The Light in the Urban

May 29, 2017

Many people tend to mistake painting for photography and vice versa, but there is a clear distinction between the two, even if they serve a similar purpose.

Painting is based around color technique while photography is based on light. Painting has a longer timeframe of development, where the painter can let their imagination run and get inspired. Photography is less planned, much more spontaneous and instantaneous. In paintings, we exteriorize our feelings, but in photographs we capture moments, expressions, and emotions.

The word 'photography' derives itself from the Greek 'photos' (light) and 'graphos' (writing). Its origins go as far back as 1816, when the Frenchman Nicephore Niépce gave birth to the first negative in history; the process consisted of capturing an image over a flat surface (sheets of paper emulsified with silver). By 1839, the French painter Louis Daguerre improved upon Niépce's discovery by replacing silver with copper and opened the proverbial door for the daguerreotype.

There are many types of photography: from landscape photography, to portraits—here we will focus and expand on urban photography.

What is Urban Photography?

When we are asked what we think urban photography is, I imagine that what first comes to our minds is the image of a street with heavy traffic. This can be a main characteristic of these type of pictures, but an urban image can comprise many different themes, and can be captured and reflected at any moment. Its purpose is to show us our day to day; the spaces, the streets, the textures, and the murals that make a city what it is.

In which aspects do the true magic of these photos lie? On its genuine, improvised content, supremely charged with color and a variety of situations. A street dog, a vendor, a regular person walking around, a car crash, a group of friends drinking beer, a traffic light, a traffic jam, a street brawl. In short, urban photography showcases the heart of a city.

This kind of photography ranks high in the index of spontaneity on the part of its protagonists and that is what makes it so attractive. Plus, it can be understood by everyone, it doesn't matter their level of expertise.

At Imago Consult, image consultants, we strive to always be at the vanguard. We are lovers of fortuitous situations and emotions, and we are always keen on capturing what happens all around us.

As the great chanteuse Dalida used to say, "In time, everything goes away." But it is thanks to photography that we can challenge the passing of time and keep all those important moments alive.

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