Photography

When photography was invented it was thought to be an equivalent to truth, it was truth with a capital "T".

-Vicki Goldberg, Author/Critic

The photographer best expresses a theme by using good composition, or visual design, to support the inherent design of the subject matter. However, when a photographer follows rules of composition, he is likely to inhibit spontaneity and creativity. the photographer who becomes familiar with the principles of visual design, whi puts expression before technique, will develop intuition for good design, sensing and responding to the expressive qualities of the subject matter.

-Freeman Patterson, from his book "Photography and The Art of Seeing"

As a photographer I don't consciously select a style and then apply it to a variety of subject matter; rather, I live my life, make my images, and unconsciously document my personal journey. This suggests why my image-making rarely shows a pattern of steady improvement, but frequently is marked by periods of stasis - plateaus and ruts. I don't necessarily regard plateaus negatively, however. They may be valuable times of assimilation and consolidation after long periods or sudden spurts of personal growth. But whether I'm moving or resting, the medium always mirrors my inner self. So accurate is the reflection, that photographs often reveal the subtle beginnings of emotional transitions that I can recognize consciously only in other ways much later on. -Freeman Patterson, from his book "SHADOWLight: A Photographer's Life"

Still images do stay with us and particularly if we have a long time to look at them, and if they get repeated. That kind of reinforcement really burns something into the mind and that's what happens with photographs because they are infinitely reproducable, they are infinitely reproduced!

-Vicki Goldberg, Author/Critic

And do I really believe that people absorb impression rather the substance. Particularly in this day and age. (said smilling)

-Michael deaver, former Reagan Aide

I don't know, I think it's very dangerous for a free society to have all the information distilled and packaged by our government and given to use (smilling). Do we know to this day who we killed in Iraq? I don't think so. If bringing war into the livingroom means that we as a people will say we don't want to do it that way anymore we want to figure out other ways to solve these conflicts then I would say photography and television has done us a geat service.

-Michael deaver, former Reagan Aide

Digital manipulation

The still image is still the most powerful tool that we have insofar how we remember. We're in the memory business. We're loosing our photographic heritage (*) and the question is : How can you enable people to collect those memories? That's the question.

-Dirch Halstead, TIME contract photographer
* He's refering to the large amount (half to three quarters of the digital images) that are erased daily to make room on harddrives by photographers practically, without any type of backup being made.

To manipulate an image is to control a people

-Carolyn Gerard

 

You can't take a picture of something that is not infront of the camera. You can slant the angle wrong, you can light it wrong, you can, you can lie in what you set before the camera, but the camera itself does not lie, you can fiddle with the picture afterwards you can develop it. But we implicitly know that there had to be something infront of that camera and so we tend to believe it since we tend to believe our eyes.

-Vicki Goldberg, Author/Critic

The handling of pictures digitally has broughts with it a great benefit and there are also some problems. The problems are that pictures can be manipulated a great deal. You can actually put people in pictures that weren't in there. You can take people out pictures that are in there. You can change color. You can change composition.

--Hal Buell, former Photo editor, AP

There are strict policy regulation that the AP photographers and AP people _will not_ alter photographs. The reason that's the case - and that's true also amongst most papers - the reason that's the case is because if you begin to alter photographs and this newspaper or magazine alters it this way (placing his hand vertically in the air with the palm facing him), and this newspaper or magazine alters it this way (placing his hand horizontally in the air with the palm facing him), you have the same picture appearing in different ways in different publications. The readers look at that and they say, "who's kidding who", someone's lying in that equation and the papers, the publications will loose credibility and the whole role of good journalisim is lost if there's no crdibility. We have enough trouble maintening credibility without having pictures that look like this side by side (placing one hand vertically and the other horizontally, side by side in the air with the palm facing him).

-Hal Buell, former Photo editor, AP

 

Edge is when people have too much of a preconceived idea of what they want to create and don't just let themselves go and find out what can come of something that doesn't exist yet. When you don't give up control you have edge. There's no realness, no romance, no humanity to it - it's just about being hip.

-Ian McFarlane, photographer
When asked about the decided lack of "edge" to some of his images


One is never so naked as when dressed for a party. Everyone's aspirations are on view; everyone is hoping for something; everyone is trying to look their most beautiful. I became fascinated with the poignancy of self-invention. The Cannes Film Festival was wonderful for photographs because people invented themselves before they went out for the night — people who had not achieved but craved the spotlight — and the chaos of the festival allowed for a spectacular vulgarity of appearance that would get you in, even if you didn't have an invitation.

-Jessica Craig-Martin, photographer


The Equipment you'll leave at home, you'll need the most.
Your always out of film when you'll have the best opportunity.

-Murphy's Rules


Je pouvais le dire autrement: ce qui fonde la nature de la Photographie, c'est la pose. Peu inporte la durée physique de la pose; même le temps d'un milloinième de seconde (la goutte de lait de H. D. Edgerton), il y a toujours eu pose, car la pose n'est pas ici une attitude de la cible, ni même une technique de l'Operator, mais le terme d'une "intention" de lecture: en regardant une photo, j'inclus fatalement dans mon regard la pensée de cet instant, si bref fût-il, où une chose réelle s'est trouvée immobile devant l'oeil, Je renverse l'immobilité de la photo présente sur la prise passée, et c'est cet arrêt qui constitue la pose. Ceci explique que le noème de la Photographie s'altère lorsque cette Photographie s'anime et devient cinéma: dans la Photo, quelque chose s'est passé devant le petit trou et y est resté à jamais (c'est là mon sentiment); mais au cinéma, quelque chose est passé devant ce même petit trou: la pose est emportée et niée par la suite continue des images: c'est une autre phénoménologie, et partant un autre art qui commence, pourtant dérivé du premier.