In an effort to provide some sense of structure to my writings I will file the content into three categories and one “meta-category.”
Writings about the nature of this blog will be filed into the meta-category, the Überblog. This section already contains my introduction and this piece on structure, but will be expanded with the changes in my intentions.
The three main categories are as follows:
1. Science
Writings filed under ‘Science’ deal with the application of the scientific method to photography and cinematography. Both are technologically driven visual arts that leave the artist with the dilemma of this additional layer of complexity. True, the artist could take a passive approach and trust manufacturer and media suggestions, but this seems to be rarely the case. Most people I find are seeking a further understanding of their materials and perform tests on all different aspects of the medium.
At the most abstract level these writings will discuss the nature of testing photographic materials from a philosophical and scientific standpoint. This approach helps define many boundaries that are being hopelessly confused by not asking some important questions first. For example; Am I testing a quality or a quantity? Can I test both and at what point can the two become confused? Can a test exploring a particular aspect be used to make general claims about the medium? While these questions about the nature of a test may seem pedantic or trivial they provide insight into their purpose, methodology, and results.
With an understanding of fundamental questions one can better approach the information disseminated by manufacturers, professionals, and amateurs in publication and on-line. Moreover, there are even further questions that should be explored: What is the value of another person’s information and how does it inform the artist’s work? Who performed the test and what is their agenda? How much transparency exists in the procedure and presentation of the test? Are they confusing any of the topics addressed above and can we untangle them to make any sense?
In order to temper the theoretical and occasionally abstract issues of the topics above this section will also include a practical aspect. From the questions asked we can design many different tests to explore facets of the medium ranging from the technical to aesthetic. I think it is important to share these ideas, questions and procedural outlines so that anyone can use them and find within them their faults and values.
Ultimately, my intention is for the Science section to help the photographer or cinematographer ask of a test the correct questions, and later draw the correct conclusions.
2. Zeitgeist
Currently we live in a time of rapid technological innovation and turnover. The impact of this change on the visual arts is immediate and pervasive.
I feel that the accelerated pace of change has made decision making far more confusing for the artist. The changes in media have led to an increased volume in marketing and an acceleration in social trends. Add to this the opinions found on-line and there is a veritable cacophony. There is so much noise surrounding the technology used in the photographic medium that the quiet connection between technology and the aesthetic is effectively drowned out.
The Zeitgeist section is an attempt to lower the tone. Writings filed here offer a quiet place to step back and ask questions about the current climate: How does technology affect the art? How is the technology affecting how we work? How is the industry being transformed? What are we being asked to believe about the change in technology versus the truth?
The Zeitgeist section is by far the broadest topic but I hope the most insightful because it positions the art of photography and cinematography into a larger context. By scanning a broader horizon we can begin to challenge our own assumptions.
3. Our Eyes Give it Shape
With each class I teach and each further topic I research I confront a fundamental and profound fact that is best expressed by Wittgenstein in his work Culture and Value:
“…daß das Okular auch des riesigsten Fernrohrs nicht größer sein darf, als unser Auge.”
“…that even the largest telescope has an eyepiece no bigger than the human eye.”
In a similar vein there is a song by Peter Hammill titled “Our Eyes Give it Shape” and it is this phrase which has inspired the writings in this section which will relate the physiological and psychological factors of vision to photography.
Photography and cinematography classes typically begin with studying the visual art itself whether through example or the use of the tools of the trade. This is especially difficult with photographic arts because they utilize optics in such a literal way as to trick the student into thinking that the camera sees how their eye sees.
I have come to firmly believe that one must learn how we see before we can learn how the photographic medium sees. Knowledge of the similarities and dissimilarities between the camera lens and the human visual system is liberating. Once the artist casts aside the assumption that the lens and eye are one and the same can they understand how to create the images they see in their own mind’s eye.
At the same time the medium of photography is both defined by the limits of our vision, just like Wittgenstein’s telescope. Our eyes are powerfully sensitive to detail, tone and color, but can also be easily fooled. The photographic medium is limited by the strengths of our visual system and also exploits its weaknesses. These instances are not mere medical curiosities, but can have a profound on the practical and aesthetic decisions of a photographer.
Finally
If I was to distill the writings on this site down to one thing I would say this is an exploration of relationships:
The Science section explores the internal relationships between the materials used in photography and cinematography. The Zeitgeist sections looks at the relation between society and photographic materials and how this affects the artist’s work and thought. Finally, Our Eyes Give it Shape looks at the relation between photographic materials and ourselves.
(I never thought that when I began writing a blog it would end up being about relationships.)
I will let the rest of the world generate the mass of content, but I want to give it form. I want to look at the relationship between parts because this is the only way in which to form an understanding of the whole.
