- Molly Patrick, research assistant at Arizona State University, for her valuable help in the preparation of the manuscript.. - Many of the purveyors of pic- tures, however, do not have our best interests at heart. - The image is revealed with maximum clarity for the fullest expression of the subject matter.. - It is no coincidence that the secret was discovered at the beginning of the Victorian age. - No wonder that the microscope, telescope and camera were the three indispensable tools of the age.. - This is not to denigrate the role of the photographer. - “every object, however minute, is a perfect transcript of the thing itself.”. - It is one of the principle characteristics of the camera image. - The ubiqui- tous nature of photography in our society has devalued the currency of the. - And one of the most important lessons (and do not be distracted by its self-evidence) is the photograph’s ability to render detail.. - Of course, the power of the subject matter may so transcend the image’s faults that the photograph is still valuable, as in the case, for example, of a newspaper reproduction of an assassination attempt.. - the subject or main point of the image is revealed with maximum clarity and. - And the point of good design, pleasant composition or neat arrangement is not merely to emphasize the artistic abilities of the photographer but to. - Some idea of the complexity of this principle can be gauged by a simple exercise. - Stand on the opposite side of the street to a large shop win- dow. - Imagine the edges of the window are the viewfinder’s frame. - Now watch as groups of pedestrians pass in front of the window from opposite directions. - Awareness of the exact positions of the pedestrians and their relationship to the frame is infinitely more challenging.. - This mother has obeyed most of the prin- ciples of good photography. - A good photographer is always aware of the picture design whether using a camera or viewing photographs.. - subject but would (if the picture was good) contribute to the design, mood, rightness, of the image.. - a pedestrian walked in front of the camera and became transpar- ent as if dematerializing. - duration, relative to the speed of the subject. - In fact, this ability of the camera was extremely disturbing to some viewers. - This is the crucial difference between a mere snapshot and a fine pic- ture of the same subject: the former reveals the subject. - The four fundamental principles of photography constitute the foundation posts on which the whole history of the medium is built. - Her celebrated portrait of the scientist, John Herschel, is a good example.. - And the purpose of the photographic act is simply the pleasure in the process of doing it. - Early painters quickly understood this ability of the camera. - A good example is the collaboration of the painter Eugene Delacroix with the daguerreotypist Eugene Durieu. - The vast majority of photographs in the history of the medium have been employed for similar purposes.. - One of the most common problems is the (incorrect) assumption which arises from the communicative power of photography that the image can be read, like a story. - Also it is doubtful if anyone could have guessed their intent on the basis of the pictures alone. - Without prior knowledge of the event, it would be impossible.. - A car accident reported in a local newspaper becomes real because of the image accompanying the report. - she is, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. - The verses of the Bible hold important insights and truths. - they often are, in addition, as Samuel Johnson remarked, the last refuge of the scoundrel.. - All photographs represent a selective judgment on the part of the pho- tographer. - In addition, all photographs are examined in the special context of the viewer’s social environment, education, political persuasion, income and aspirations.. - The meaning of the picture has changed from context to context. - In these instances, nostalgia is the power of the picture. - the image today is viewed for the clarity of the dress design — and the individual wear- ing the crinoline is of marginal interest. - The emphasis has dramati- cally shifted through the age of the image.. - Most early photographs are invariably viewed through a nostalgic haze which markedly alters the value of the image away from the photographer’s original intent.. - We have already remarked that the first photographs of people walking in the street (around 1859) might have been admired for their technical ac- complishment (in an age when exposure times were measured in several seconds) but they were also deplored for the ugly, ungainly actions of the pedestrians. - the visual convention of the age had not included natural bodily actions.. - Such examples of visual conventions of the age are clearly understood in retrospect. - Assumptions concerning the story of the picture would be even more ten- tative. - It is likely that the children are waiting for (not actually watching) an event, because the attention of the faces is scattered. - Then I discovered Martin’s own account of the incident. - Perhaps the most significant photographer of the picture-story was W. - Why do we assume that they are looking at something on the other side of the fence? There is nothing in the photograph to confirm this observation. - What a photograph is OF is the visual appearance of the subject at the time of the exposure.. - on the visual conventions of the age, both when taken and when viewed. - To me, that prosaic document will have become the most important image in the history of the medium! Because it performed its required function (the accurate diagnosis of the illness) it was a good photograph. - tentions on the subject matter and not on the craftsmanship or art- istry of the photographer. - There is no doubt that this is one of the most important photographs ever made, but one which has little aesthetic value.. - insensitivity or incompetence on the part of the pho- tographer.. - All these factors can alter, or de- viate us from, an objective appraisal of the image itself.. - What was the intent of the photographer?. - The pho- tographer, through experience and steeped in the great images of the past, finds a rightness in the frame which is appropriate to the subject. - If the viewer had been standing alongside the photographer at the moment of exposure there would have been no doubt as to the nature of the. - This causes a visual jolt, the image equivalent of the punch line of a good joke, or a clever aphorism. - The absurdity of the situation is striking. - the photograph proclaims validity yet the mind refuses to accept the veracity of the image. - Presumably, this photograph was deliberately made in order to pro- duce a sense of strangeness in the minds of the viewers. - they under- stood this quirkiness of the medium perhaps more profoundly than its prac- titioners. - It is a me- dium via which messages reach us from another world.” It is no coincidence that Brandt personally knew many of the Surrealists.. - I want to raise another attribute of the fine photographer. - That is why the best photographs are truly reflective of the photographers.. - Paul Delaroche, one of the most respected artists of the day, declared that. - By the turn of the century, printing processes were available which allowed the photographer more control over the appearance of the image. - And here is the crux of the matter. - Somehow, through an inexplicable process during the past century, art has risen to the apex of the cultural pyramid. - The single photograph is often a potent reminder of the photographer’s body of work.. - The single picture becomes an archetype, a unique representative of the many.. - Instead of reminding us of the photographer’s body of work these sym- bols remind us of a time in history. - A vivid example is the extraordinary news photograph of the burn- ing of the airship Hindenburg in 1937. - The image has be- come a symbol of the death of the dirigible as a passenger-carrying craft.. - The vast majority of photographers throughout this history of the medium have been working professionals. - as a unity I think of The Americans as one of the most interesting books ever published in the world of photography.. - Most photographs, as we have seen, place emphasis on the subject matter seen through the window of the print. - but captioned The last pho- tograph I made at Lake George and signed by Alfred Stieglitz, and the value of the image in the gallery world would be astronomical.. - Today, many of the arbiters of merit are not photographers. - Their intent is the promotion of a saleable commodity, the images of the photographers in their stables. - So we should start by explaining the beginnings of the problem.. - The answer to this question will emerge from a careful study of the work of E. - There is no substitute in photography for a loving, caring, knowledge- able empathy with the subject in front of the camera. - A few viewers might occasionally question the ethics of the photographer if the image is thought to be invasive, obscene or shocking. - I thought of the vicarious thrill of voyeurism as a motive for photography and looking at photographs. - These conclusions have been written jointly and, therefore, do not follow the discussion-format of the previous sections.. - But this is very, very different from insisting that you comply with the judgments of the critic. - Ask yourself: is the most important part of the image (the face, for example, in a portrait) clearly seen and not confused by a similar-toned or distracting background?. - Its weakness is that any photograph will powerfully remind us of the experience of facing the scene. - A respectful consideration of the viewer and how to reach this audience is incumbent on all photographers.. - Finally, remember that even photographers are consumers of images most of the time. - It was these essays which brought him to the attention of the world’s most prestigious photographic collaborative, Magnum Photos Inc. - the International Museum of Photography and author of The Painter and the Photograph. - of The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain
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