The Palette -- Explore Photographic Art to Help You See

"To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage." -- Georgia O'Keeffe

If you have been reading this blog, you will know that I paint.  That has been my lifelong artistic focus, but there are many other forms of the arts and sometimes a creative person in one medium crosses over into other areas of artistic interests.  And sometimes that doesn't really work.

Take photography for instance.  I am a great admirer of photographic art . . . but if I take a good snapshot with my little Sony Cyber-shot it's truly just by chance on my part and mostly due to advancements in these digital cameras like smile detection.  Half the time my snapshots are blurry because I moved too quick, or I am short and I tend to cut off people's heads (no, it's not on purpose because I am jealous of those over 5 feet tall) and many times the composition is off.  Some of the photos can be saved with cropping - but most missed moments are just that . . . missed.  A turned head, candles already blown out . . . but a true photographer gets those special shots. They capture the image perfectly and easily - or make it seemingly so.

I worked with a guy named John Brewer.  John's hobby was, and still is, photography.  His work was amazing and it grew into a nice side job as he would be hired to photograph events and would attend New England art fairs to sell prints of his work. 

One day a few summers ago, John came in the office and had some pictures from a family vacation to Martha's Vineyard.  He told the story of driving down the road with his wife and kids and stopping the car rather abruptly.  Backing the car up and explaining to his family to sit tight for a minute, he grabbed his handy camera and jumped out.  There, to the side of the road, was a magnificent shot of four Adirondack chairs sitting askew at great angles to pick up the setting sun and behind the chairs, darkness moving in with the crescent moon already shining in the sky.  It was a picture that probably only lasted for a few moments with the last flashes of the sunset making the chairs glow with its warmth against the cool night sky.  But he captured the shot - and I have a print hanging across from my desk that I enjoy every day.

Photography is an art.  And it's an art form that has changed a lot over the years - even over just the last 20 years.  My first job, the summer I graduated from high school, was at a commercial art shop in Woburn.  Our "design room" was in front of the darkroom.  I was very interested in what went on back there and, to a lesser degree, the guy that came and went through the dark room door.  He noticed my interest, in the dark room activities only, and showed me how film was developed.  I loved the work and watching the images develop in the tray before my eyes. 

The dark room is a bit dated now in the age of digital prints, and one might think that just about anyone with a digital camera can now take good pictures  . . . . but there is a craft, a creative flair, and an artistic eye needed for those really exceptional shots that distinguishes between someone taking a picture and someone who is passionate about the art of photography.

If photography is not your medium of choice, try it! It could help with the way you see your work.  It will also help if you are not an en plein air artist and prefer to work from your photographs.   Experiment with your camera - it can probably do a lot more than just snap a picture if you spend a little time with the instruction manual.  The most important thing it to have it with you to capture those fleeting moments of color and light or just the right scenery!

This weeks challenge: I grew up in Winchester where you will find the Griffin Museum of Photography.  The Griffin Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the art of photography.  It is a great little museum, on the water with a working water mill - picturesque in itself. Even if you are not a photographer now, you might want to visit and be inspired to try a more artistic approach to your everyday photography - and in that, you might capture an image that you want to sketch, or paint . . .