This is the fifth in a week long series on Photography. Check out Monday’s offering to get the scoop on it from the beginning.
One of my favorite artists, Robert Irwin, has a saying that became the title of his biography. ‘Seeing is forgetting the name of the thing one sees’. That is why drawing instructors teach on how to see negative space because negative space doesn’t have a name, it doesn’t make you conjure up what an elbow is suppose to look like, or a breast, or a tree or a couch. It is just a shape and it is just defined by the line or the shadows or texture, that’s all.
So, when wondering what to take a photo of, don’t worry so much about the ‘thing’ you are trying to photograph, all named and defined, but look at it without naming it. Find the line or tone or texture or color that is within it and make an image of those things. Your photos will be much better, I promise.
This is the second in a week long series on my take on photography. Go to Monday’s posting to see the series from the beginning.
Whatever you do, LEARN what your camera can do! Do not brag about ‘Oh, I don’t know how to do that’ or ‘Yea, I don’t read manuals’. Both are excuses masking laziness or fear. Read, practice, goof off, experiment. But for God’s sake (and anyone else’s) don’t put a stop sign in your head just because you are afraid. And don’t think that taking bad photos is something to avoid. Take the photo, dag nabbit! How else will you know what is good or not? Do dancers wait until they are perfect to dance? No, they practice knowing they are going to make mistakes and fail. Do the same.
Every day this week I am going to post a page from this book. I found it back in the 80s. It is a hobby book for young children, helping them learn how to take photos. At the time I wasn’t a big believer in all the ‘rules’ of photography (I am still not)and appropriated it by putting my own ‘bad’ photographs over the photos in the book. It was my way of playing with the ideas of ‘good photography. Come back every day all week to learn my way of taking a good photo!
This book was exhibited in an exhibition entitled ‘children’s toys’ at the Young Gallery in Saratoga, California in the early 90s.
