Chapter 8: Form The shape of an object within a pictorial frame is two-dimensional. To emphasize its three-dimensions, artists use a variety of techniques to emphasize “form.” This can be “soft,” increasing a sense of presence, as if the viewer could feel the subject’s surface. Or “rigid,” angular or brittle, not inviting the sense of […]
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. […]
Being in the “Now” evokes an appreciation of “Being” itself In this image I observe and celebrate impermanence and the aesthetic of the present moment, happenings that are will never be seen again. Capturing them is one of the unique features of photography. In this instance, the patterns and textures lasted perhaps a day at […]
Paying attention to that which attracts There are many ways that photography can feed the soul. As the print of this image was taking shape in the developer, my heart was activated before I even had a chance to reflect on the subject matter. Later, I decided to contemplate the impulse of heart activation, what […]
The wider our view, the more we can encompass In a previous blog I noted that it’s the brain that sees, not the eyes which send data via electrical impulses to the brain where they are interpreted to make seeing instantaneously possible. The image above, taken with a zoom lens, reveals something about perception—beyond merely […]
There is no chance and anarchy in the universe. All is system and gradation. Every god is there sitting in his sphere. Ralph Waldo Emerson From atoms to galaxies the sphere is a prominent form because it requires the least amount of energy to form and has the least possible area for the […]
Aesthetically speaking, “gradation” refers to a gradual or graded change. Artists refer to it as a grading of “values.” In color photography, gradiation can be a transition from one hue to another or to a different saturation or brightness. In black and white, it’s a transition from light to dark or from one texture to […]
Contemplative Photography 