In my column, ‘What is a good photograph?’ from September of 2010, I wrote, “a good photograph is one that makes us have a connection with, or think about, the subject…it could help us understand what the photographer feels about that subject; and can, if successful, evoke some kind of mood, whether good or bad.”
I recently began thinking not about the question of “what a good photograph is”, but “what photography is”, and by this, I don’t mean the nuts and bolts technology – I mean what photographers might say when asked what photography is to them.
Famous scenic photographer Ansel Adams said, “Photography, as a medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution.”
I like that statement. Simply put it is all about making a picture of something and visually explaining that to others. The creative medium of photography is much different than other artistic endeavours.
The American photographic art promoter Edward Steichen said, “Every other artist begins with a blank canvas, a piece of paper… the photographer begins with the finished product.” (For reader’s information, Steichen was married to the famous southwestern painter Georgia O’Keefe.) I think he believed creative art as something attained because of the artist, not the medium.
Back to my thought, “what is photography?” Well, internationally known photographer, Elliott Erwitt wrote, “To me, photography is an art of observance. It’s about something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”
I am always interested in talking to photographers about what they were trying to do when they took a picture. Any two photographers in the same location will provide two very different interpretations, so I suppose it depends on what each individual sees.
Sometimes we look at a photographer’s work and realize there is more to the image than just what we saw at first glance. It is as if the photographer is challenging us to catch a glimpse of something deeper in meaning.
Speaking to that, controversial photographer Diane Arbus exclaims, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”
That is certainly my impression of some photographs I look at. The photographer might just say “Oh, I just saw it and pushed the shutter”, but if pressed and made to feel comfortable with any answer I usually get a lot more about what he or she was feeling when they “saw it and pushed the shutter”.
Another great quote by the innovative Duane Michals is, “Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.”
I thought about those words recently as I looked at some wonderful photographs of Kamloops Lake. At first view the photographs showed low angled light hitting bluffs and part of a rocky beach. Then I put the photo down and stepped back and it became a wonderful tonal textured story that to me was more than just a simple picture of a lake scene.
Photography has become more popular than ever before, and the ease with which modern technology makes holding a camera, releasing the shutter, and making a sharp, colourful picture is also easier than ever before. I look forward to every new aspect of this exciting medium that develops, and I enjoy getting into these types of philosophical moods regularly. I like all things photographic and enjoy the opportunity to discuss photographers, photographs, and what photography as a medium is to photographers.
I will end with one final quote by Ansel Adams who says, “My last word is that it all depends on what you visualize.”
These are my thoughts this week. Contact me at www.enmanscamera.com or emcam@telus.net. Stop by Enman’s Camera at 423 Tranquille Road in Kamloops. And if you want an experienced photographer please call me. I also sell an interesting selection of used photographic equipment.
