Monday Missive — October 7, 2019

Quotes

Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph.” – Matt Hardy

Just put on the lens and go.” – Miroslav Tichy

When someone looks at an image and it beats them over the head—grabbing them by the heart to emotionally and completely pull them into it—that’s a powerful photograph. They’re not analyzing it; they’re experiencing it by having an emotional connection to that image, and they don’t even know why. The power of photography is making that connection with the viewer.” — Paul Nicklen, Photographing Wild

Links
Photoessays/bodies of Work
– Sonia Goydenko: Fragments of Consciousness
– History of Photography: Gertrude Kasebier An interesting analysis and comparison to contemporaries
– Interesting story of domestic abuse and recovery through photography
– Josephine Sacabo: Moments of being and structures of reverie

Post-processing
– Create an IR effect in Photoshop
– 5 tools every photographer should know
– Don’t make these post-processing mistakes in LR

Field/Studio
– Using in symmetry in your compositions
– Photographing fall foliage
– Doggie portraits

Paddle boarder at dawn, Avalon, NJ.

Bullfrog, Black Marsh Trail, North Point State Park

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4 Responses to Monday Missive — October 7, 2019

  1. cynthia crescenzo says:

    How do you personally separate the snapshot from the photograph?

    • Rich says:

      Hi Cyn-

      It is of course, somewhat subjective, but what I look for is impact. Does it make me take a breath and go “Wow!” Does it move something inside of me. Does it make me wish I was there to take that picture. Do I at least think it is clever. Perhaps an illustrative example is William Eggleston. He is a famous and influential photographer, I think he had one of the first color photo exhibitions at MOMA, but for me, his work is mostly snapshots. It does not generate significant emotional impact, I see no great craft in his images (e.g., “School Crossing” http://www.artnet.com/artists/william-eggleston/school-crossing-20-mph-a-DGfPju_QOVZIm76Of_k_Ew2).

      For me, in the two images above, the frog is more of a snapshot, but I see/felt something more with the paddleboarder.

      In comparison Ansel Adams image of Mount Williamson from Manzanar (https://shop.anseladams.com/Mount_Williamson_from_Manzanar_p/1701130110.htm) gets a WOW, both for what Adams saw and how he portrayed it.

      Although Hardy doesn’t address it in this one line quote, there are really two levels, one is the individual: if the maker sees the beauty and believes (s)he has captured it, it isn’t a snapshot. If it was casually made, without much thought, it is probably a snapshot (although there are exceptions and sometimes the beauty isn’t recognized until later).

      The second level, is societal or cultural, if the curator, critic or general public sees the beauty in the image, it also isn’t a snapshot.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.

  2. Walter says:

    I like the quote from Paul Nicklen.

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