Photography Endeavors

So much of our experiences in living derive from our sensory activities and processing and for the most part we are either aware of it or unconscious of it as it is a natural mechanism.


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.

Reinventing the Wheel

After months of not stopping by for some ladidadida, I've gone through old posts and deleted some that, although I wrote them with some heart, I do not feel they are completely in tune with who I am. I tried to be honest but I couldn't get over the idea that putting stuff on here, means I could or could not have an audience so I wrote but I wrote conservatively and didn't take the risks I thought I'd be taking. Mind me, this time around, things might not be any different but I feel like reinventing myself. We'll see where this goes.


I'm fueled by the want and need to climb out of the black hole I've been in for the past year. Over my dark times, I've attempted many things none of which have been giving me the results I wanted. My career and personal goals are quite large and nothing seems to really have a clear ending or future and the thought of this uncertainty is both thrilling and nerve wrecking. I've taken up projects and connected with people having high expectations that have been let down over and over again. Who's to blame?


So ladidadida. I'm on my way to discover and create new things, to develop different perspectives and view things from a different POV, to draw inspirations and experience life outside of a tunnel context. We all have issues with control and our attempts to be in charge of our own destinies but sometimes we have to let go. No more closed dialogues between me, myself, I, and the rest. There's great issues with perception now a days and while we live in a society that is so connected, versatile, fickle, active, informed, controversial, and loud, the way we see and perceive reality is mixed up among these things. There are people out there who are very talented and smart and are capable of keeping up; there's others, like me, that are confused and overwhelmed.


So now, with a new found purpose, I can only hope to make the beginnings of an incredible body of work capable of transcending some barriers of time and if not, capable of changing through time to reveal things I might have overlooked and/or to connect with new meanings and contexts. Wish me luck!

You can clean around the wound, but if you want it to heal, it just takes time.

-  Future Islands, Lyrics from Balance