photography is meditation
the other day at a's place, she showed me a book called intelligence beyond thought which had a chapter dedicated to photography, describing it as a meditative act. that fueled further thought, and then we discussed in class today how different photographers like to focus on different kinds of photo-taking.
it's interesting to think about different kinds of photos, and what they require of the photographer. for instance, when it comes to landscapes, one must have a feel for the 'big picture' - the angles, the lines, the large shapes, where the horizon fits, etc. and then with portraits, one tries to bring the best out in the subject - not necessarily a smile, but the right framing, the tilt, the look in the eyes, the skin tone, etc. the focus is entirely different. and then there are macro shots, such as those of flowers, where one attempts to bring out the color and texture, again the frame is important. for the documenter who needs to record a process, it is the content that's uber-important and everything else takes second place.
are not all these so very different? meditative at the same time though, for one may lose oneself entirely in that 2:3 frame.
it's interesting to think about different kinds of photos, and what they require of the photographer. for instance, when it comes to landscapes, one must have a feel for the 'big picture' - the angles, the lines, the large shapes, where the horizon fits, etc. and then with portraits, one tries to bring the best out in the subject - not necessarily a smile, but the right framing, the tilt, the look in the eyes, the skin tone, etc. the focus is entirely different. and then there are macro shots, such as those of flowers, where one attempts to bring out the color and texture, again the frame is important. for the documenter who needs to record a process, it is the content that's uber-important and everything else takes second place.
are not all these so very different? meditative at the same time though, for one may lose oneself entirely in that 2:3 frame.
2 comments:
"Perception and Reality" Photography Exhibit
Tuesday, February 24
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Serra House
589 Capistrano Way, Stanford University
Free and open to all. No registration required.
Elizabeth Williams, former Stanford development officer for the Clayman Institute, presents photography examining the dynamics of human perception, and invites viewers to initiate their own interpretation from the images. The exhibit will be available for viewing until April 15.
For more details, contact Heather Green at featherbop@gmail.com.
>> Learn more about this exhibit
thank you, amritha! i will try to make it, even if the time is awfully inconvenient as things stand :).
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