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In the previous article I indicated that taking photographs for yourself is entirely justified, and illustrated it with a picture of my bedroom. Except to illustrate the point, I'd never show that image - it's for me only.
Today I show an image that I think works very nicely, yet I have never found anyone else who likes it. I'd like to see this image published, purchased, admired and so on, but I don't think it's going to happen any time soon.
I think the general consensus is that this image is too cluttered. I on the other hand think it looks a bit like a Chinese ideogram - those Chinese characters that represent entire words or ideas.
It would appear that I see patterns in this image where everyone else sees mess. Does that make me smarter (I doubt it) or is it possible that somehow I am making connections in ways that don't show in the picture - perhaps because I remember the place I took the picture, or because it reminds me of something, or perhaps I'm just odd (a definite possibility). I have no doubt that most of you will reject the image after a quick look. Still, it's going to be near the top of my blog for a few days and if you come back to it, I'm curious to see if your attitude will change (you could get to downright despise it).
4 comments:
Well, I see both the pattern and the clutter. Not sure what that makes me......
I think what you have here is a picture to view slowly. This means it might struggle in our instant impact world.
Thanks for the feedback - it will be interesting to see what you think in a week or so - could go either way, but instructive for me in either case.
Suspect this is one of those images that needs to be printed really really big. The large view makes a lot more sense than the thumbnail, and a big print would probably really draw you in.
You comments about how *you* perceive the image I think are completely on the mark, by underscoring the ineffable "personal" component that any viewer (including the photographer of course!) brings to an image. Others may resonante with an image, on various levels, though likely do so for reasons other than what was in the photographers mind/soul. One could argue that the "deepest" (most meaningful? in the purest sense of the word) images are those can come closest to capturing "universal motifs/experiences" so that the shared experience is just that: a truly "shared" experience in which a particular image evokes essentially the same kind of reaction for roughly the same reasons (that's rare).
In this case (an image which to *my* eyes is also rather beautiful), a viewer is likely to (as you point out) either immediately shut it out and move on or gently, slowly, peruse it for the message it communicates to a given viewer.
In fact, I would liken it to a landscape equivalent of one of Lee Friedlander's "urban chaotic" images in which at first glance SO much seems to be happening, yet, upon further reflection, is all seen to be part of much quieter beautiful "whole".
Well done; and thanks for sharing!
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