Thoughts on Photography
Mark van Vuuren
“One should really use the
camera as though tomorrow you’d be stricken blind.” - Dorothea Lange
Introduction
This essay on photography is aimed at the curious novice. Are there
any rules in photography, or is there only one rule, i.e. There are no rules?
I prefer the latter option, but feel a guide to photo composition is still
necessary. When I say photo I mean image, be it on photographic paper, on your
computer monitor, on your PDA device, etc. In this essay various aspects of
photography are covered: money, a brief history, benefits, composition, styles,
techniques, philosophy and influence.
“You cannot depend on your
eyes if your imagination is out of focus.” - Mark Twain
Money
Let’s cut to the chase! There is money in photography. A fashion
magazine, a travel book, newspapers, adult entertainment: these all rely on
photos. The following photos realised $1 million or more at auction:
Andreas Gursky Rhein II
Jeff Wall Dead troops talk
Edward Steichen The
pond - moonlight
Cindy Sherman Untitled #96
Dmitry Medvedev Tobolsk Kremlin
Alfred Stieglitz Georgia
O’Keeffe
Richard Avedon Dovima with elephants
“A photograph can be an
instant of life captured for eternity that will never cease looking back at
you.” - Brigitte Bardot
A brief history of photography
1826 - The earliest surviving camera photograph, View from the window at Le Gras, taken
by Nicéphore Niépce
1838 - Generally accepted as the earliest photograph of people, Boulevard du Temple taken by Louis Daguerre
1839 - The coining of the word Photography
has been attributed in 1839 to Sir John Herschel based on the Greek word phos (light) and graphê meaning drawing/ writing
1851 - The first gold medal ever awarded for a portrait photograph,
to Count Sergei Lvovich Levitsky
1861 - The first durable color photograph was taken by Thomas
Sutton
1888 - First Kodak camera, containing a 20-foot
roll of paper, enough for 100 2.5-inch diameter circular pictures
1900 - Kodak introduces their first Brownie, a very inexpensive
user-reloadable point-and-shoot box camera
1921 - Man Ray
begins making photograms ("rayographs") by placing objects on
photographic paper and exposing the shadow cast by a distant light bulb
1925 – The Leica introduces the 35 mm format to still photography
1936 - Kodachrome film for colour slides was invented
1947 – Dennis Gabor invents holography
1948 – Edwin H. Land introduces the first Polaroid instant camera
1959 – AGFA introduces the first fully automatic camera, the Optima
1976 - First solo show of color photographs at the
Museum of Modern Art, William Eggleston's Guide
1986 - Kodak scientists develop the world's first megapixel digital
sensor
2000 - Camera phone introduced in Japan by
Sharp/J-Phone
2001 - Polaroid goes bankrupt
“A picture is a secret about
a secret, the more it tells you the less you know.” -
Diane Arbus
Benefits of photography
1. You can see evidence of things which
extends beyond daily events and normal sight, e.g. endoscopy results,
gravitational lens, paranormal evidence, CAT scans, etc.
2. You can examine at your leisure the
captured image, e.g. the good time you had in Vegas.
3. Pictures in your home, pictures in
magazines, brochures, newspapers, etc.
4. It’s cheap enough so you can take the photo
and not have to hire a photographer.
“Look and think before
opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.” -
Yousuf Karsh
Composition
Let’s agree that, at base, a photo conveys visual information, or
conveys a visual image that stirs the emotions, e.g. this is the photo of a tree,
and this is a photo of my daughter, aged 3. Let’s also accept there are two
parties to a photo: The Photographer who takes a photo, with the intent it will
be viewed by the Viewer.
From the photographer’s perspective
The photographer aims to take a photo for a viewer to interpret,
reconciling the event with the picture. Thus, he aims to
· Determine what the subject is
· Determine who the viewer is
· Find a focal point
· Create an image which will be sold
From the viewer’s perspective
The photo represents visual information, or conveys a visual image
that stirs the emotions, and the viewer is prepared to pay to have ownership of
the image.
Tricks & techniques
The photographer has tricks & techniques to create a better photo.
Given 1000 people looking through the same batch of 100 photos and
instructed to choose which best define X event or Y mood, similarities will
come forward. These similarities can be collated and used a guide. Examples
are:
1. A focal point. It’s the point of interest
upon which the viewer places his focus.
2. Fill the frame with the subject. You take a portrait photo of your granny, she’s
in the tiny bottom left-hand corner of a panoramic pic of Chicago – NOT.
3. Perspective. Is it a block of ice or a glacier? Include something in the picture
to show comparative size or distance, such as a person, a vehicle, a coin, etc.
4. Rule of Thirds. There are two approaches to
Rule of Thirds.
· First, suppose you’re taking a picture of a
landscape, divide the picture frame into horizontal thirds, place the horizon
on the lower third or the upper third. If you’re taking picture of high-rise
buildings, divide the picture into vertical thirds and separate buildings on
the third divider.
· Second, if you divide a photo frame into
horizontal and vertical thirds, you’ll have 4 intersection points. These are
called Points of Interest. Put the action/focal point on these intersection
points.
5. Viewing starts bottom left and moves to the
centre of the picture; perhaps this is because we read left to right. Given a
photo of a pathway leading to a house, let the pathway start bottom left.
6. When photographing people/animals – focus
on the eyes.
7. Create a sense of depth, i.e. find things
in the image to separate near, middle, and far.
8. The image contains the activity that
defines the person or the event: My little brother on his birthday – show the
birthday cake and festivities, i.e. let the picture say, “Here’s my little brother on his birthday.” E.g. Victorious soldiers
putting up the nation’s flag after hard battle, let the photo say the same. http://tiny.cc/4gcr4w
The 4 intersecting points are called Points
of Interest.
“All photographs are memento
mori. To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s)
mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and
freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.” - Susan Sontag
Photographic styles
There are many styles of photography, e.g.
Style Photographers
· Aerial photography Herman Potgieter
· Architectural photography Bas Princen, Fernando Guerra
· Astrophotography Berkowski, Rogelio Bernal Andreo
· Aura photography Nicola Tesla
· Children & pets Elliot Erwitt
· Commercial photography Howard Ruby
· Documentary photography Dorothea Lange
· Endoscopy Joseph Kahn
· Environmental Yann Arthus-Bertrand
· Fashion photography Helmut Newton, Annie Liebowitz
· Fine arts Alfred
Stieglitz, Man Ray
· Forensic photography Alphonse
Bertillon, Arthur Fellig
· Kirlian photography Semyon Kirlian
· Landscapes Ansel
Adams, Walter Knirr
· Lomography Tony
Lim, Allen Detrich
· Macro Thomas
Shahan, Lester Lefkowitz
· Minimalism Andreas
Gursky, Hiroshi Sugimoto
· Nudes Helmut
Newton, Edward Weston
· Oddities Diane
Arbus
· Paparazzi photography Ron Galella, Rino
Barillari
· Photojournalism Henri Cartier-Bresson, Steve
McCurry
· Photomicroscopy Roman Vishniac
· Portraits Yousuf
Karsh, Julia Margaret Cameron
· Street photography Peter Kool, Sha Ribeiro
· Underwater photography David Doubilet, Richard
Carey
· Wedding photography Lord Snowdon,
Patrick
Lichfield
· War photography Joe Rosenthal, Robert Capa
· Wildlife photography Andy Rouse, Chris Johns
“What I like about
photographs is that they capture a moment that’s gone forever, impossible to
reproduce.” - Karl Lagerfeld
Techniques
Assuming you have a style of interest within photography, there are
many techniques available to create a certain visual effect, e.g.
· Holography – a method of producing a 3
dimensional image of an object. http://tiny.cc/dkxo4w
· Time lapse – like a film, photos are
captured every X period and merged. http://tiny.cc/jhxo4w
· HDR (High Dynamic
Range) – a means to
create a greater dynamic range of colours and contrasts. http://tiny.cc/sfxo4w
· Ultraviolet – images recorded only from the
UV light spectrum. http://tiny.cc/ydxo4w
· Infrared – Infrared light waves from an
image are captured. http://tiny.cc/6bxo4w
“I believe in equality for
everyone, except reporters and photographers.” -
Mahatma Gandhi
Questions, questions
Every photographer has asked themselves questions about equipment
or technique, here are some:
· Does photography have rules? versus Does photography have no rules?
· Does a photo need an explanation? versus Should a photo never be explained?
· Digital or
Film?
· 35mm or
Large Format?
· Colour or
Black & White?
· Nikon or
Canon?
· Hasselblad or Mamiya?
· Zoom lens or fixed lens?
· Autofocus or Manual focus?
· Jpeg or
RAW?
· Overexpose or underexpose?
· Are all interpretations of this image the
same? versus Are any interpretation
of any image ever the same?
· Should the photo remain unchanged after it
is taken? versus Is the real photo
created with software after it is taken?
· Is there a philosophy of photography? or Is there a psychology of photography?
“If your pictures aren’t good
enough, you’re not close enough.” - Robert Capa
Exercises
1. Using colour, compile the letters of the
alphabet from articles in your surroundings, e.g. part of the door frame looks
like an upside-down letter L.
2. Do the same exercise, but using Black &
White. With colour removed this becomes a play on greys & shadows.
3. Take photos of your surroundings at
different times of the day, note the brightness, contrast and shadows. Identify
the best time to take your best picture: the first and last 60 minutes of the
day presents the best light for photos, known as the Golden Hour.
4. Compile a list of 10 shapes, then attempt
to find and photograph these shapes in your surroundings.
5. Take a photo of an inanimate object that is
very dear to you. Print it, frame it, look at it for a week or more. Ask the
question ‘Does this image represent the
feeling I have for the item or the memories attached to the item?’ Take
another photo, print it, reflect on it. This process can take a long time.
6. Do the same but for someone special in your
life. These two exercises highlight the importance of taking a photo that is meaningful to you.
“You don't take a photograph,
you make it.” - Ansel Adams
Tricks of the trade
Every photographer has some trick to get a better picture. Here is
one I use regarding portraits. Portraits can be disastrous (http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/)
so here’s the trick: tell a joke. The subject’s face goes through 5 stages
-
Listening
with anticipation
-
Catching
the joke
-
Laughing
-
Recomposing
-
Back to
wide-eyes and a forced smile, waiting for you to take the damn picture
My preferred stage to capture a facial expression that represents
character is Recomposing.
“The painter constructs, the
photographer discloses.” - Susan Sontag
Philosophy of Photography
Is there a Philosophy of Photography?
Earlier mention was made of the person taking the photograph and
the person viewing the photo. Let’s expand this to 5 concepts:
· The item being photographed
· The camera that records
· The photographer
· The created image
· The viewer
The simple process: A flower is photographed by the photographer
and this image is shown to a viewer. The photo is not manipulated by software
after the taking, i.e. the photo reflects the item, e.g. a plant.
Given the above process, is
there a philosophy of photography?
(i.e. The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence,
esp. when considered as an academic discipline.)
First question
Was there an existing philosophy of photography when the Niépce
took the first photo in 1826? Research indicates not.
Second question
What is a photo?
1. An image caused by light falling onto a photosensitive surface, such
as photographic paper, or CCD (charge-coupled device) chip.
2. The image is created at the same time
the photographed item exists. E.g. this is my child when she was 3, and thus it
was taken when she was 3.
3. It is regarded as visual evidence.
4. The process of photography is generally
consistent: light enters a lens, passes through a shutter, reacts to a photosensitive
surface, and an image is created.
5. The process of photography is universal:
the same light anywhere in the world enters a lens, passes through a shutter,
etc.
6. A photo is not permanent in that
negatives atrophy, so do the images on the photo paper, as does the photo
paper, and digital images might corrupt subject to the material they’re stored
in.
7. A photo represents a singular event,
and is quite distinct from film. Here is a photo of a child with his hands in
his lap; here is a photo with his hands raised. These are separate events.
8. A photo is an image seen with our eyes,
presenting a pattern of shapes and colours that we attempt to place
through our experience.
9. The perception of a photo at the time it
was taken (e.g. this is a beautiful woman) is not universal nor remains
consistent.
Third question
Is there a Philosophy of Photography?
Argument 1
The light rays from the plant have been recorded onto photographic
paper. This visual representation is evidence of a plant which will mean
different things to different people depending on what type of plant it is,
e.g. poison ivy, marijuana, medicinal herb, etc.
The photo paper was blank, it now contains an image of a plant.
Let’s compare this to a piece of paper, which starts off blank, then contains
words and letters. The ideas behind the words and letters might contribute to
philosophy, or to zoology, but the paper is neutral; it’s merely the means to
convey a message. There is no philosophy of paper, nor of photo paper.
Argument 2
The writing on this piece of paper, made up of letters and words, conveys
ideas about Plato’s philosophy. These specific letters and words are not
regarded as a philosophy; it is the meaning they portray.
Similarly, a photo which alleges to represent Dadaism or Minimalism
is merely the chemicals on photographic
paper/ pixels manipulated to portray a visual meaning.
Argument 3
Assume the photo not to be of a plant but of a child. The viewer
has a perception of what the photo contains: it is his child. To a second viewer,
the photo is of a random child. To a third viewer the photo represents a
bourgeoisie child whose parents can afford a studio photo. As the child matures
one might have new insights into this photo.
There is not a universal perception to the photo, and no perceptions
are consistent nor permanent. This is not a contributing factor to a philosophy
of photography.
Argument 4
Two photos are taken of the child: in one he cries, in the other he
laughs. The photos are different, the perceptions are different; however, it is
the same child. The viewer prefers the laughing photo, and pays for that one
only. He associates the photo with happiness and success, but this is an issue
of psychology, not philosophy.
Argument 5
Philosophy is communicated through writing (and in the modern world
through video files and sound files). The reader of good writing appreciates
what the author says, and does not make too many assumptions about information
not provided. Not so with a photo, which is visual evidence, not containing the
intent of the item being photographed nor the intent behind the photographer’s
technique. The viewer sees and creates his own meaning of the picture. E.g. a
photographer has a backdrop painting of a stream, flowers and a winding path;
the client sits in front of this backdrop. The bigger picture shows the client
and backdrop to be in an outside studio in a post-1945 bombed German town. A
singular perception from a photo is not the same as a complete perception of
reality.
Philosophic concepts
Ontology (the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of
being) has relevance to a photo: Here I
am; here is a photo of me. Reality has been reproduced, argues Bazin[1].
The look of reality appears to be reproduced, counters another, but define “reality”.
Additionally, a photo does not have consciousness, nor does it convey the
essence of a person’s consciousness.
Epistemology (aka the
theory of knowledge, is concerned with the nature, scope and basis of
knowledge) has relevance: Here is a flower, here is a photo conveying the image
of the flower. Conversely, here is a photo, and thus it represents the article
described, like the Loch Ness Monster, and UFO sightings, and other tricks of
imaging software. Although a photo is a better quality of image than a painting
or a sketch to represent with competence an actual event, it is not the truth per se.
Truth comes into play in that the photo represents a real item. One
might say that of a photo taken of a vase, one of the properties is evidence of
reflected light; another property is of reflected light within the parameters
of a spectrum captured on film paper; another property is of time: the date of
the photo reflects when the photographic process occurred; and there is the
property of truth. Here is a vase, here is a photo of a vase, and the photo is
a bearer of truth. The vase corresponds to the photo, but in this modern world
of software manipulation, the photo does not correspond to the vase, or to the
Yeti or the Loch Ness Monster. Part-truths do exist: date, time of photo,
person was alive, this is my lover and I feel invigorated each time I see the
photo, etc.
Reality, what is the reality? Philosophically speaking the correct
phrase is Realism. This photo is of a
rose, I see it, I see the rose, and it is real. Common mistake. What one
sees is not a photo of a rose but the results of light reflected by something we generally refer to as a
rose, which in reality is a combination of, inter
alia, atoms, plant DNA, cells and an electric field. To the romantic reader
a rose means something beautiful, fragrant, and such a photo represents such an
emotion. The reality cannot be defined, although the perception by the viewer
can be. This dichotomy between what one sees and one’s emotional perception is
the reason this essay started by stating Let’s
agree that, at base, a photo conveys visual information, or conveys a visual
image that stirs the emotions.
Morality comes in play as well. A photo of something beautiful is a
joy to behold, but is this true for all such photos and viewers? I refer to nude
photography, perhaps even pornography. The model merely poses for a camera
without knowing who will look at this image or what their imagination will
construct; the photographer takes these photos meant for a specific market; the
publisher sells these pictures, and although generally regarded as amoral and
against public morals, these images sell. The buyer is entertained, some might
say influenced (influenced to prefer pornography to their wife’s beauty,
influenced to commit adultery, etc.). It is specifically on the issue of
influence that questions are raised: who is the agent of change? Is it the
model, the camera, the photographer or the publisher? Reread this paragraph, but
let the model be your 10 year old daughter.
Dialectic is a form of question-and-answer reasoning first used by
Plato, and I’ve presented three questions above in this form, which asks a
simple question and demands a simple answer.
One wonders how ontology, epistemology truth, reality in the context
of photography can combine to present a universal and consistent explanation.
Discussion
Philosophy is defined as the study
of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality,
existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.[2]
In attempting to answer the third question, 5 arguments have been
presented, as well a few concepts in philosophy. One photographic process is a
chemical reaction, but there are different mechanisms and processes to produce
a photo. The intent of the subject, photographer, or viewer is not consistent,
nor the medium which contains the image (photo paper, memory chip); the
interpretation of the photo is not consistent nor permanent. A photo might be
interpreted within context which has philosophic leanings, e.g. Dadaism, but
the issue here is to identify universal and consistent principles. Having
knowledge of a photographic style or technique does not make it a philosophy,
nor does selling photos in publications. The human compulsion to interpret a
photo in personal and cultural terms makes photography primarily an issue of
psychology and sociology.
To attempt a reconciliation of philosophic concepts (ontology,
epistemology, truth, reality) within photography is beyond the scope of this
essay.
This essay does not identify a philosophy of photography; it is
aimed at the novice in under 4000 words and an evaluation of contributors to a
philosophy of photography has not been provided (e.g. Ray, Bazin, Sontag,
Barthes, Sartre, Benjamin, Goffman, Scruton, Walton, etc.). The opinion reached
here does not mean a philosophy does not exist, nor that the pursuit to find a
philosophy should stop, and it is indeed possible that certain parts of
photography can contribute to philosophic argument.
There is one thing the
photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment. This kind of photography
is realism. But realism is not enough – there has to be vision, and the two
together can make a good photograph - Robert Frank
Further reading on philosophy
of photography
1.
Ansel Adams http://tiny.cc/d11o4w
2.
Philosophy
and pornography http://tiny.cc/y31o4w
3.
Towards a philosophy of photography, Vilem Flusser http://tiny.cc/r71o4w
4.
Essays
on Flusser’s Towards a philosophy of
photography, Gulding & Finger http://tiny.cc/t22o4w
5.
Review
of Vilem Flusser http://tiny.cc/la2o4w
6.
On photography, essay by Susan Sontag http://tiny.cc/vd2o4w
7.
On photography, book by Susan Sontag http://tiny.cc/kf2o4w
8.
The ontology of the photographic image, Andre Bazin http://tiny.cc/rh2o4w
9.
Questioning realism: Bazin &
Photography, Metelerkamp http://tiny.cc/ew2o4w
10. On
the epistemic value of photographs, Cohen & Meskin http://tiny.cc/0q2o4w
11. The
epistemology of the photographic image, Blich http://tiny.cc/rz2o4w
12. The
ontology of photography: from analogue to digital, Benson http://tiny.cc/7n2o4w
13. Essays on photography and philosophy,
Walden http://tiny.cc/os2o4w
14. Camera
Lucida, Roland Barthes http://tiny.cc/wy3o4w
15. Photography,
a middle-brow art, Pierre
Bourdieu, 1990
16. Philosophy
of photography, academic
journal http://tiny.cc/mfjq4w
“The Earth is Art, The
Photographer is only a Witness ” - Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Influence
Let’s assume that photography is merely a fad, that it merely
capturers what we know already. It’s a short cut to a description, does not
present the photographers intent nor the subject view (which is left for the
viewer to merge with his/ her conceit); in short, it’s the lazy man’s way to
understanding a given scenario. But a photo has influence: search these GOOGLE
phrases for proof of influence:
· Photographs that changed the world
· Notorious photos
· War photographs
· Footprint on the moon
· Greatest photos ever taken
· Photographic evidence
· Most beautiful photos ever taken
· The most important photo ever taken
· The most recognised images in the world
· jpeg
A picture is the expression
of an impression. If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize
it? - Ernst Haas
Conclusion
The simple pin-hole camera has come a long way; the simple act of
using your cellular phone to casually capture a photo does not reflect the
world of ingenuity and thought that represents photography. Light is captured, the
resulting image receives an inconsistent interpretation, but it is meaningful
to the viewer.
The above essay is directed at the curious novice; Rule 1: There are no rules. I have a second rule
that works for me: Be honest in the way
you see the world. Let the camera reflect your interests, and if you use software
to alter an image, alter it to reflect and enhance your personal
interpretation.
Bibliography
1. The
ontology of the photographic image. Bazin, A. http://tiny.cc/rh2o4w
accessed Oct 10, 2013
2. Wikipedia http://tiny.cc/zx0o4w
accessed Oct 10, 2013
