The Establishing Shot :: Why Its Important

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The concept of an "establishing shot" is borrowed from film making. The establishing shot is the first shot of a film or scene that does 2 things. It establishes location and tells the viewer where the scene is taking place and secondly it sets the tone and mood of the scene.

In still photography, we see this same technique used in the photo essays by W Eugene Smith in the mid 20th century. He used the idea of the establishing shot to set the mood of the story and give context for the following photographs in the essay.

How can we use this in the work that we do. I ask you to think of the mediums we have at our disposal today and use techniques like this one to create a stronger narrative to the work that we do.

The W Eugene Smith book I use for reference: https://amzn.to/2XWKCYB

Check out my other videos:
• The World of W Eugene Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bIudVlWo4U
• Why You Should Be Using Lightroom Mobile https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNoNlJKcSNU
• THIS was unexpected! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuNnXUUSj_c
• Switching to an iPad Pro for Photo and Video Editing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fRJXJCEIyw
• Panasonic S1/S1R - Camera of the Year? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3jv_6Ahyb8

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Ted Forbes
The Art of Photography
2830 S. Hulen, Studio 133
Fort Worth, TX 76109
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