~ Article by Danie Bester

Today, I am featuring a video by National Geographic about the book “Simply Beautiful Photographs”. I’ve personally bought the book a few years ago and it is available for reading and viewing at the DPC Campus and Studio. It contains high-impact photographs by National Geographic photographers. The book is a “must-have” for anyone who is interested in travel photography, or simply beautiful photographs (pun intended).

In the video, Annie Griffiths, the author of the book, explains that the elements that make a photograph beautiful are a combination of the classic elements of Light, Composition, and Moment. Other important elements she says, are Colour, Time, and Wonder. She also says that anyone, who is interested in photography can become more visual literate by paying more attention to it, keep on learning about it, and look at other people’s photographs. The video also contains narratives of behind the scene moments by various National Geographic Photographers, like David Doubilet, Jodi Cobb, Michael Melford, Sisse Brimberg, and Jim Blair.

I’ve always been an advocate of learning from others and cannot reiterate how important it is to “train your eye” to the point where composition comes natural to you. Paging through the book, and looking at the images in the video should certainly inspire us all to become better photographers…