civilized ku # 773 ~ a sense of harmonic proportions / on seeing

Bowl on table • click to embiggenOver the course of my Landscapist (the blog) endeavor, there have been quite a number of informed and insightful comments on various entries that have helped me - and I hope others - to learn a bit more about pictures and the making thereof. As I have stated many times, my hope for this blog is for it to be a 2-way proposition - good for me and good for those who hang around the place. For the most part, and IMO, I believe that objective has been and is frequently realized.

That said, one of the best comments (for me) was that from Barbara Fischer which stated in part ...

... Good photographers have an affinity with what they take photos of, they can see something of themselves in the pictures. They can relate to the mood, as conveyed by light, colours, subject matter, and it becomes personally meaningful.

Barbara also states that, in act of picture making, some photographers ...

... also have a better sense for harmonic proportions, they can just see them and maybe sabotage them if it suits the photo. This is a complex skill that can't be learned by applying a rule of thirds or some other mechanical composition guide lines.

Leaving aside, for the moment, the fact that these comments are very complimentary to much of what I have been writing about, re: seeing, I must state that I have rarely heard / read a better description of the notion of "composition" - in her words, a "sense of harmonic proportions".

Simply stated, from my egocentric POV, Barbara has succinctly and, IMO, poetically given name to exactly how I see.

That said, I would also add that, after viewing Barbara's I like these flickr set, she also makes pictures that exhibit a very keen "sense of harmonic proportions". Her pictures are exquisite examples of Robert Adams' notion, re: great pictures:

Why do most great pictures look uncontrived? .... The answer is, I think, that the deception is necessary if the goal of art is to be reached: only pictures that look as if they had been easily made can convincingly suggest that beauty is commonplace.

IMO, only pictures that appear to be "easily made" - or in many cases actually are easily made - are great pictures. That's because, if when looking at a picture the viewer first sees the composition / the technique employed / effects / "tricks of the trade", then he/she risks missing the forest for the trees.

In that regard, what I have noticed is that so many picture makers are the worst offenders when it comes to seeing the intent of a picture. The first thing that they relate to / look for is the "how" rather than the "what". IMO&E, that's because so many picture makers seem to first look at pictures made by others in attempt to discern and identify the "tricks of the trade" that were employed - even if none were actually used - in the making of those pictures so that they can then employ the same in their picture making.

Whereas, the first question in a viewer's mind should be - what's going on here / what's the picture maker's intent / what's being said?

However, as Barbara Fischer also stated ...

... some people have a very hard time relating to photography (or any visual art) beyond the literal things depicted in them. The "trick" is to open the mind up to associations, emotions, and then a picture will become rich and multidimensional.

I would extend that idea to include not only picture viewing but also to picture making - if you desire to make great or, at the very least, good / interesting pictures ("rich and multidimensional") that go beyond pretty pictures, you must, at the point of picture making, "open the mind up to associations and emotions" so that you "can relate to the mood, as conveyed by light, colours, subject matter" so that your picture making becomes "personally meaningful".

Update on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 10:16AM by gravitas et nugalis

PS Thanks, Barbara

Comments

[Barbara Fischer]

You're too kind Mark. It's really nice to read a photography blog that considers seeing and meaning rather than gear and technical aspects.

[s2art]

This excellent discussion reminds me of one of several a quotes by my other favourite photographers, Frederick Sommer.

"When you go out to make a picture you find you are moved by something which is in agreement with an image you already held within yourself”

Thanks to barb for pointing out your site, I shall return.