The Art of Photography

Our group spends some time each evening sharing our work and talking about picture making. These discussions are not particularly technical; Doug is more concerned with finding and expressing your vision, whatever that takes. The concepts are ones my painter friends and I discuss, but they don't translate to what I am doing here with my camera. The photographers are actually producing their art here and now. My photography has a completely different purpose: I am hunting and gathering information in order to make my art when I return home to my studio.

In the end, though, we face the same decisions:

• The selection of our subject matter. What moves us to choose something?
• Composition - how the elements that make up the picture are placed in the frame in relationship to each other and to the edge of the frame
• What is in focus and detailed vs. out of focus
• Color - strong or delicate, saturated or greyed, or maybe none at all
• Point of view; looking up or down or straight at our subject
• Close up vs. panoramic view
• The size and shape of the photo or painting

I have great respect for what the photographers must do to get a good image. They must make decisions quickly and they must work with what is in front of them. They can't move trees or increase the height of a doorway. Though editing tools are available, it seems that most of the photographers in our group would not use them in this way; rather these tools are used to enhance or tweak an already solid image. Several of them are shooting film, which almost forces a slower, more thoughtful approach; in the time that they have set up a good shot, I might have fired off 20 shots with the expectation that only a few of them might be good. Digital is cheap, and my photos don't have to be perfect. I will have the luxury of time to design and complete my artwork.

A good photographer understands what his camera can do and knows how to make it do what he wants. He knows the limits and possibilities when it comes to developing and editing and printing. A good painter knows what her paints can do and how to use them to accomplish her vision. Without a sure grasp of the basics of a medium, there is a greater struggle to achieve the desired image. I don't have the know-how to take a good photo, so I must rely on the accidental success. I do know how to make a good painting, so my successes are more frequent. (Great paintings, unfortunately, are more elusive; my best works are a combination of clear vision, confident know-how and a liberal dash of some much-appreciated accidental magic)!

As we share our images each night, I can see how far beyond me the photographers are. They are making art.