Blog Entries #16, #17 & #18

“I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.” Duane Michals
I think Michals' claim is quite interesting. To some degree I agree with this statement. Since photography is more about visual sensation, the interpretation can be varied by different viewers. Even literature has the same character, because not only the author creates the work, but also the reader or the viewer put their imagination and interpretation into it as well. What we see physically is just a vehicle which conveys emotion and information, but the imagination behind the visual elements adds more flavor to the picture we see. Every viewer has his/her own imagination about the same photo. That's what creates dynamics of the artwork.

 

“Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world.” Arnold Newman

Maybe what we see, what we hear and what we feel are all illusion. When talking about photography, we see a lot of editing and altering with photoshop or other programs. In this regard, those edited photos are truly only reflecting the "ideal" world in our own mind. Moreover, I think when we are taking photos, the information we include in the vision is quite limited and distorted. We can choose to shoot just a part of the subject, or use the light to emphasize one thing but darken the other. I feel that photography is very emotional and subject. Therefore it's all about our own private world. 

 

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer—and often the supreme disappointment.” ~Ansel Adams

I agree with this statement! I love shooting landscapes, but most of the time I have to deal with different weather, light source and random visitors passing by.It's not in the studio that the photographer can make his/her model pose and arrange different lighting. It's all about the nature, which is something not under our control. When shooting at the photo at the right time and right place, the outcome might be perfect. Otherwise it may be a huge disappointment.