Behind The Lens of Alex Mateiu

Integrating P H O T O G R A P H Y

Enhancing floral design visually, with Alex Mateiu, the photographer.

Committed to constantly developing new and exciting means of reaching out to the floral community, providing quality education, and also valuable experiences, EMC is focusing on using the best of today’s technology to build up a complex and integrated community.

People tend to forget that there was a time when photography was different, when equipment was so complicated and not user friendly that it took time, education and practice to be able to actually make a photo. Back then photographers had serious logistic challenges to face from the moment they very snapping the photo to the moment someone else actually saw it, while now, it's literally a question of seconds. There was this obvious set of skills and artistry that photographers had, before technology took over, that set them apart from the rest of the crowd.

Unsurprisingly so, because they are creatives by nature, photographers adapted too and integrated new sets of skills and new learnings to develop the art of photography to what we see today.

Photography or taking photos?

We take photography for granted nowadays. Everybody owns a phone with a camera, adds some filters and adjustments, if any, and they took a photo, right? Technological advances have made it possible for us to consider taking a photo such a simple thing to do. You just push a button, right?Then why don't all the picture look as good as others? Because certain people who push that button have the knowledge and the wisdom to use perspective, ambient, composition, colour and integrate them with the technological abilities of different devices. And, they add artistic touch and personality, making all the decisions before pressing the button. They're called photographers. 

Photography is an art and a science. Reflectively, the process is more than just capturing images. Instead, balancing, coloration, proportionality, and introduction of effects determine the quality of an outcome. To produce a masterpiece, experience, and understanding of the camera is necessary.

So what can we learn from them? How can we, as floral designers, take this so overwhelmingly present medium in our daily lives and with a conscious creative mind, integrate photography into our passion and business to best showcase our work? After all, flower are all about emotions and one does not want to loose that emotion when the design becomes a picture, a frame. 

The impermanence of our medium makes photography such an important tool to capture the design at its best or at different stages. It provides a stillness of a moment that almost resembles that gasp customers usually have when they first see a floral design they really love.

Before approaching photography as floral designers, let's see how a professional sees our work not only through the lens of the camera, but through experience and use of elements of design.

"Many people today believe that their phone is good enough for most photography, and they have no need to buy a separate camera. And you know what? They’re not wrong. For most people out there, a dedicated camera is overkill. Phones are better than dedicated cameras for most people’s needs. They’re quicker and easier to use, not to mention their seamless integration with social media. It only makes sense to get a dedicated camera if your phone isn’t good enough for the photos you want (like photographing sports or low-light environments) or if you’re specifically interested in photography as a hobby.

That advice may sound crazy coming from a photographer, but it’s true. If you have any camera at all, especially a cell phone camera, you have what you need for photography. And if you have a more advanced camera, like a DSLR or mirrorless camera, what more is there to say? Your tools are up to the challenge. All that’s left is to learn how to use them." Alex Mateiu

Follow Alex Mateiu's session of the EMC Go Live Event 2021 to get insight into how you can adapt your creative skills and use photography as a form of expression, not just a mere picture of flowers. As designers, we work with elements and principles as well as botanicals and textures. Practicing and experimenting with photography is an amazing opportunity to also learn how your design connects with light, surrounding, how colours plays visually and how, ultimately, the lens of the camera become an outside observer for you. 

Get inspired!

As we enter into a new age in our floral industry, we realise what lies ahead is full of possibility! At EMC, we always want to encourage conscious creativity and bring those we influence and those that influence us to new heights of awareness.What if you could have control over your circumstances? In order to truly gain ownership over your success and legacy, you must explore and stretch yourself. We live in a new world...what we used to do just doesn't work any more.