I recently read, as part of my current research, a few pages of the book Image Makers Image Takers by Anne-Celine Jaeger which interviews successful photographers and important curators and art collectors on photography, their background, and their unique approach to the art. A few things stand out, such as the realization that 'seeing' in photography is an active pursuit (IMIT) and that 'a way of seeing' is who we are, how we think and how you create images (Mary Ellen Mark). Developing a unique perspective is not something that can be done. Developing the skills to take a point of view further can happen by learning and becoming technically fluent. "It has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them" (Elliott Erwitt). 'A way of seeing' is not something that can be learned. Perhaps it can change forms and expression but it comes from our interior in such way that if it can actually be expressed on paper or tangible image/object, a part of our soul and state of mind is imprinted on the created work. An essence of who we are can be portrayed through and through.
"We must always remember a picture is also made up of the person who looks at it" (Robert Doisneau). That is, the viewer is as much a part of creating and finishing a work as the artist or photographer is. The work is not complete without a dialogue or an impression. Is this a good thing? To some extent, recognizing this may help the artist create while letting go and becoming more free but to another, becoming conscious of an audience can be tunnel visioned and too focused hence, cliche or trying too hard. "I know what I think as an artist but it's impossible to say what other people might think" (Thomas Demand). Often viewers project their own embarrassment and discomfort, their own experiences, and at times, viewers are incapable of looking beyond or deeper into a difficult image (Mary Ellen Mark). But, "it belongs to education to get beyond the point of mere likes and dislikes," (Josef Albers), an education that goes past one's own personal experiences to those of others like and unlike us. The same is true for the artist but the same is applied or expressed in slightly different ways. Therefore, "conscious attention, a condition of seeing the world in a heightened state of awareness," (Shore) may or may not be our best ally. It is all matters of perception.
