diptych (selection) # 2-4 ~ the right answer
Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at 05:27PM 
halloween door ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
halloween door # 2 ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
table with fall centerpiece ~ Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenWith this entry I am introducing a new body of work / series (see the following entry for diptcyh (selection) # 1), tentatively titled selection and a tentative artist statement to accompany the work:
It has been suggested by many that making a picture is primarily, first and foremost, an act of selection by the picture maker. That act is a two-part endeavor, an act regarding the choice of referent and, concomitantly, an act regarding what to include / exclude in the creation of the frame. These two primary and essential picture making components hold true no matter the choice of tools or the choice regarding where to stand when making a picture.
Given the same referent, no two picture makers will create the same answer to the act of selection inasmuch as the multifaceted act of selection is always a uniquely personal act. As such, the act of selection constitutes a vital element in the development and refinement of a personal vision. It is, in fact, how one sees in a picture making sense.
For some, myself included, the act of selection is serendipitous regarding the choice of referent and intuitive regarding the notion of inclusion / exclusion. Which is to write, I picture those everyday things, whatever they might be, which capture my attention. In doing so, I create the frame by feel rather than by rule. For as it was stated by Edward Weston, "Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk."
One of the facets of this new body of work which excites and pleases me is the fact that I can continue to picture whatever catches my eye as opposed to sticking to one related thematic referent as is customary in an individual body of work. And given that I always go out and about with 2 camera bodies - one with a moderate wide angle lens, the other with a moderate telephoto lens - I will make the two pictures (of the same referent) in a given diptych, one with the wide angle, one with the telephoto. Both pictures will be made from the same angle of view but at differing distances.
In addition, given that it has been opined that a good picture creates more questions than answers, I will leave it up to the viewer to determine which of the two pictures in a given diptych is the right answer (for them), re: the act of selection.
Reader Comments (3)
i would call the series close and far.
>> I will leave it up to the viewer to determine which of the two pictures in a given diptych is the right answer (for them).
This is an interesting idea, letting the viewer choose the framing, but it seems to eliminate (or reduce) the judgment and control of the picturemaker. Or is the picturemaker saying, they are both good... or I have not decided. And regardless of what the viewer chooses, both versions are still there (but then again if they were both not there it would not be a diptych!).
The two framings do make a bigger difference than would be expected (at least by me), especially the third one.
So I am guessing 17 and 25mm?
More like 20mm and 45mm (if I remember correctly Mark's preferences).
The last dipt works by far best for me, introducing a deliberately different framing that pushes the loop of seeing and thinking substantially (for me, that is)