Julianna #3818
(c)2009 James W. Murray, all rights reserved.
(click image for larger version)
Details: July 4, 2009; Canon 20D; f/11 @ 1/100 sec; -2/3 EV; ISO 400; 50mm.
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It is unfortunately too rare for me to have the pleasure of viewing Julianna through my camera's lens, so when the opportunity presents itself I strive to make the best of it. (On the other hand both my father and step-daughter are willing subjects. Hannah's visage will certainly be featured here in future posts; in fact a hint of it can be found in entry 29.) This particular photograph was taken over the July 4th weekend, at a tiny farmer's market near Lakeport.
Those familiar with my body of work know that the majority of it consists of abstractions usually derived from inanimate objects (e.g., entries 10, 13, 26 and 31); any variations of this approach most often come in the form of nature shots (e.g., entries 27 and 38).
While one reason my oeuvre is so heavily weighted towards static subjects arises from my passion for the intrigues and delightful discoveries to be revealed in abstractions, I must confess to another explanation for my focus on inorganic subjects. Susan Sontag illuminates the matter in her book-length essay, On Photography, from which I offer a few quotes:
"There is an aggression implicit in every use of the camera." (pg. 7)
"As photographs give people an imaginary possession of a past that is real,
they also help people take possession of space and time in which they are
insecure." (pg 9)
"Many people are anxious when they're about to be photographed . . . because
they fear the camera's disapproval." (pg. 85)
For me, at least, it is one thing to take a considerable amount of time becoming intimately close to a pattern of condensation droplets on the surface of a vase, and quite another to risk the MUTUAL discomfort which is the predominant emotional response arising from attempting to photograph a person. Sontag's quote lifted from page 9 of On Photography speaks to the notion of hiding behind the lens - using the camera as a sort of shield (she elaborates on this thesis in the context of tourists in unfamiliar territory). In my case I am rather more often intensely, positively engaged - excited - when framing and "capturing" those found objects I choose to subject to my camera.
In recent months I've had a few chats with a fellow photography enthusiast about our mutual desire to turn our sights more on people (both candid shots and more formally posed situations). As Sontag's other observations suggest, the pursuit of this genre requires a degree of courage as compared to the relative shooting-fish-in-a-barrel emotional ease of photographing fountains and star trails. (Well, notwithstanding my perfectionist's angst and perpetually fervent hope that each and every image I produce will induce awe and reverence in my audience - whoa! Did I just admit that in public or was I just thinking again???)
All of which leads me to this: while my first love (photographically) will likely always be mining abstractions, I'm nonetheless increasingly motivated to get people in front of my Canon. My father has been a recently agreeable subject in this vein; I'm hoping my wonderful Julianna will also gain more ease and willingness to put up with my digital intrusions.
In recent months I've had a few chats with a fellow photography enthusiast about our mutual desire to turn our sights more on people (both candid shots and more formally posed situations). As Sontag's other observations suggest, the pursuit of this genre requires a degree of courage as compared to the relative shooting-fish-in-a-barrel emotional ease of photographing fountains and star trails. (Well, notwithstanding my perfectionist's angst and perpetually fervent hope that each and every image I produce will induce awe and reverence in my audience - whoa! Did I just admit that in public or was I just thinking again???)
All of which leads me to this: while my first love (photographically) will likely always be mining abstractions, I'm nonetheless increasingly motivated to get people in front of my Canon. My father has been a recently agreeable subject in this vein; I'm hoping my wonderful Julianna will also gain more ease and willingness to put up with my digital intrusions.
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