Record vs Transform
It's commonly thought that photography simply records the world. Optically speaking, it does. However, I'm far less interested in what the world looks like, and more curious about how art can transform the world: how new perspectives and ideas can manifest in unexpected views of what we take for granted, offering insights into our own perceptions and encouraging us to slow down and connect more deeply in the dance.
Below is a record of how I typically work.
Photo 1: Walking slowly, I come across a view that speaks to me.
Photo 2: I set up the camera, looking carefully at the focusing screen, moving it until the image says, "Yes".
Photo 3: The final image. This is on color transparency film, though I primarily work in black & white in this collection.
What the world "looks like"...
The view on the camera screen...
The final image
Frequently Asked Questions
What is it?
It's a rock. Or a tree, a street, a window reflection, or a.... Yes, it's a thing in the world, but it's not necessarily a record of the thing. (See next question)
Where did you "take" the picture?
I really love this question because it points very directly to the way we've been conditioned to expect that a photograph is an image of a THING in a PLACE. When we can't figure that out, we try to orient it to something familiar. Unfortunately, when we tether to the concretization of THING and PLACE, we're less able to connect with the art work itself.
A question: knowing that it was on the southeast corner of Hawthorne and 20th, the south of France, or somewhere in Ulaanbaatar, does that add meaning? Does this situate the image so firmly in PLACE and THING that the image is merely a referent, a proxy, for the "real" world? Or does it remove you from the experience of the actual art work? Shake off the need to know. Engage the image with curiosity in the open space of not knowing.
"Look at the moon in the sky, not the one in the lake." –Rumi
Do you use Photoshop?
Nope. The world is astonishingly layered and complex as it is. I use Lightroom to organize and make minor adjustments to the digital work. Some of the Sumptuous Chaos images are multiple exposures, in camera.
"Taking" photographs?
"Taking" is slightly less ridiculous and aggressive than "shooting".
There's no taking or shooting. It's making, perhaps finding.
And yet... I'm not rigid about it and still say "taking" and "shooting" sometimes.
