Now that I have had my pain killer pills re-balanced I can sit up and walk about without having to stay in bed just to get relief.   I intend to endeavour to publish some more photographic articles and insights that may be of interest to some of you. 

This is a form of therapy for me and helps me forget about the more serious issues of my present health.

The attached article is a follow up to the previous one put out recently referring to visual and haptic photographers.

It would be nice to hear from any of you with either enquires of how I am getting on, or even better still with some feedback comments on any of the photographic articles I have published so far.

– Sandy

PHOTOGRAPHY’S EFFECTS ON THE ARTS

Photography has brought about groundbreaking changes in the arts. It initially freed painters and writers from having to laboriously describe objects and happenings and allowed them to move from outer matching to inner matching. It turned art toward the inner processes of creative expression, which helped lead to the development of modern, abstract, pop, and conceptual art. The explosive growth of digital imaging has given photographers the same options as other artists to control space-time realities.

The rapid changes in photo-based image making make it extremely difficult to stay current.  In this avalanche of transformation, it can be comforting to cling to what we know, but this attitude can block one’s creative path. Investigative research is necessary in any field to keep it alive, growing, and well. Photographers should engage their curiosity, ask questions, and experiment by synthesising their varied modes of intelligence, for that is what leads to new representational knowledge.

As both a photographer and viewer of photographic images, it is important to know that there is no fixed way of perceiving a subject, only different ways that a subject can be experienced.  Concentrate on photographing your experience of what is mentally and emotionally important, what is actively in your mind, and what you care about during the process of picture-making. When looking at other photographs, especially ones that are unfamiliar or that you do not understand, attempt to envision the mental process that the photographer used to arrive at the final image. Regardless of approach, the visual photographers emphasise the “what” and the haptics the “how.” Learn to recognise these two different fundamental outlooks and appreciate their unique ways of seeing and knowing the world.

PUSHING YOUR BOUNDARIES

Digital photography offers a rapid sequence of rediscovery. New images can alter the way we look at past pictures and effect future directions. Feel open to use whatever methods are necessary to make your pictures work, whether it is pre-visualisation (knowing how you want the picture to look before making an exposure), post-visualisation, a preprocess idea, or an in-process discovery. When making images, you do not think with your eyes, so give yourself the freedom to question the acceptance of any working method. Digital imaging is really a study of how a camera and a sensor see, so think of each step of the process as a time for exploration, not a situation to display your rote-memory abilities. Take some chances, don’t be afraid to walk on the edge, and never allow others to set your limits. Something unexpected is not something wrong. If you don’t like the result, push the delete button. Enjoy the process of making photographs. Don’t turn it into a competition with yourself or others. There are major discoveries waiting to be made in digital imaging, so keep your definition of photography broad and wide, Listening to your genuine values and concerns places you on a course that allows your best capabilities to come forward and be seen. Do not get sidetracked by trendy art fashions, for they are not indicators of awareness, knowledge, or truth. They are simply a way of being “with it” for a moment. Keep in mind that talking about photography is not photography and words are not pictures. Keep your eyes on your destination, which is making pictures, and don’t mistake the appearance of a thing for its essence

Articles taken from the book “Light and Lens” (Photography in the Digital Age)
Copyright 2008.