First of all, one of the advantages of long-term symbolic photography is the ability to show how things change and develop. By observing and documenting over long periods of time, photographers can capture subtle changes in things, thus showing the passage of time and the growth of things. This method can make the audience feel the changes of things more intuitively, which enhances the fun and educational value of viewing. For example, a photographer has been recording the growth process of a tree for a long time, and the audience can see the growth trajectory of the tree through these ** and feel the magic and beauty of nature. For example, I have been photographing the spring, summer, autumn and winter of street sanitation workers for a long time, showing the hard work and hardships of urban beauticians, and showing their respectable side.
Secondly, long-term symbolic photography can also help people better protect the environment and historical sites. By recording the changes in things, people can have a clearer understanding of the changes in the environment and historical sites, so that more attention can be paid to environmental protection and cultural relics protection. For example, a photographer who records environmental changes in a certain area for a long time can make people more intuitive about the extent of environmental pollution and damage, thus promoting environmental awareness.
However, there are some drawbacks to long-term symbolic photography. First of all, long-term commitment to photography on the same subject can lead to creative bottlenecks for photographers. Long-term observation and recording may cause aesthetic fatigue to the photographer, leading to monotony and boring creation. Secondly, long-term symbolic photography also requires a lot of time and effort from photographers, which can be a challenge for some photographers. Long-term observation and documentation requires patience and perseverance on the part of photographers, which can be a test for some photographers. For example, my long-term insistence on street documentary photography is a huge challenge for me, one is mental quality, one is physical fitness, one is time arrangement, and the other is post-darkroom, there are certain challenges everywhere, testing my endurance and perseverance. It is necessary to endure not only the heat and cold, but also the rolling of eyes and invective, and so on.
Overall, long-term symbolic photography has both advantages and disadvantages. Through long-term observation and documentation, photographers can show the changes and developments of things, enhance the fun and educational value of viewing, and help people better protect the environment and historical sites. However, long-term symbolic photography can also lead to creative bottlenecks and a lot of time and effort for photographers. Therefore, when conducting long-term symbolic photography, photographers need to weigh the pros and cons, maintain patience and perseverance, and constantly improve their creative level to better show the changes and development of things.
Author: Song Weitao, pen name Liquan, a native of Lintong, Shaanxi, a member of the Chinese Photographers Association, a deputy chief representative of Weinan City, Shaanxi, a member of the China Press Photography Society, a member of the China Financial Photographers Association, a vice chairman of the Weinan Photographers Association of Shaanxi Province, a contracted photographer of Xipa** Society, a contracted photographer of IC Photo, and a contracted photographer of Visual China. His photographic works and articles have been published in China Photography News, China Photography Magazine, People's Photography News, China Financial Labor Movement, China Urban and Rural Finance News, Camera Magazine, Weinan ** Huashang Daily and other newspapers and magazines, and have been exhibited in China Pingyao International Photography Exhibition, Xi'an Silk Road Image Expo, etc. He is the author of "Lightroom CC Introduction and Application Skills", which works for Agricultural Bank of China Weinan Branch. His representative works include "Cangjie Temple", "Yellow River Stone Gate", "Livelihood", "New Era of Mobile Payment" and so on.