 |
December 1, 2008 |
  |
Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
|
|
Articles |
|
TIP: What you feel is more important that what you think.
Black and white imagery is nothing more than a gray scale that we organize intellectually and respond to emotionally. Emphasize emotion over vision. What you feel is more important than what you think.
 PHOTO: Herb Ascherman
TIP: See for yourself, not as others see.
Emphasize content over form. The message is more important than the composition. Black and white is a personal vision. See for yourself, not as others have seen.
 PHOTO: Herb Ascherman
TIP: Use your photography to say something.
Black and white is the language of the artist because it speaks with dreams and metaphors.
 PHOTO: Herb Ascherman
TIP: To achieve a quality result, take your time.
Black and white printing is the Craft of the Art It teaches patience, understanding, and above all recognition of the Quality that exists in the art form itself.
 PHOTO: Herb Ascherman
Consider This...
There are 5 distinct criteria (and be EXTREMELY suspect of ANYONE who begins a sentence about an art form in terms of dogma) with which to evaluate a photograph, whether in black and white or color...or any art form for that matter. There is no simple set of rules for color vs. black and white, although black and white deals with emotion, intellect, imagination as seen through form and content much more than I think color does...although we live in a world of color the black and white is left to the seers and dreamers...
 PHOTO: Herb Ascherman
Objectively:
A photographer must have control of his tools. Cameras are tools. The right cameras are used for the right job, as are the right films and formats. Walk into a museum and compare an Adams 810 of the Grande Tetons with your Aunt Sally's one shot 400 of the same scene. Both images are legitimate, but one has a higher level of Quality from an aesthetic perspective than does the other. The explanation 'that's the film I had in the camera's is great if you are taking your kids first step, but not acceptable if you want me, the educated viewer, accept, to understand, relate to, or let alone purchase, your image.
 PHOTO: Herb Ascherman
Subjectively:
The Visibility of that Rapport to the Viewer. The photographic image deals with a reality, whether assumed, constructed or well seen. If the image does not communicate clearly with the viewer, I would ask what the point is of showing it in the first place? The only successful images are ALWAYS those in which the viewer shares an emotional or intellectual experience with and through the photographer's eyes.
Unique Vision:
How many times have I seen this image before today, and how many times have I seen it for the first time? Unique vision is what separates each of us on a relatively level playing field. Anyone, anywhere, can pick up a camera and take one great picture by stepping outside his own front door (and if you can't do it in your own back yard, you can't do it anywhere.) The trick, which comes from and understanding of the Quality of image making, and the art of making a Quality image, is to do it consistently: with thought, understanding, and an open mind. Ansel Adams paraphrased Louis Pasteur when he said: Chance favors the prepared mind. Vince Lombardi said it a little differently: Luck OCCURS when preparation meets opportunity. This is the true Zen of photography: An open mind that sees all, and a camera that snaps at the infinite.
Strong Emotional Impact:
What is the greatest compliment you can pay an artist...any artist? Think for a minute. In our culture it is (Arm extended, hand full of cash) Here!!! Take This!!! I have to have your photograph! You have said something visually so deeply impressive that it speaks to me and me alone. I HAVE to have your image on my wall! So, what is Quality? Quality is the essence of a photographic, or any artistic, image. It is a combination of technical control in your respective medium, developing a rapport with the subject (mountain or man made) you wish to portray, doing in so in such a manner that others can understand your motivation; seeing it uniquely as no -other could, and imbuing that image with the emotion you first experience when the subject/moment was instantaneously new to you. This is the Zen of Quality...the other half of which is living right, making each day count, and recognizing, to paraphrase Pirsig, every image you make either rises toward, or falls away from, the Quality you seek in your life on a daily basis. If you would like to view more of Herb Ascherman's work, be sure to visit www.ascherman.com
 PHOTO: Herb Ascherman
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
© 2002 - 2008 Take Great Pictures |
|||||||||||||||||||
