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Photographers and artists throughout history have always had a different way of seeing the world which is partly what makes them so unique and valuable to society as a whole. Their work stood out because they were able to express things in a different way but as well as their artwork their words are often full of intriguing meanings, hidden messages and things that we can all learn from!
Quote by Elliot Erwitt
Elliot Erwitt was most well known for his peculiar, often absurd and surrealist black and white photography but he also had a successful career in advertising and documentary photography. He had an incredible eye for strange details and some of his work is almost comparable to some of Salvador Dali’s masterpieces.
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place. I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.” – Elliot Erwitt.
Erwitt worked in advertising during an interesting time in the industry, shortly after Edward Bernays changed the industry forever by drawing on the new understandings of the human psyche that his uncle, Sigmund Freud, had put forward. Advertising rapidly changed from an industry based on promoting the utility of an item into an industry that instead tried to create a personal relationship between the consumer and the product. It was found that one of the most efficient ways of accomplishing this was by using unusual, surreal or strange associations and so Erwitt found himself in his element!
Erwitt always had an uncanny ability to pick out fine details in his photography that would speak deeply to the subconscious of his desired audience that helped to give his work an irresistible pull and magnetic power. Erwitt mastered the art of taking a seemingly ordinary scene and bringing out new perspectives and it was for this talent that he is best remembered.
Quote by Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams was a pioneering environmentalist and natural photographer who worked for the National Parks Service and the Sierra Club. He specialized in creating photography that employed the full tonal range of black and white photography. As an environmental photographer the vast majority of his work did not contain any human subjects, and when they did the humans were often not the real focal point of the image.
“To the complaint, ‘There are no people in these photographs,’ I respond, There are always two people: the photographer and the viewer.” – Ansel Adams.
This is no doubt what led people to ‘complain’ that there were not enough people in his work, however, his slightly sarcastic response on the surface hides a far deeper truth beneath it; that great photography is a kind of unspoken communication between the photographer and his audience, speaking to each viewer in a personalized way.
This fascinating perspective shows the underlying intimacy that always exists in the relationship between the photographer and the viewer, something which is often overlooked by critics. My photographs for the most part, do not have any people either!
Quote by Peter Adams
In the modern world of high technology and powerful software it is often tempting for photographers to rely heavily on their equipment using post production filters and techniques to create the image they envisioned.
“Photography is not about cameras, gadgets and gizmos. Photography is about photographers. A camera didn’t make a great picture any more than a typewriter wrote a great novel.” – Peter Adams.
Peter Adams is a highly acclaimed commercial and portrait photographer whose career began in the high tech sectors of New York and Silicon Valley, after which, in 2014, he took up photography full time.
It may seem surprising that a man who spent so much of his life and energies working in the high tech sector would dismiss its importance in the field of photography but this apparent contradiction should make us sit up and take notice.
Adams is making a strong statement about the centrality of the photographer and not the camera or equipment. One could deduce from this that Adams might also believe that a great photographer could take a fantastic picture with the poorest of cameras while a novice photographer might struggle to take a good photo even with the best camera and equipment!
Learning to produce good photography is a craft that requires hard work, patience and dedication but most importantly, a creative mind!
As well as his commercial photography Adams has dedicated himself to promoting and showcasing the work of Open Source Programmers and Pioneers indicating that he would prefer to see a world where the cost of technology was not a barrier to entry for people in all fields of life. Clearly a man of integrity, his work speaks for itself and his concept that a good photograph is taken by the person not the camera is an inspiring perspective for any photographer to take on board to help fuel their own aspirations.
Quote by Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange was a documentary photographer who became famous for capturing the human suffering during the 1930’s Depression-era America. Her powerful, hard hitting photography helped to open the eyes of the people all over the world to the difficult times that people, especially in rural America, were experiencing.
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”– Dorothea Lange.
When she observes that the camera can be used as a tool to help other people see the world with more clarity in their own lives this speaks to the power of documentary photography, something which she helped to set the standards for.
When people see emotive and honest documentary photography it can instantly transport them to the scene of the photo, allowing them to share the feelings, situation and conditions of the subject. This broadens their horizons and helps them to be more compassionate, understanding and sensitive to the world around them in their own lives.
Quote by Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso was one of the most revolutionary painters of the 20th Century and did more than almost any other single artist to change not only the field of painting but also the visual arts in a more general sense. His unique style, Cubism, that he pioneered, turned the old rules and traditions of painting on their head by representing a scene from multiple perspectives in one image.
“Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror, or the painter?”― Pablo Picasso.
Picasso questioning who can see the face correctly is an extremely interesting thing to consider and although Picasso himself might claim that the painter would see it correctly it all depends on your point of view!
The mirror will show you a perfect image of the face in the details of its form while a photograph manages to straddle the two worlds of the purely subjective painting and the seemingly objective image in the mirror. On the hand the photograph can portray a scene with extreme accuracy, however, there is always the artistry and intentions of the person behind the camera to take into account.
Picasso’s question may leave us with more questions than answers although it does, nonetheless, open up some interesting new avenues to ponder.
Learning from the Thoughts of Others in the Creative World.
Studying the thoughts, writings and quotations of great artists and photographers as well as their artistic and photographic output can give us great insight into the workings of their minds. By further understanding the thought processes that were going on behind the artwork we can delve deeper into exploring what it was they were truly trying to express, beyond the canvas or the photograph itself.
Which is your favorite quote about photography?
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