civilized ku # 456 / picture window # 47 ~ too much work / thought for some people

Playground ~ in the NE Adirondack PARK - Au Sable Forks, NY • click to embiggenWhen looking at pictures, there are a number of ways to go about it -

The photo is a thing in itself. And that's what still photography is all about. ~ Garry Winogrand

The basic material of photographs is not intrinsically beautiful. It's not like ivory or tapestry or bronze or oil on canvas. You're not supposed to look at the thing, you're supposed to look through it. It's a window. ~ John Szarkowski

A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into. ~ Ansel Adams

Whereas Winogrand and Szarkowski seem to come at it from different POVs (although I think that they are each taking different routes to the same destination), I tend to view it both ways - the photo as an object and the photo as a window.

To the point of the photo as a thing in itself, to my eye and sensibilities, a print - for purposes of further discussion, a photo becomes a "thing", when it becomes a "print" - can be, in fact, a thing in and of itself and, as such, can be viewed / judged solely on that basis. As in, it's a beautiful print, or, conversely, the print quality sucks.

Obviously, whether a print, in and of itself, is judged to be beautiful or to suck is dependent upon a number of factors - use of color, tone, paper type/surface, and the like - but one of the least understood / recognized qualities of a print is that of how the picture maker has utilized the possibilities inherent in what is (somewhat contrary to appearances) a 2-dimensional art form. That is to say, how the picture maker has, in the making of the picture (not the print), used / organized the flat 2D surface of the print.

Organizing the flat 2D surface of a print is most often considered to be the act of composition / composing a picture. An act that has been reduced to - for the "benefit" of the non-creative and unimaginative in the picture making crowd - the "rules" of "good" composition.

Those "rules" completely eliminate the need to investigate, learn about, and understand pesky things like visual language, visual energy, visual tension, visual dynamics, spatial relationships, color theory, and the like. Visual concepts and ideas that elevate art beyond the realm of early grade school see-spot-dick-jane platitudes and banalities.

You must have a visual sense if you want to be a photographer. It is a very subtle thing, this visual business. ~ Elliott Erwitt

It should be unreservedly stated that a picture maker / viewer does not need to be an "expert" in the many variants, concepts, and ideas of visual language. However, having at least "some small shred of insight" into those concepts and ideas can add considerably to one's appreciation and understanding of "Real Art", viewing pictures wise.

Those concepts and ideas explain why a print, in and of itself - totally independent of its referent (the thing depicted) - can be judged to be a beautiful object.

An Aside - I'm not so sure about those concepts and ideas, picture making wise. That's because, IMO, those concepts and ideas need to be applied intuitively rather than cognitively when making pictures. But, that's a subject for another entry.

In any event, stay tuned - more tomorrow on the "window" idea of looking through the print.