Scrolling through the blog of one my favorite local photographers (&person) she had posted this photo.
When I look at this photograph I often wish I had the opportunity to take this photo.I do not know how this particular photo was taken. I can’t even venture a guess, at least not a good one...yet. It has me thinking….maddening yet wonderful thought about how I can do this.
I am not looking to plagiarize Joanne's work but I desperately want to be a chameleon to it…
Joanne's photo paired with my recent workshops, photo walks, conversations and e-mail discussions has me thinking about what is a complete photograph?
For me the least important thing to a great photos is the snap of the shutter; I am most interested in what happens before capture.
Composition, environment, emotions & inspiration…
The things that I do not care to know: Type of camera, camera setting, what lens, software, and post-production work was done.
If I can make an artistic guess it would be that this photo was completed in Joanne’s mind's eye long before it was captured in camera.
This photo brings me back full circle to a question that I asked on Facebook last week: What is the “Right” problem to fix in photo-education?
Thank you to all who answered. Your responses were remarkable, appreciated and the foundation for this article.
The feedback I gained can be listed in three categories/problems that need to be addressed.
Ethics, Ego & Stuff
A photograph is none of these things. A photograph begins with a thought.
A photograph is not: an obsession with equipment, an ability to purchase gear, it is not biz skills nor people skills, it is not using auto-canned-modes on your camera, hell it's not even about being able to shoot in Manual mode. (Manual mode is super important…. it’s your foundation)
I would ask photographers to think about their craft as:
Art, Morals and Truth
Tackling the right problem, that is struggle. Expanding your range of options rather than narrowing your perspective. A photograph is about YOU, not buying into someone else’s techniques or tips. It is about you developing and eye and situational problem skills.
Joanne's photograph has me thinking about how to weave patterns to discover interesting stories. And to question the purpose of how it was imagined. And doing all this while removing boundaries of what my conception of visual art is.
For a good two weeks I have been thinking about this photo and never once have I picked up my camera to try to replicate it. I can honestly tell you that I am a better photographer today than I was two weeks due to this process.
Slow Photography Movement…what is it????
It a philosophy about photography on how to transform and include yesterday's foundation of photography with the technologies that photography has to offer today. It is about the all-encompassing topics of art, morals and truth.
This is the start of a conversation; join in…more to come on this topic.
Let’s discuss….
