"What's the whole point of taking pictures?"

[AndyCapp]

As a wise man once said: if I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand.

Another wise man said: "If you cannot explain it clearly, you probably do not understand it yourself."
(The catch: The problem might be in my understanding or your explanation)

 

[AndyCapp]

I have always had an impulse to create art. As a kid I drew and painted a lot but put this aside as an adult when work, marriage and life in general took over. Now retired, I can revisit my childhood aspirations to be an artist. I almost always attempt to insert some kind of artistic "jiggery pokery" into my photography as I find plain photography not much to my taste. In this respect I find inspiration in the early work of the likes of Belgian pictorialist photographer, Leonard Missone or the color work of Saul Leiter and others who had a distinct artistry in their photography.

Thank you for mentioning Leonard Misonne.

​

 

[boojum]

Appreciated!
I have spent some time reading the answers. Some prejudices were enforced, and some new logic was revealed. The most important revelation is the diversity of thinking in such a small group that, for the outsider, might seem homogenous. I am not a philosopher; it is only my head that keeps asking: "Why is it like that, and what if it weren't?" I hate philosophers who cannot tell the difference between words and things, ideas and happenings.
Can you name a philosopher who has lived during the last 50 years and whose impact is felt in modern Western culture?
(Not Derrida, Foucault, or Zizek)
I got more of this thread than probably anybody else. I thank all participants from my heart.

BTW: In more than one instance, I have noticed that people from Down Under have more sense than most.

"I have noticed that people from Down Under have more sense than most." This is only true if you agree with them and are free of culture bias.

 

[AndyCapp]

"I have noticed that people from Down Under have more sense than most." This is only true if you agree with them and are free of culture bias.

I could give numerous examples, but I do not want to get political, so I am ending it here.
What might my cultural bias be? I was born a Finn and lived in the States, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Paris, Burgundy, Martinique, and La Réunion.
I speak four languages and read five.
I read books, watch films, and listen to music from all continents. I read news from many divergent sources. Curiosity keeps me alive.
I aim to learn new things about the world rather than dwell on my old prejudices or baseless beliefs.
If you have sensed a cultural bias in me, please tell me what it is, OK?

 

[agentlossing]

I could give numerous examples, but I do not want to get political, so I am ending it here.
What might my cultural bias be? I was born a Finn and lived in the States, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Paris, Burgundy, Martinique, and La Réunion.
I speak four languages and read five.
I read books, watch films, and listen to music from all continents. I read news from many divergent sources. Curiosity keeps me alive.
I aim to learn new things about the world rather than dwell on my old prejudices or baseless beliefs.
If you have sensed a cultural bias in me, please tell me what it is, OK?

I think you're still a Finn at heart, Finns think a little differently, and they're not afraid to let you know

 

[Retro-Grouch]

BTW: In more than one instance, I have noticed that people from Down Under have more sense than most.

Of course; it was settled by criminals, misfits, and outsiders!

 

[raydm6]

The deeper question: Does water drain in opposite directions - northern vs. southern hemispheres?

Which way does water go down a drain?

Dr Karl investigates if water really drains anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise Down Under.

www.australiangeographic.com.au

 

[boojum]

I could give numerous examples, but I do not want to get political, so I am ending it here.
What might my cultural bias be? I was born a Finn and lived in the States, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Paris, Burgundy, Martinique, and La Réunion.
I speak four languages and read five.
I read books, watch films, and listen to music from all continents. I read news from many divergent sources. Curiosity keeps me alive.
I aim to learn new things about the world rather than dwell on my old prejudices or baseless beliefs.
If you have sensed a cultural bias in me, please tell me what it is, OK?

I think that your statement demonstrates cultural bias in itself. And the Germans are orderly, the Swiss precise, the French great lovers, the English lousy cooks and so on. And oh yes, the Australians are more sensible than most, I almost forgot them. Your statement on its surface is cultural bias and then to be blind to it just makes it worse. LMAO We are all flawed.

Isn't this a camera board?

 

[Richard G]

Andy Capp started the thread and kept it going well. Cultural bias was only raised as a generic trait of putative third persons. Suggest reset here.

PS I have no preconceived notions of what Finns are like.

 

[AndyCapp]

The deeper question: Does water drain in opposite directions - northern vs. southern hemispheres?

Which way does water go down a drain?

Dr Karl investigates if water really drains anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise Down Under.

www.australiangeographic.com.au

Water draining spontaneously from an undisturbed bassin assumes a clockwise rotation on the Northern hemisphere (as seen from above) and the opposite on the Southern hemisphere. This has been tested and verified and the force causing it is called the Coriolis phenomenon.
The name comes from a French mathematician who lived in the 1700s.
The force is related to the Earth's rotation and is very weak of nature. On a bigger scale, we see it in action in how winds blow and oceacn currents flow.
I heard about it when I was 10.

 

[peterm1]

I went to see your Flickr. You take beautiful pictures, which I highly appreciate. You've got it, the "je ne sais pas quoi." I like the way you use pastel colors, and how you selectively enhance and brighten the main points.
I am jealous of artists, as I am only a romantic who can read manuals. Artistry is something people are born with. It is like the musical ear; it cannot be taught. Some people run fast or jump very high; those are talents, too.
I am happy that you finally let your artist out. Courage!

Thanks Andy. It is much appreciated and I take heart from your words. An artist really does not create for other people. They create to satisfy some inner urge and sense of beauty. (Which is what I take from all of this.)

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Gives me a chance to use both sides of the brain at the same time, as well as hand-eye coordination.

 

[JohnWolf]

….Can you name a philosopher who has lived during the last 50 years and whose impact is felt in modern Western culture?….

Jack Kerouac. Allen Ginsberg. RamDas. Alan Watts. Everything changed back then.

 

[oldhaven]

Using a camera makes me look at things more closely, even if I don’t take a picture. And when I do take one, the result surprises me with what was there that I didn’t see.

 

[AndyCapp]

Using a camera makes me look at things more closely, even if I don’t take a picture. And when I do take one, the result surprises me with what was there that I didn’t see.

You made a good point. Photography has taught me a lot about looking and seeing. Our vision is a fantastic gift.

 

[AndyCapp]

Jack Kerouac. Allen Ginsberg. RamDas. Alan Watts. Everything changed back then.

I'll check them out. Thanks.
Checked. I say "mu".

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Using a camera makes me look at things more closely, even if I don’t take a picture. And when I do take one, the result surprises me with what was there that I didn’t see.

True- I also think of it as taking notes when listening to an instructor or someone giving a technical brief- "burns it into the Brain" and more likely to remember the talk. Using a camera to record life events helps to remember them.

 

[AndyCapp]

True- I also think of it as taking notes when listening to an instructor or someone giving a technical brief- "burns it into the Brain" and more likely to remember the talk. Using a camera to record life events helps to remember them.

This goes both ways. I have deleted hundreds of pictures lately. I threw away all my B&W negatives from decades back. Even their smell made me anxious. Man must know how to forget.

 

[boojum]

Andy Capp started the thread and kept it going well. Cultural bias was only raised as a generic trait of putative third persons. Suggest reset here.

PS I have no preconceived notions of what Finns are like.

They like lingonberries. ;o)

 

[boojum]

Eye hand coordination? Never, not for me. I have none. As the old adage goes, I couldn't hit a ball in the ass with a banjo. But, and this is big, the camera seems to trip something in me to see without seeing. I have gotten good photos that if I were contemplating photographing I never would have gotten. But the impulse from something deep inside causes me to frame and click. I do not understand it and do not need to. Perhaps the gut reflex photo is better than the contemplated one? I do not understand the mechanics at all but get good photos just "point and shoot" style. Call it dumb luck and be most accurate, I suppose. Regardless, it is fun and rewarding and makes me pick the machine up and use it.

Later, here is a photo I just stumbled upon. Had I contemplated this collection of buoys and lines I would have spent time debating whether or not to photograph it and how. But I was just alongside this moored fishing boat, looking down from the dock and just clicked. It has a lot of black which I like. It has good color and composition. This is my opinion. You may think this is pure crap and are entitled to that opinion. But if we both like it, great!