On the Edges

Today I want to talk a bit about framing. Not about the process of putting a picture in a frame, but about taking an excerpt of one‘s surrounding and making a picture out of it. In photography, they way you do this determines the quality of your art. Together with pressing the shutter at the right time, of course. Photography is easy *1), you just need to get two things right.

I Dreamt of the Bechers Tonight

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Pattern Recognition

With apologies to William Gibson
Our brain seems hungry to find pattern in the chaos. It’s a functional principle I like to play with in an ongoing series. My brain in turn seeks out patterns in nature and makes me photograph them in a way both revealing to and demanding from the viewer.

Seeing What You’re Doing, Or Not

Sometimes you've got to frame your art carefully

Here’s another practical experience with the Leica M9 and the Elmar f/3.4 24 mm. I’ve been photographing a friend’s exhibition opening here in Berlin the day before yesterday.

Chercher ne signifie rien en art. Ce qui compte, c’est trouver (P.Picasso)

© Robert Dosineau

Don’t worry, this ‘blog hasn’t turned french. Thanks to my daughter, who has to write a school essay on this quote from Picasso, I was reminded of self-confident way this godfather of modern art worked.

Art and Fetishism

What is a fetish? A substitute object for a prime desire.
Why is it important in the context of art? Art makes fetishes.
What is the relation between artist and fetish? Purveyor and victim.
How can an artist fall victim to fetishism?
By favoring materials and methods over expression.
Hear that, ye photographers!

Analog informs Digital

Meadow Detail, from an Experiment with Nik Silver Efex Pro

In the process of getting used to Aperture, I’ve found some very useful and unique plugins from Nik Software.

Short and Sweet One

“All art is at once surface and symbol,”
Oscar Wilde wrote.
“Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.
Those who read the symbol do so at their peril.
It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.”

Quote stolen from a speech by Stephen Fry.