52 Weeks Of Creative Exposure : week 8

I am no historian, but the human intellect intrigues me. Imagine, Thomas Wedgewood trying to create the first silhouette on paper …with a device that remotely resembled a camera ( camera obscure). You read about Aristotle and his observation about light and light rays, “sunlight traveling through small openings between the leaves of a tree, the holes of a sieve, the openings wickerwork, and even interlaced fingers will create circular patches of light on the ground.” This was hundreds of years before us…the curiosity of the mind has surpassed the very definition of creativity - it has broken all bounds and rules. It was not feeding ‘ instant gratification’ instead it was seeking to quench the intellectual thirst. Don’t get me wrong ….am one of the breed that’s born to seek instant gratification too. 

Am part of many photography forums on different social media, many of them do critique and am partner in crime…constant chatter about photography not being photography if it is post processed, if elements are added and removed….17th century Dutch masters like Vermeer had a lot of details in his painting, it is widely speculated some of the masters like him used a camera - a highly debatable controversy. I look at Vermeer’s work and marvel gasp and am blown away - camera or no camera…it was his vision and it does not make it any way lesser if he had used a camera. And camera then was a basic box with a pin hole. Does it really matter - in the long run it’s art, you work on your strengths and you use tools to help you minimize your weaknesses. You create what is your vision. Artists are supposed to have a wide open outlook, just like scientists - open to possibilities. 

Critique is great but at the end of the day it is your vision - have the conviction in your work, not convincing in your voice. Be true to your art,  believe in what you create. Truth, honesty is such an  intangible but that is what come out in a master piece. I look at all the amazing masterpieces and work of art that moves me and somewhere internally I cry a bit; at my own inadequacy as an artist. As an artist my ambition is not to push myself to capture a pinsharp image in the darkness of night…that’s technical brilliance.  To me it is to see a vision of light, to create magic, to create art that touches my soul - that makes me what to look at it ….I am still a work in progress and still searching for that, that’s my journey as a photographer….

I love to ramble, and when I ramble to myself I get clarity of thought…am not sure if I have been able to explain what am trying to say here…but in a nutshell I mean : don’t look for appreciation or critique or validation of your work, be true to who you are.  I really really hope this does not sound like a ‘gyan’ post. I hate preaching, so sorry if it sounds like it…

This shot has been motivated by a splash photograph from my friend Rajagopal. He has used speed lights…but I wanted to try it with natural light and on a sunny day did just that. Thanks Rajgopal for your image, it made me think and push myself and also I got some much needed exercise - it’s a messy shot ;)

Here is the tutorial from his blog with speed light. My images are purely natural light.

Have a wonderful weekend!