Chapter 2: Atmosphere Atmos is a Greek word meaning “vapor.” Sphaira means “sphere.” Combined, scientists use the word “atmosphere” to describe the layer of gases surrounding a planet, held in place by gravity. Artists have long understood that atmospheric effects contribute to the emotional tone of a painting or photograph. Misty variations in light and […]
Chapter 1: “Abstract” and “Abstraction” Introduction to the 13-part series The Soul of Photography chapters provided insight and guidance about the function of the aesthetic dimensions relative to creative expression. This begins a series that elaborates those features (“atmosphere,” “contrast,” “gradation,” etc.) with an emphasis on application and technique. Also, I’ll show how the terms […]
Invitations This is the final posting in The Soul of Photography series. Next week begins the follow-on practical series, The Aesthetic Dimensions in Art and Society, which for 13 weeks characterizes the many dimensions—abstraction, atmosphere, contrast, form, key, geometry and so on—with an emphasis on technique. The series is intended to increase one’s aesthetic awareness […]
Chapter 8: Seeing the Divine Spark in People The apparent value of an old timepiece displayed on a table at an antique fair is increased by isolating it on a velvet cloth rather than placing it in a box with lots of other watches. Artists mat and frame their best works, and museums separate their […]
Chapter 7: The Transcendent Approach I asked ChatGPT (AI) to introduce this subject with a short poetic reflection on photography as an ideal medium for seeing beyond the senses. A Photographic Invocation Light is the oldest language. Before words, before memory—there was light falling on form. The camera does not invent beauty; it recognizes […]
Chapter 6: Wabi Sabi — The Japanese Aesthetic of Impermanence We tend to think of entropy as something “bad,” the inevitable tendency of matter to disintegrate, for all living things to die. As embodied creatures, we naturally would prefer to avoid this downward spiral—for ourselves, loved ones, pets, creations, cherished objects and the systems we’ve […]
Chapter 5: Particularity My wife and I occasionally visit antique stores and fairs. I walk up and down the many rows of vendors, looking for objects that might attract me, especially a quality of light and one or more of my aesthetic preferences. In the above image I found three of them—exquisite light, simplicity and […]
Chapter 4: Everyday Beauty Searching for opportunities to compose elements within a frame in ways that fed my aesthetic hunger, I frequented scrap yards, construction sites, abandoned buildings, empty fairgrounds, railroad graveyards and antique shops. As a consequence of creating order out of visual chaos, I was experiencing beauty in unconventional places and subjects. It […]
Chapter 3: Fine Art, Expression, Contemplation In the early 1950s, when I was introduced to photography, the debate was raging as to whether or not photography could be considered an art form. In January 1955 Edward Steichen launched an exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City entitled, The Family of Man. […]
Chapter 2: The Aesthetic Dimensions Artists working in visual media train themselves to perceive beyond looking by continuously imagining or creating actual frames around everything they see. After a while a pattern emerges in the subjects they choose and the materials and techniques that work best. Along with these, they develop certain aesthetic preferences—choices relating […]
Contemplative Photography 