E-Jay Zhang has always been captivated with urban (or street) photography, beginning as a young, curious child in Beijing and continuing as a young professional in Shanghai.
He always sought to capture the city and people in their collective form, and the rooftop became his preferred location. To photograph the entire city and illustrate its diverse aspect, he combed locations and strolled streets in search of and to study numerous things.
E-Jay Zhang discusses how using perspective, human subjects, and color can make a picture stand out whether it was taken with a professional camera or a smartphone with pro-level camera capabilities like the vivo X80 Pro in the most recent episode of the vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass.
In the most recent installment of the vivo Imaging Academy Masterclass, E-Jay Zhang discusses how using perspective, human elements, and colors can make a picture stand out, whether using a professional camera or a pro-level camera smartphone like the vivo X80 Pro.
Photography as a part of people’s lives
Travel has become a necessary part of people’s life, and as a result, most people now consider photography to be a necessary skill for capturing and sharing their thoughts and feelings. That is why, he believes, photography is so popular these days.
“The ancients recorded by painting and photographic equipment is a recording tool for modern people. Now, people only need a mobile phone to record what’s happening,” shares Zhang.
However, with so many photographers shooting now, both professional and hobbyist, the challenge is how to make your images stand out.
Light ‘em up
Zhang enjoys using contrasting colors and visuals to produce a unique mood. He places a great value on the source of light and its direction to highlight the details of the subject since he feels that light is the soul of a photo.
For location shooting, dawn and dusk are considered to be the best periods since the natural light is at its most delicate.
Although having good lighting greatly improves the quality of the picture, it could not always be possible due to several issues. You might choose to blend natural light with artificial light sources to deal with circumstances in low light, especially at night.
To get a good balance of cold-warm contrast, Zhang advocates exploring an image’s highlights, shadows, and exposure. This will give pictures more depth and texture.
In addition, the use of mobile photography benefits most people since it gives everyone the freedom and convenience to shoot whenever they want, wherever they are. Users may use a mobile phone’s various cameras, which provide a number of focal lengths and lenses, to take pictures from a variety of perspectives.
A professional-grade smartphone like the vivo X80 series makes it simpler to experiment with light and color since it has millions of pixels, which are enough for a photographer to take stunning photos.
Find where the action is
Zhang demonstrated how a smartphone can simply and with the utmost steadiness take pro-standard portraits while using the vivo X80 Pro in a street photoshoot. As they reflect actual living environments and enable more people to come to know these areas more thoroughly, he loves to capture city scenery, which includes both streets and people.
Zhang says that before choosing a location for a film, he always does his research on the site and observes the foot traffic in the area. While a human element provides photos intriguing narrative, Zhang believes it is equally crucial to reduce potential distractions and unnecessary elements in the photo.
He says it’s crucial to be aware of your surroundings and to not be frightened to wander. Remember that multiple views may be seamlessly merged together depending on perspective, whether the subjects are people or landscapes.
Using this method, photographers will be able to locate new perspectives to enhance the shot and better determine where to make light source adjustments.
It’s all a matter of perspective
It might be difficult to find interesting scenarios and come up with original shots, but it’s also true that occasionally simple setups can result in the most interesting photos. All you need to do is change your perspective or learn new ways to use light and other sources. And with continued practice, you will eventually improve.
Zhang reminds both professional and aspiring photographers that photography is a habit that has to be developed as he concludes his talk. He advises his students to take notes on everything they find interesting without holding back.
“Works are borne out of daily accumulation. This requires us not only to develop shooting habits but more importantly, to observe things we are used to from a different angle so that we can see the unusual in the ordinary, and discover more beauty that people ignore,” Zhang closes.
You may watch E-Jay Zhang’s vivo Imaging Masterclass on vivo’s official Facebook and YouTube pages. To stay up to current with vivo products, follow their official website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
