The technology for photography has transcended in the 21st century with color photos and the extraordinary ease of taking them, capturing reality as photographers see it ever more vividly. The tradition of formal family photographs is long gone, or at least the majority of the time a camera is not used to take formal family photographs anymore. Instead, we are more concentrated in taking photographs of ourselves, our families, and our surroundings. Personally for me, that’s true. I do not take photography as seriously and take pictures of things that only interest me. The depths of those photographs, however, can be questioned. I think, if there are any definite aspects, what sets apart a great photograph from a typical one lies in its selectivity and unique perspective, taking the two terms as defined by Berenice Abbott and Alexander Rodchenko, respectively.
Although Ken Light and Larry Sultan’s writings speak well of photography, I find Abbott’s and Rodchenko’s to be more revealing of what photography is. In Rodchenko’s views, a photograph is supposed to capture daily life as we see it in a variety of perspectives, not just “from the belly button.” Everything would be boring if we all look at the same object in the same way. And therefore, Rodchenko proposes, “We who are accustomed to seeing the usual, the accepted, must reveal the world of sight. We must revolutionize our visual reasoning” (Rodchenko). In a sense, that’s what fills our lives with colors. We may participate in the same activity but we can have different takes on it, and that’s what a picture is set out to show – the different perspectives. For example, a regular floor lamp photo might look plain taken from a person looking at it a few feet away, but it would or might look very unique from top or bottom view.
As for Abbott, she stresses the importance of selectivity and draws attention to photographers as an artist, differing from those who paints, sings, or plays an instrument. To Abbott, “A photograph is not a painting, a poem, a symphony, a dance. It is not just a pretty picture, not an exercise in contortionist techniques and sheer print quality. It is or should be a significant document, a penetrating statement, which can be described in a very simple term–selectivity … it should be focused on the kind of subject matter which hits you hard with its impact and excites your imagination to the extent that you are forced to take it” (Abbott). In other words, a photograph is not a fashion statement; it should be something that the photographer is hooked by. A photograph is hollow if the photographer is not “forced” to capture it.
Both photographers show great passion in their occupation and is reflected clearly through their writing. Perspectives, together with selectivity, seem to be the highlight of a great photograph. It shows the creativity of the photographer and its ingenious freshness that it brings to the viewers. What these two emphasize might just be what separates a regular photograph to an amazing one.
Five Terms:
Auxiliary Lens: An add-on optical device that changes the focal length of the prime lens for zooming in and out of focus, and other special effects in photography. It usually comes in +1, +2, and +3 powers; the higher the number the greater the magnification.
Darkroom: Although not used much anymore, it was once the work space for developing and printing photographic film and making prints. Digital cameras, computers and printing replaced that.
Exposure: The amount of light that enters the lens and strikes the film or sensor. Exposures are broken down into aperture (the diameter of the opening of the lens) and shutter speed (the amount of time the light strikes the film). Thus, exposure is a combination of the intensity and duration of light.
Frame: The outer borders of a picture, or its ratio of the height to width (now). Before when rolls for cameras were still in used, it is the individual image on a roll of film.
Tripod: A three-legged device with a platform or head for attaching the camera. It is used to steady the camera when taking a photo. (Note: It is most useful for exposures longer than 1/30 second, or when a constant framing must be maintained throughout a series of shots)
Funny Photo:
Textbooks… make me sleepy… zzz…
