Category: Documentary

What do people, places and things look like – photographed?

I’m always amazed when people look at photographs of themselves and say things like, “I look old and fat…” or “I look awful…” I look at the same photograph and think, “I’ve managed to capture your beauty.” It makes me wonder what they see in the mirror. Garry Winogrand said, “I photograph to find out what something will look like photographed.” It would seem that many people do not want to know what they “look like.” Every now and again, mostly while checking the light for some other photograph, I too wonder what I look like photographed.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 50 mm Summilux Asph

Whimsical Wednesday

Okay. Some weeks ago (over on the LUG) Wednesday acquired weird as an appropriate midweek photographic post; followed a week or two later by someone feeling more comfortable with wacky. As I consider photographs for this genre of midweek posts, whether new subjects or images from my archives, other related “w” words came to mind — such as wild, waggish (for old times sake) and for this week even whimsical. For me these will open up the Wednesday challenge a bit while remaining, I believe, true (enough) to the spirit of the original visual quest.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 50 mm Summilux Asph

Just a photograph

Photographers may document their lives; where they travel; who they meet; what they see. Sometimes they attempt to create a photograph that may qualify as “art” or even “Art.” Sometimes they create fictional photographs; or advertising; or portraits; or illustrations; or they  may document wars, disasters, weddings, funerals and other events of every sort.

The times, when they click the shutter simply because “a photograph” appears before them demanding existence, as such (and for no other purpose whatsoever), may say the most about both the photographer and photography. Just a photograph. An object. To look at. Nothing more. Nothing less.

(click photograph for larger view)

Leica M8, 28 mm Summicron Asph