Choice Who’s?
Choice. Say it ……. and let it linger there alone in the air. What’s it mean? Just hear the word alone. What comes to mind?
Choice and the creative process. The picture you just took involves choice, first, you liked what you saw so you chose to shoot it. Then there is film, fast-slow? B+W or color? Negs or transparencies? Exposure, shutter speed, aperture and their relationship to depth of field? Lens, wide, tele, normal, what’s that? Light, filters, angle of view to name a few.
The most important choice is to make all the choices! Every picture has been taken before, every lighting design, print process all done before, what separates your image is the imprint of your soul on the photograph. The more choices you make the more the photograph is you/yours!
In 1971 I chose to buy my first new Nikon F, two years later I chose to buy a 1969 F used. The 1971 I later sold in a slow period. The ‘ 69 I still use almost daily. What a concept that something would last a lifetime. I remember my first up-grade I was in New Hampshire on vacation with my parents and there it was on the side of the road. A sign saying up-grade so up the steep incline we went and the only cost was the extra gas {around .20$ a gal} that the old Studebaker used, and that was refunded on the down-grade as we coasted down the other side.
Up-grade doesn’t quite hang there in the air with the panache of “choice?” What’s it mean? Just hear the word alone. What comes to mind?
In another thread Tom just realized that old negatives and prints from 65years ago were of very high quality, as good as today maybe. Sixty five years without an upgrade wow. Now we have, in the last decade learned so much that every six months we have so much new technology that we have to upgrade and even more amazing all this new knowledge seems to coincide with Christmas and spring weddings and graduations. Choice who’s? Well it is time for me to flip the record on the turntable. enjoy pjcOriginally written for a column on Traditional Photographic Art about five years ago. In that time “You” have chosen to upgrade your diggie and software 3.33 times. Or was it Ashton Kutcher and all that TV cleavage that made your choice? enjoy pjc
here's to keeping up with the times 😉
Peter thank you so much for posting that photo today…you have no idea how appropriate it is today.
Peter, I loved reading this. And to hear that you still use the 1969. Somehow this statement is like, I don't know…like silence. Or peace. Not updrading means be happy with what we have. Already we are too rich, and instead of using our resources, we waste time looking for new ones.
The picture of the tatood lady. I love the perspective, her tatoos, so ornamental, the varnish on her toenails, and her posture.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and YOUR photographs.
love
Andrea
"Choice. Say it ……. What's it mean? Just hear the word alone. What comes to mind?" => Abortion.
Sorry; words today are mere cues. Few words have their original meanings. Our minds have been pre-programmed for us; we have little choice even with words. Can I choose to say fag and have you think of a cigarette? Or say gay when I just mean happy? Or call a rooster a cock? How about laying, but only an egg?
When we do choose to choose, how much of it is conscious? Do we not just apply the stock algorithms we have learned over the years and internalized? What else is learning? Little neural circuits in our brains (instead of on the camera chip or computer) that automate frequently used actions. Can we start every day as if it were a totally new experience? Would we really want to? What are we but the stream of memories and automated circuits we have built up over the years?
"What are we but the stream of memories and automated circuits we have built up over the years?
Built up or brain washed?
Wow 🙂 Awesome. I agree with you peter. Artists portraits is the soul of an artist and you have shown in this post. Thanks to share this fabulous post.
Truly Amazing ! I agree with you whole heartily. Beautiful stories and you take it to a level of understanding that if the average person took the time( probably that they don’t have much of). They would learn to look and listen to there hearts what the eye of the Photographer is trying to resonate within them so a true connection is made and they feel more connected and look at the pictures of life unveiling before in every day things in a totally different way. Maybe mind expansion but that’s just my Guesstamation. Thank you for sharing and I feel a little more enlighten. I am just the Grasshopper, a Neophte and want to remain that way as to not get picked.