Wrong Is The New Right

The best part of photography is also the most frustrating. Photography is rooted in art as well as technology, which means the equipment changes as well as what is popular, acceptable and ultimately considered beautiful. Years ago when I actually learned/studied photography, it was wrong to shoot into the sun, resulting in sun flare, improper exposure and a very low-contrast image. You would make up for this by under-exposing and then adding fill-light to light the subject. This was pretty much the standard for years. Now the popular look is this. Shooting into the sun. Sun flares. Blown-out backgrounds. I’m not sure if the intention is to convey warmth, or the candid feel of a complete amateur taking photos. But what was a faux paux years ago is now the new standard, at least for the up and coming generation. And with a flood of young photographers coming up through the ranks using this style, Wrong is the new Right. Just like with cool jargon. It becomes a word if enough people use it. What it comes down to is this: If the client likes it, then it’s correct. So from now on, I’m throwing away my strobes and filters and shooting everything directly into the sun. My website will reflect photos with subjects heads cut off, intentional over-exposure, and yes TILTING.