Grecco to apply his photographic skills to compensate for the environmental challenges that water brings to the photograph. Along with his other photographic accomplishments, Michael Grecco has mastered the art of photography that captures underwater actions and emotions.

The age of the social media influencer and the maturing digital photography age has created a metamorphosis for photography in the fashion industry. Digital photography has transformed the runway presentation for invited guests into a real-time social media event. The blazing speed of digital photography innovations and the meteoric rise of social media changed fashion and photography simultaneously.

From Four Weeks to INSTANT

Fashion designers in the age of social media no longer wait weeks for a handful of influential fashion magazines to print and pass judgment on their latest designs. Today digital photography allows runway shows to be seen and judged not only in real time but also by a vastly expanded audience. Feedback from consumers across social media platforms begins to influence consumer behavior before the model completes its turn on the runway.

In the digital age, everyone always has a camera with them and instant access to commentary. Before the digital age runway fashion shows were photographed by a handful of professionals who were allowed to roam the show. W, Elle, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and other fashion magazines would wait for the pictures from photographers that editors selected for print. It could be as long as a four-week process depending on publication dates. In the era of digital photography and social media, fashion show pictures are nearly instant.

High-Resolution Photography

Everyone is a photographer in their own way in the digital and social media era, just as everyone is a critic with their ability to leave instant reviews. There is still a difference between clicking stars and writing a proper review, just as there is a difference between sharing images on a social media platform and high-resolution photography.

True, a camera in every hand has revolutionized the fashion show. Runway shows that were once photographed by a handful of professional photographers are now captured by the entire audience. Digital images can quickly be edited with the advanced features of cell phones.

The professional photographer has an advantage with equipment that can capture high-resolution images, edit them, and deliver them instantly. Fashion photographers know the importance of framing, lighting, and angles to capture the intricacies of life in photos. The professional photographer is also skilled and versed in editing techniques. A professional fashion photographer can turn an image into an abstract work of art or a historical image of a time and place.

Fashion for All

The fashion industry embraces the democratized immediacy of instant social media postings by influencers. At the same time, the writers, designers, and publishers of the fashion world look to professional photographers to capture the shows with authenticity. Digital photography and on-the-spot editing software have changed the fashion world.

Fashion designers welcome every person photographers at their shows and most encourage clicking photos. They recognize that a professional fashion photographer is still essential for a successful unveiling of their latest collections. Social media photographers and influencers provide instant coverage, professional photography provides enduring images.

The digital age of INSTANT has declared that fashion is for all.

Pixels in the Clouds are a storage and sharing solution for digital albums. Once, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the photo album was a memory holder for households and families. A traditional photo album had pages of plastic sleeves that held printed photographs. Album after album, they were filled with pictures of life events, new babies, vacations, graduations, engagement parties, weddings, anniversaries, everyday barbeques, parties, and other days worth photographing.

Unlike this age of smartphones, a photo was an investment, taking one was a decision-based expense. Traditional picture-taking required a camera (not everyone had one), film, development, and time. Film cost varied depending on the quality of the camera, and the number of exposures (pictures) on a roll. Developing (also called processing) was slightly more than the cost of the film with different levels of service.

The Hard Drive Album to The Cloud

The photo album was a practical way to organize, store, and share photos. The evolution was cosmetic rather than innovative. Digital photo storage has kept pace with the innovations of digital cameras and smartphones.

As the cost of the digital camera decreased, their popularity increased. The only way to continue the photo album concept digital memories would have to be printed. For every problem, a solution. Software became available to store, sort, and share digital photos. The virtual photo album took center stage in the world of digital photography. Digital pictures could be stored and shared on computer hard drives, removable disks, and thumb drives. The photo album had a virtual home.

Each innovation in digital photography led to the next generation of storage and sharing solutions. The smartphone with a built-in camera caused an explosion of digital photos. Thumb drives, removable drives, and hard drive storage solutions are limited and cumbersome to share.  The advent of the space age requires cloud storage, a “limitless” virtual photo storage system with ease of access and shareability.

Where to Share

Traditional photo albums required physical presence to share cherished memories with others.  The cloud storage of the digital age comes complete with virtual photo albums that can be shared anywhere. The cloud storage of digital photos can instantly be accessed by social media accounts. It is a practical solution for the explosion of digital photos.

The Digital Photograph Does Not Fade

The digital photography solution has also solved a problem that the film manufacturers either weren’t aware of or just failed to tell consumers that physical photographs fade. The memories may be forever, but physical photos degrade, the color fades, the paper disintegrates and of course, they are susceptible to being lost in floods, fires, and any number of disasters.

Digital cameras are evolving with new technologies. Keeping pace with the innovations of digital photography is storage and sharing platforms. The home television monitor can rotate digital photos accessed from cloud storage. Individual digital photos can be loaded to picture frames or TV monitors on demand.

The storage and sharing of photos have expanded exponentially from hard-bound albums to cloud storage. It is only the beginning of the innovations in the digital photo space as AR, VR, and AI become a fixture of everyday life.

The digital age has had a dramatic impact on the way each person interacts with the world community and photojournalism captures moments in real-time. Photojournalists were early revolutionaries in blazing a trail to capturing and sharing moments in real-time. The Associated Press (AP) were pioneers in shrinking the world by sharing photos of events as quickly as possible using Wirephoto, a technology that they were heavily invested in to capture and share the photos of their freelance photographers around the world.

Photojournalists used carrier pigeons, the Pony Express, the mail, trains, planes ships, and automobiles to send their photos. The Wirephoto changed all that and cut the time between shutter clicks and published photos dramatically. Less than four decades after the introduction of the Wirephoto on January 1, 1935, Michael Grecco became intrigued by his first black and white film camera.

The Camera Shrinks the World

The digital photography revolution coupled with internet technology has made it possible for today’s photojournalists to capture and share moments in real time. It has also opened the opportunity for every person to be a photojournalist among their circle of family, friends, colleagues, and associates thanks to social media.

Photutorial published an article- How Many Pictures Are There (2024): Statistics, Trends, and Forecasts which estimated that by 2030, there will be over 2.3 trillion pictures taken every year. These 2.3 trillion captured moments will document ordinary life along with extraordinary events.

As an AP photojournalist in Boston during the advent of Punk Rock, Michael Grecco captured original everyday life as well as extraordinary concert photos. Those printed black-and-white photos offer a rare glimpse of the punk lifestyle. Unlike the photojournalist in the digital age, the 35 mm photographer did not have unlimited film to capture every moment in time. Framing, lighting, angles, aperture, backgrounds, environments, and subjects were calculated to achieve dynamic artistic photos.

His time as a black-and-white film photographer laid the foundation for Michael Grecco to grow with technology and become a pioneer in the digital age of photography.

Michael Grecco covering an Anti-KKK rally in Boston in 1983. The police had decided to attach the press to get them out of the way, then attack the protesters to remove them.

Instantly Critiquing Captured Moments

A significant impact of growing with the technology that affects the captured moments of Michael Grecco is the ability to instantly critique his own work. No more waiting for hours to see the output. The photographer only has one chance to capture the moments of live happenings such as concerts or events. A digitally captured photo can be viewed, critiqued, and instantly taken again by professional photojournalists.

In the hands of Michael Grecco, a digital device allows him to instantly compensate and adjust how he captures moments in real-time. Mastering the art of photojournalism is a never-ending quest that is constantly expanding by applied technologies. AI, VR, AR, and the maturing space age continue to have a profound impact on photojournalism and its ability to make the world and universe smaller.

New Storytelling

The transformation of photojournalism by the digital revolution is in its infancy. Digital cameras introduced in the 1990s are primitive compared to today’s choices.

New storytelling techniques will be possible in the world of photography as technology expands to include AI, VR, and AR in digital cameras. This will create new challenges for photojournalists and open the doors to ethical questions about staged digital photos presented as reality. Times are a’ changing for photojournalists. What will not change is photojournalists’ commitment to capturing moments in real time.

Digital photography created a revolution in immediacy, eliminating the wait for film to be processed. In 1970 when Michael Grecco received his first film camera and began his adventure in photography. The process was to buy the film, load the film (be careful not to expose the film), shoot the pictures, unload the film, wait for the film to be developed, and then view the results. Those who had their own or access to a darkroom had a time advantage over other photographers who had to wait up to a week to retrieve their developed film and see the results of their work.

Michael Grecco practiced his skills at the apex of the technological advances in 35 mm dreams. From the mid-1970s through the early 2000s camera and film researchers, developers and manufacturers were introducing technological advances that were changing photography.

Introducing the Digital Camera

In 1995, the digital camera was introduced to the public. Expensive for the average person, the digital camera was soon comparable in price to film cameras. Then in 2000, a cell phone with a built-in camera hit the market. Digital photography, a revolution in photographic immediacy was sweeping the world at light speed.

The falling retail price of stand-alone digital cameras and the increase in technological capabilities of the cell phone camera meant that more people than ever were taking pictures. The immediacy of digital photography fits perfectly with a new way of life that demands instant gratification.

The internet hosted a new form of communication that offered an outlet to the new crop of digital photographers, social media. According to PetaPixel, film photography peaked in 2000 at eighty-five billion photos. However, according to photutoria, around 2.3 trillion photos will be taken every year by 2030.

The Democratization of Photography

The immediacy along with access to digital cameras in every phone has had an immense impact of interest in photography as an art. The digital photography experience offers the instantaneous output that social media requires, it also offers the photographer as an artist instant feedback. Professional photographers shooting athletes, fashion models, products, and landscapes can make instant adjustments to their lighting, angles, lenses, and other technical aspects of their project.

Michael Grecco began his career as an independent news photographer who offered his photos to wire services such as the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). They in turn would sell the photographs to thousands of newspapers, magazines, and other outlets. Today the citizen photographer armed with a digital camera can fill the role.

Challenges of Digital Photos

The excitement of digital photography has its own challenges. The digital camera has created an oversaturation of the visual landscape. It is increasingly difficult to stand out in the sea of billions of photos per day. The pursuit of the perfect picture can push creativity and spontaneity to the back seat.

The digital camera indeed offers everyone a shot at being a published photographer. Those who are pursuing photography as an artist, documentarian, or history interpreter need to learn the fundamentals of photography. It is essential to learn how lighting affects photos. Michael Grecco offers insight into photographic lighting in two books The Art of Portrait Photography: Creative Lighting Techniques and Strategies , and Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Celebrity and Editorial Photography:

Michael Grecco is a perpetual student and recognized expert in celebrity portraitures with an uncanny eye for capturing iconic moments. His three-plus decades of learning and mastering the techniques and innovations of photography give him an uncanny ability to capture the essence of moments.

A portrait is defined as an image of a person or group of people while a portraiture is the art of making portraits. The digital age has an insatiable desire for images, and visuals fulfilled by a camera in every hand. These portraits fill the desire for social media, separate and apart from the art of photography.

The Essence

Throughout his thirty-plus-year career as a photographer, Michael Grecco has developed a unique style and discerning eye that has captured iconic moments in history. The art of Michael Grecco relies on his ability to see and capture the essence in his celebrity portraitures.

As a photographer who began as a photojournalist, Michael Grecco appreciates and explores the techniques of capturing essence beyond the physical. These include the use of light, framing, focus, depth of field, aperture speed, and innovations in equipment. He is recognized in photography as an expert in lighting which combines his understanding of the technical as well as artistic.

The celebrity portraiture delivered from the photography equipment of Michael Grecco captures the spirit, charisma, and allure of the subject that goes beyond the physical into the realm of essence.

The Portraiture Personality

Leonardo da Vinci was captivated by the interplay between light and darkness in his work. The Renaissance technique known as chiaroscuro was pivotal in art. It did not disappear with the Masters of the Renaissance, it evolved as a technique and crossed over to sculpting, photography, cinematography, (Fellini as an example) and even set designs for opera and theater.

Michael Grecco began his life journey of exploring the interplay between light and darkness in his photography at an early age. Like da Vinci, and Fellini, his intrigue with using chiaroscuro continues to this day. The interplay between the dark and light is fundamental in the celebrity portraiture personality art of Michael Grecco.

Mr. Grecco has photographed Hollywood legends, music moguls, athletes, models, and a who is who of entertainment industry personalities. Each photograph sets Mr. Grecco apart with his ability to delve deep into the psyche of his subjects, revealing layers of personality. He transcends the superficial glitz and glamour often associated with celebrity photography. Using all the photographic tools in his arsenal, Mr. Grecco aims for a portraiture that encapsulates personality, essence, spirit, and charisma.

The Reality of Fortune and Fame

Mr. Grecco has set himself apart in the world of photography by continually learning and applying new techniques, innovations, and advancements in technology to his craft. After more than three decades he continues to approach each photograph with dedicated enthusiasm. Photography is not just Michael Grecco’s career, it is his life. In a Michael Grecco celebrity portraiture, the viewer is offered a glimpse of the heart, soul, essence, personality, and humanity of the rich and famous.

Photography’s influence on modern advertising goes beyond a moment in time. Beyond just an image, a photograph has the power to tell a story, create a brand, capture a feeling, create desire, and influence the viewer. The photographer is the Influencer of the digital advertising age.

The “Golden Age” of advertising is defined as the decades from the 1950s through the 1980s, however its power, and influence, did not end when the year turned 1990. Advertising continued to evolve. Those that are familiar with the American Television series “Mad Men” where treated to a “behind the scenes look at the boom time of the ad men.

In New York City, the glamour of the ad agencies and the people behind the ideas became a culture onto itself that was mimicked in every city and town across the USA and throughout the world. It began as the era of the grey flannel suit, the two-martini lunch and advertising men pushing businesspeople out of the spotlight in financial news. This gave way to the decadence of a counterculture that revolutionized society and all forms of art including photography. The process continues.

Photography Advertisers the Advertising

The lead character in Mad Men, Don Draper was a composite of the people who glamorized the sales pitch. The army of ad execs who inhabited Madison Ave and similar districts around the world took the ordinary and turned them into the extraordinary that people did not need but were made to want by advertising.

Beyond the ad script and pitch, the ad men of the 1950s through the 1980s relied on the images that were the prime focus of the ad. For this they relied on photographers who were also evolving in their storytelling power.

The Story as a Picture

“Every picture tells a story”, and “A story is worth a thousand words.,” are cliches that drip truth. Photography’s influence on modern advertising goes beyond image to the photographer’s gift to create and tell a story in moments captured in time. Michael Grecco has developed and refined the gift of storytelling through photography by embracing its evolution.

Michael Grecco learned the craft of photography by rising through the ranks as a photojournalist telling a story with each click of the shutter. Newspapers and magazines were the beginning of turning the craft of photography into a lifetime pursuit of the art of photography for Mr. Grecco.

Photo to Art, Art to Photo

From his early days of selling photos of news events to the Associated Press (AP) Michael Grecco became captivated with the nuances of lighting, framing and storytelling. Every photo he shot was a captured moment and an experiment in photographic excellence.

In the late 1960s Andy Warhol grabbed the golden ring of fame for turning the art of still photographs into art. Today, Michael Grecco, a Photographic Influencer in the heart and soul of the digital age is melding his photographs to tell stories, create desire, influence, and push the boundaries of commercial advertising as art. Michael Grecco is redefining the focus of photo to art and art to photo.

Photography has been a passion for Michael Grecco since the age of twelve, and this passion grew as he started doing creative experimentation in professional photography later on. He turned his first 35mm camera into a lifelong passion for creative experimentation of photographic techniques and innovations. Less than a decade after receiving his first camera Michael Grecco became a “stringer”, a freelance photographer for Associated Press (AP). Stringers were only paid for the photos that the AP considered good enough for publication. It was the ultimate test of shooting photographs that were a cut above the rest.

In photography, it sharpened the lens for the pursuit of excellence. It meant breaking from traditional framing and lighting and developing innovative techniques that would be noticed above the dozens of other stringers who were turning in photos. During these early days, Michael Grecco experimented with lighting, framing, and unique angles when shooting photographs. His style was noticed, and he moved up the ladder. He was hired as a staff photographer at a Boston newspaper, rock magazine, and radio station.

Lighting, Lenses, Developing and Framing

Each new career opportunity enabled him to creatively experiment with different lighting techniques, new lenses, innovations in processing and film. Michael Grecco was breaking the mold with each advancement as a professional photographer. From capturing news events to documenting the early days of punk, each adventure in lighting techniques, advancements in equipment, developing techniques and framing the shot was the creative experimentation in professional photography that would set the next challenge.

Today in the world of photography Michael Grecco proudly wears the moniker “Master of Lighting”. Throughout his long storied career Michael Grecco has combined an experimental approach to perfecting the technology of professional photography. His personal artistic vision leads him to explore all the genres and applications of his passion of professional photography.

From news to pizza ads starring iconic country stars, Michael Grecco is equally at home photographing, high fashion, action sports, advertising and the depths and nuances of life and the universe. He embraces the challenges of creative experimentation in new technology, lighting, lenses, camera equipment, framing and presentation and whatever technology will offer next.

The Photographic Signature of Michael Grecco

Michael Grecco continues to challenge himself and his vision to experiment with all the tools that a professional photographer can use in the era of technological advancement. Using a drone, computer, telescope, satellite, or old-fashioned box camera are all part of the photographic signature of the creative experimentation in professional photography by Micheal Grecco.

Mr. Grecco sees no limits to the boundaries that have opened in the art of photography by technology. VR, AR, and AI are all challenges in breaking the mold by using creative experimentation in professional photography. Michael Grecco looks forward to embracing them all and integrating them into the art of creative experimentation in professional photography.  

Michael Grecco tells stories through spaces in his environmental portraits. Early photographers were at the mercy of technology. It was a case of tools limiting artistic vision for the earliest photographers. The size of the camera, the film, development, and printing techniques all had to be considered by the photographers of the 1880s who shot stoic portraits. The earliest steady work for the photographers in the 1880s was taking portraits for the law, today known as mug shots.

Each technological advancement in photography, equipment, developing, printing, and displaying it added new layers for the photographer to explore. The staple of photography, the portrait went from historic to artistic. Trained photographic technicians could capture clear law enforcement, school, or family portraits. The photographic artist, visionary and innovator turned stoic portraits into the art of the environmental portrait.

It took the eye of an artist to use the tools, techniques, and technology of photography to advance photographs to the realm of telling stories through spaces.

Environmental Portraits

Cutting his teeth as a news photographer at the pinnacle of the era, Michael Grecco developed a unique style of freezing moments in time. Through the lens of his camera Mr. Grecco saw his job as a storyteller with photos. This included capturing the subjects of his photos in the spaces that they inhabited. Over the decades he has mastered this technique which has become known as environmental portraits.

The photo above captures a quiet moment with the iconic director Martin Scorsese. Here, Scorsese stands on a rooftop, his gaze over New York City, a place that’s as much a part of his story as his films. The city’s buildings rise around him, not just as a backdrop, but as silent witnesses to his remarkable journey in cinema.

The choice of environment becomes an integral part of the story. Mr. Grecco uses the environment not to frame the subject but to harmonize, complement and tell stories with its inclusion. His earliest work as a photographer who documented the beginnings of punk afforded him a rich environment to tell stories through the spaces of his photography.

Artistically Technical

Michael Grecco has developed all the technical tools of a professional photojournalist and applied them to creating artistically technical environmental portraits. The classic skills of a professional photographer are evident in the art of Micheal Grecco. Lighting, framing, and depth of field all contribute to the artistically aesthetic photos Mr. Grecco produces across an array of applications.

The above photo is from the advertising portfolio of Michael Grecco, on its own it is art. The subjects and environments harmonize and contrast to fill spaces with stories beyond background and framing. Michael Grecco applies his love of artistically technical environmental portraits to tell the stories in the spaces that he sees through the eye of his camera in every genre he undertakes.

In the ever-evolving world of photography, the one constant has been change, driven by leaps in photography and technology. From the days of the darkroom to the digital age, photography and technology has expanded the horizons of what’s possible in photography. Today, as we stand at the forefront of a new era marked by drones, AI, and mirrorless cameras, photographers like Michael Grecco are at the vanguard, embracing these changes to push the boundaries of their art.

Drones: A New Perspective

Drone photography has revolutionized the way we capture images, offering a bird’s-eye view that was once the sole purview of helicopter or plane photography. For Grecco, drones have opened up a new dimension in his work, allowing him to capture landscapes and cityscapes from mesmerizing angles. The ability to shoot from elevated vantage points has given his work a new depth, adding a layer of grandeur to his already impressive portfolio.

AI-Assisted Editing: The Future of Post-Production

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made its way into the photographer’s toolkit, offering tools that can significantly reduce editing time while enhancing creativity. AI-assisted software can now sort, tag, and even edit photographs based on learned preferences. Grecco leverages these tools to streamline his workflow, focusing more on the creative aspects of his work. The precision and efficiency offered by AI have enabled him to experiment more freely with his images in post-production.

The Rise of Mirrorless Cameras

The transition from DSLR to mirrorless cameras marks a significant shift in photography. These cameras are lighter, faster, and offer better video capabilities, making them ideal for photographers on the move. Grecco has embraced this technology, appreciating the compactness and versatility of mirrorless cameras. The reduced weight does not come at the expense of image quality – a crucial factor in professional photography.

Staying Ahead in a Digital World

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, staying relevant means staying adaptable. Grecco’s approach to embracing technological advancements is not about jumping on every new trend but about understanding how each innovation can enhance his artistic vision and storytelling. It’s about finding a balance between new tools and timeless techniques.

Technological advancements have not only changed the tools of the trade but also the way photographers approach their craft. In the hands of a master like Grecco, these tools become an extension of the artist’s vision, enabling him to explore new creative territories while maintaining the essence of his art.

In the realm of photography, understanding and leveraging the latest technological advancements goes hand in hand with mastering the art of composition. Techniques like the rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing are foundational skills that remain vital, no matter how advanced the equipment gets.

Are you looking to harness the latest in photography technology for your next project? Michael Grecco combines his mastery of traditional photographic techniques with a keen understanding of cutting-edge technology to deliver stunning, contemporary results. Whether it’s a high-end advertising campaign or a personal project, his expertise can help elevate your vision. Connect with Michael Grecco at (310) 452-4461 or info@grecco.com to explore how the latest photographic innovations can bring your creative ideas to life.

Photography, at its core, is more than just a mere click of the shutter – it’s a powerful storytelling tool. It’s about capturing moments that speak, breathe, and feel. A great photograph can tell a story, evoke emotions, and transport the viewer to another place and time. In the hands of a master like Michael Grecco, the camera becomes a storyteller, weaving narratives through light, shadow, and emotion.

The Language of Light and Shadow

One of the first tools in Grecco’s storytelling arsenal is his masterful use of light and shadow. Light shapes the mood of the image, subtly guiding the viewer’s eye to the heart of the story. Shadows, on the other hand, often add depth and mystery, compelling viewers to look deeper. Grecco’s skilled manipulation of these elements helps to set the tone of his narratives, whether it’s a dramatic, high-contrast scene or a softly lit, intimate moment.

Framing the Emotion

Composition and framing are pivotal in Grecco’s work. By thoughtfully composing each shot, he creates a frame that not only captures the subject but also encapsulates a whole spectrum of feelings. The use of leading lines, the rule of thirds, and strategic framing techniques are more than compositional choices; they are narrative decisions that enhance the emotional impact of his photographs.

The Authenticity of the Moment

Grecco’s approach to storytelling is also grounded in authenticity. Whether it’s a candid shot or a conceptual piece, he strives to capture the genuine essence of the subject. His images are not just about the physical appearance of the subjects but their inner stories, emotions, and truths. This authenticity makes his photographs not just visually striking but emotionally resonant.

From Vision to Reality

The journey from artistic vision to a compelling photograph is a delicate balance. Grecco’s work exemplifies how a photographer’s unique perspective can bring a narrative to life. He often collaborates closely with his subjects, understanding their stories, and then articulating these through his lens. This collaboration is key to creating images that are both true to the subject’s narrative and reflective of Grecco’s artistic vision.

Mastering the Art of Photographic Storytelling

For budding photographers, mastering the art of storytelling through photography is a journey of constant learning. It involves not only technical skill but also an understanding of the emotional language of images. By studying the works of masters like Grecco, photographers can learn how to use composition, light, and authenticity to tell compelling stories through their lenses.

In the realm of photography, the ability to weave a story through images is a powerful skill. If you’re looking to bring the narratives of your brand to life through photography, Michael Grecco has the expertise and artistic vision to transform your concepts into impactful images. His experience in capturing the essence of a story through his lens makes him an invaluable asset for any campaign. Connect with Michael Grecco at (310) 452-4461 or info@grecco.com to begin crafting visual stories that resonate and engage.

In the world of photography, light is more than just a necessity for exposure; it’s the brushstroke of an artist. Master photographers like Michael Grecco understand that light, when skillfully used, can transform a good photograph into a masterpiece. It’s about more than just illuminating the subject; it’s about setting the mood, creating depth, and sculpting the image.

1. Understanding the Quality of Light

Light comes in various forms – hard, soft, natural, or artificial. Grecco’s mastery lies in his understanding of light’s quality and how it interacts with the subject. Hard light creates strong shadows and contrast, often used to convey drama or intensity. Soft light, on the other hand, is diffused, reducing shadows and giving a more even tone, perfect for portraits where a more delicate touch is required.

2. The Color of Light

The color temperature of light can drastically alter the mood of a photograph. Grecco often plays with warm and cool tones to evoke different emotions. Warm light can create a feeling of comfort and intimacy, while cool light can convey bleakness or detachment. His precise control of color temperature helps in setting the tone of the photograph right from the outset.

3. Direction and Angle of Lighting

The direction from which light hits the subject can completely change the narrative of the image. Side lighting can emphasize texture and depth, while backlighting can create a silhouette, adding mystery or drama. Grecco’s adept use of lighting angles helps in highlighting the best features of his subjects or creating the required dramatic effect.

4. Light Shaping Tools

Grecco’s studio is a playground of light shaping tools like softboxes, reflectors, grids, and gobos. Each of these tools serves a purpose – from softening the light to creating patterns or directing the light to a specific area. His expertise in using these tools allows him to sculpt the light in a way that it becomes integral to the storytelling of the photograph.

5. The Dance of Shadows

Equally important in Grecco’s work is his understanding of shadows. Shadows can add depth, dimension, and drama. They can be as expressive as the light itself, and Grecco uses them to add layers to his narrative, often using shadows to subtly draw attention to or away from certain elements of the image.

In every photograph Michael Grecco takes, there is a deliberate consideration of how light and shadow play together. He crafts each image with the precision of a painter, understanding that the way light falls and shadows cast can make all the difference.

The art of using light is akin to the importance of composition in photography. Just as the rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing guide the viewer’s eye, lighting too directs the viewer to the heart of the image. It’s an essential skill for any photographer looking to elevate their craft.

Are you inspired to explore the dynamic world of lighting in photography? Whether you’re aiming to add depth to your portraits, drama to your landscapes, or a distinct mood to your commercial shoots, Michael Grecco has the expertise to guide you. With his deep understanding of lighting and composition, he can help you transform your visions into compelling images. Connect with Michael Grecco at (310) 452-4461 or info@grecco.com to begin your journey into the art of light in photography.

 

Portrait photography, an art form steeped in history, has continually evolved, reflecting the changing tapestry of society and the ever-advancing technology of the camera. From the rigid, stoic poses of early daguerreotypes to the dynamic, storytelling images of today, this genre has witnessed a remarkable transformation, adapting to cultural shifts and artistic trends.

The Classic Era: A Study in Formality

In its early days, portrait photography was an exercise in formality. Long exposure times required subjects to remain still for several minutes, often resulting in stiff, unsmiling portraits that were more a record of appearance than an expression of personality. The focus was on clarity and detail, with photographers often employing painted backdrops and elaborate costumes to convey status and elegance.

The Transition: Capturing the Candid

As technology progressed, so did the art of portrait photography. The introduction of faster film and more sensitive cameras allowed photographers to capture their subjects in more natural, relaxed poses. This shift marked the beginning of candid photography, where the emphasis moved from how people wanted to be seen to capturing them as they truly are.

Contemporary Portraiture: A Tapestry of Stories

Today, contemporary portrait photography is a rich tapestry of styles and approaches. It’s no longer just about capturing a likeness; it’s about telling a story, conveying an emotion, and revealing the essence of the subject. Contemporary portraits can be candid and raw, stylized and conceptual, or anything in between. Photographers like Michael Grecco have mastered this art, using their unique vision to create images that resonate with depth and authenticity.

Michael Grecco’s Vision: Blending Past and Present

In his approach to portrait photography, Michael Grecco seamlessly blends classic techniques with modern trends. His work is characterized by a deep understanding of lighting and composition, coupled with an intuitive sense of his subjects’ personalities. Whether he’s capturing a high-profile celebrity or creating a personal portrait, Grecco’s photos tell a story that goes beyond the surface, inviting viewers to connect with the subject on a deeper level.

Composition in Portrait Photography

In any era, the key to a compelling portrait has always been composition. Techniques like the rule of thirds, leading lines, and framing are not just artistic choices; they are tools to draw the viewer’s eye, to focus on the subject, and to convey a message or emotion. Masters of portrait photography leverage these techniques not only to create visually pleasing images but also to add layers of meaning and narrative to their work.

Whether you’re an aspiring photographer looking to hone your craft or a brand seeking a powerful visual story, the art of portrait photography offers endless possibilities. If you want to capture the essence of your subject with a contemporary twist, Michael Grecco is the photographer to call. With his expertise in blending the classic with the contemporary, he can bring your vision to life in a way that resonates with today’s audiences. Reach out to Michael Grecco at (310) 452-4461 or info@grecco.com and take the first step towards creating a portrait that’s not just seen, but felt.

 

The click of a shutter, the whirl of film advancing, and the magical anticipation of waiting for a photograph to develop—these were once integral elements of the photography experience. Today, however, the rapid digital revolution has drastically reshaped the realm of photography, ushering in a wave of transformative changes and propelling the art form into uncharted territories.

From its inception, photography was a delicate ballet of light and chemicals. The process of capturing and then developing images required a meticulous touch, knowledge, and often, patience. Then came the digital age, and with it, a seismic shift from the tangible to the virtual, from analog grain to digital pixel.

1. The Dawn of Immediate Gratification
Perhaps one of the most evident changes ushered in by digital photography is immediacy. Gone are the days of waiting for film rolls to be developed to see the results. Today’s photographers can instantly view, evaluate, and if necessary, retake shots on the spot. This speed has democratized photography, allowing more people to try, learn, and refine their skills in real-time.

2. Photojournalism: Capturing Moments in Real-Time
In the realm of photojournalism, the digital revolution has had profound implications. Journalists can now transmit images from remote locations in moments, bringing global events to viewers with unparalleled immediacy. This swiftness has, in many ways, made the world feel smaller, more connected, and more informed.

3. The Fashion Industry: From Runway to Real-Time
Fashion photography, too, has experienced a metamorphosis. Digital photography allows for quicker turnarounds, enabling images taken at fashion shows to be shared in real-time, directly influencing trends and consumer behaviors. Moreover, with the rise of photo editing software, the presentation of fashion has become more polished, curated, and occasionally, contentious.

4. Portrait Photography: The Age of Retouching
With digital tools at their fingertips, portrait photographers can not only correct imperfections but also create the “perfect” image, sometimes pushing the boundaries of authenticity. This power of retouching has reshaped societal perceptions of beauty and sparked dialogues about realism versus idealism in portraits.

5. Advertising: Tailoring the Narrative
Digital photography has allowed advertisers to be more versatile and reactive. Brands can now swiftly adjust campaigns, tailor images to specific audiences, and engage with consumers in a more personalized manner. The ability to modify and adapt images efficiently has revolutionized how products and services are marketed to the masses.

6. Storage and Sharing: The Digital Album
Physical photo albums, though nostalgic, are becoming relics of the past. Digital storage solutions like cloud platforms have made it easier to store, categorize, and share memories. Social media platforms, fueled by digital photography, have transformed the way we share and consume images daily.

While the digital revolution has undoubtedly brought myriad benefits, it’s also worth acknowledging the nostalgia and authenticity associated with analog. There’s an inherent charm in the grains of a film photograph, the weight of a camera, and the magic of a darkroom.

Yet, as we stand at this intersection of the past and future, one thing remains clear: the essence of photography, whether analog or digital, is the story it tells. And as technology continues to evolve, so too will the stories we capture and share.

Are you ready to embark on your own digital photography journey, or perhaps refine your existing skills in this ever-evolving landscape? Contact Michael Grecco today. As an award-winning commercial photographer with a deep appreciation for both analog and digital realms, Michael is poised to help you navigate the world of photography. Reach out at (310) 452-4461 or via email at info@grecco.com.

Photography, as an art form, has never been bound by the limitations of convention. Throughout history, each generation of photographers has left its own indelible mark, pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo. Among the myriad techniques they’ve introduced, one stands out for its sheer magic and mystique: Light Painting.

From its nascent days, light painting has evoked wonder. It’s not just about capturing light but orchestrating it, choreographing a ballet of photons dancing across a canvas of darkness. The result? A symphony of colors, shadows, and patterns, each telling a story more enchanting than the last.

In the modern era, we’ve seen artists like Chicago-based photographer Reuben Wu redefine the boundaries of light painting. While many think of drones merely as tools to capture aerial vistas, Wu utilizes them as brushes of illumination. Traveling to the far reaches of the planet, he employs drones not to shoot from the sky but to paint it with luminance. His landscapes, bathed in the ethereal glow from high-flying drones, tell tales of unknown places, reminiscent of scenes from a sci-fi movie, evoking feelings of wonder and the vastness of the universe. His work blends influences ranging from science fiction to 19th-century romantic painting. The Terminus project stands testament to his prowess and innovation. Capturing rapidly disappearing glaciers at an altitude of 17,000 ft in Peru, Wu not only documents the beauty of these icy titans but also captures their fleeting existence in our changing world. Reflecting on this project, Wu noted the dichotomy of his feelings, torn between the majestic scale of the glaciers and the somber reality of their decline.

But what stands paramount in the history of light painting is the groundbreaking tool: the Hosemaster. Pioneered by the legendary American photographer Aaron Jones, the Hosemaster wasn’t just a light painting generator; it was a wand of wonder. In Jones’ gifted hands, this device could manipulate, mold, and manifest light in ways previously deemed impossible. It’s no exaggeration to say that Aaron Jones, with his Hosemaster, reshaped the very paradigms of artistic photography.

Today, while technology has evolved and digital tools offer a myriad of options, the essence of light painting remains unchanged. It’s about the dance of light and darkness, the balance of brilliance and obscurity, the tale of shadow and luminescence. And at the heart of this tale, there’s always a nod to pioneers like Aaron Jones and Reuben Wu, for they showed the world the endless potential that lay in the interplay of light.

As we stand on the threshold of yet another artistic renaissance, there’s an invitation for every aspiring photographer to delve into this magical world. The journey of discovery, creativity, and innovation beckons. And remember, every masterpiece starts with a single beam of light.

Eager to cast your own luminescence in the world of photography? Let a seasoned professional guide your vision. Contact Michael Grecco today. With unparalleled expertise and an eye for the extraordinary, he’s your gateway to the enchanting universe of light painting. Reach out now at (310) 452-4461 or info@grecco.com and illuminate your photographic dreams.