What the True Meaning of the Photography – Platon Antonio on Photography

I haven’t really had a deep understanding about photography until I watched a documentary film about Platon Antonio’s photography. Platon is a 21st-century photographer who has taken portraits of many presidents and well known world figures, as well as some ordinary  people. His photographies are unique, striking and provocative. They let you think. They let you imagine. They tell you a story. They touch your feeling. If a picture worth a thousand words, his photography is worth ten thousand words.

In the documentary film, Platon talks about his views on photography. His work shows his reflections like no others. Following are some of his quotes from the film:

1. The camera is nothing more than a tool. Communication, simplicity, shape on the page, what is important is the story, the message, the feeling, the connection. How do you make this reach people. It’s a combination of graphic simplicity and the power of spirit and soul. It’s design.
2. Portrait is about lighting, its about the person’s eyes, its about get person’s soul.
3. I grew up with this sort of black and white aesthetic in my head. It was so bold I spent most of my adult life in the dark with a small read light on, trying to find that visual language. If it’s necessary, it’s in there. If it’s not necessary, it’s not there. So strip it down, simplify it. Just go for the core.
4. Photography should be “simple, bold and clear”.
5. If I can tap into someone’s spirit, its the same feeling as when you walk into Frank Lloyd Wright room. It opens you up. It does something. And that’s either a feeling of complete menace or fear, or feeling of inspiration and hope, but it does do something to you as a person.
6. All my heroes are people who teach me about pushing buttons and push myself to a point where I can make you feel something.
7. Great design simplifies a very complicated world.
8. I don’t believe you should ever allow your tools to dominate the message. Great design is when all those things take a backseat and you get the message.

You can visit his Instagram page for more his photography. www.platonphoto.com