Found in Translation: En plein air

Nothing beats engaging in an artistic activity than spending the time outdoors. Nature is the number one muse of your favorite painters and artists, whether they're from classic, renaissance to modern eras. That's because the beauty of the earth always changes. No two landscapes will ever be the same.

As a Lomographer, we encourage you to engage in en plein air photography.

En plein air is the French term for the act of painting outdoors which highly contrasts the act of staying in the studio or atelier. Artists have long been painting outdoors but it wasn't until the 19th century when Impressionists took the importance of how colors look like under natural light. The concept is to avoid the 'predetermined look' in your images.

The best way to approach outdoor photography is as if you're painting en plein air.

So, pick up that camera now, head off to the nearest park and channel the inner Monet in you. If you notice, they always painted landscapes rich of flora and greenery, or if you're feeling mellow, go for seascapes and horizons to diversify their color palette. The Impressionists would bring a white umbrella to diffuse light when their brushlands on the canvas. As a fine art photographer, bring a versatile emulsion, ideally with 400 ISO like the Lomography Color Negative to capture enough natural light.

2018-06-06 #culture #found-in-translation #en-plein-air