Pillars
Technical Detail:
Film: RG400 pushed to 800
Camera: Elan IIE
Lens: 100mm Canon EF USM
Aperture: f/32
Shutter: 1/90 sec
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VISUAL THINKING by Maverik
# THE HISTORY
Over the course of time, 1826-2001, photography has established itself as an effective medium for the visual expression of a person's emotional response to something that he finds visually stimulating. A lot of
people use this medium to create a verisimilitude of what they see and in doing so they produce a mere record of faces and places. These pictures jog the memory of only the photographer have meaning to those few associated with the picture (not to say that there is anything wrong in this...if the message of the photograph is as simple as 'this is me standing in front of the white house'...so be it). Some transcend beyond this functional aspect and create works of art,
pictures that express ideas, mood, and emotion. These pictures command interest and attention and are worth a thousand words as the cliche goes.
Ancient man communicated through drawings and aintings done on rocks and other media. Communication was essentially through visual expression. Visual communication however took a back seat after the advent of language, an expression in written and verbal form. The advent of photography has renewed the intrest in visual thinking. Unless you are sitting alone in the middle of the Arctic, you are bound to stumble across some photographs if you look around.
Today, the importance of visual communication is rapidly approaching verbal communication (photographs in magazines, advts, movies) and yet there are not many
visual thinkers around. We understand the meaning of a word perfectly clear. When someone says "This is so soft", we know exactly what he is saying. How about expressing softness purely visually through a photograph or a sculpture ?
Effective communication requires that both, the photographer and the viewer understand and think in terms of a common syntax. The ability of a picture to make a viewer sense the photographer's feelings and his emotional responses to the visual qualities of a
subject is directly proportional to the photographer's
effectiveness in organizing the picture, which is visual expression of an idea and also on the viewer's ability to think visually and feel, which is the visual understanding or appreciation of the graphic art.
In what follows, I have tried to expand upon this concept of visual expression and appreciation of ideas and mood.
# ELEMENTS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN
To start with, there is nothing ugly or beautiful (from the photographer's point of view). It is said so because the basic elements that express ideas visually are lines, tones, shapes, form, color and texture. What can be beautiful or not so beautiful about them ? These elements are like the A, B, C, D..'s of visual language and every conceivable scene can be expressed as a synthesis of these elements. When all or part of these elements are combined together into a photograph, then, that final expression is found to be either pleasing or not so pleasing to the eye...beautiful, ugly, dizzy..whatever.
These basic elements of photographic design are present all around us as I have tried to depict in the photograph of the pillars outside the library
at the university and most of us don't even perceive these elements.
The visual language is not hard and fast. There is no set grammar or rules of composition, for example: there is no universally accepted rule that tells you which colors you can or cannot juxtapose. The final
picture is a result of the photographer's intuition and creativity in synthesizing a combination of the elements of design. It is possible that some pictures fail to evoke any feeling in you and get classified as mediocre....sometimes as if touched by an angel, all
the elements come together..and you find yourself appreciating the photograph.The elements of design thus enable a photographer to extend his emotions
and influence the viewer emotionally and intellectually.
# VISUAL THINKING
Musicians express mood through sound, either happiness or sombre mood or something else. Poets play with words and draw you into the world they create.
Chefs with their culinary delights appeal to the sense of taste. Photographer's try to develop harmony into their picture by developing subtle relationships
among the elements of graphic design with the intent of communicating an idea. I have seen many people try verbalize the content of a picture. They put in their story and convince themselves and others of the idea by means of a verbal expression. This verbal expression rarely does justice to the visual expression of the artist. You have to 'see' and 'feel', there is no place for words. Easier said than done, and I am not even sure how to explain.
Suppose you close you eyes and sense that particular
smell which exists in a house that has it's floor smeared with cow-dung (shenane saravlele ghar). This simple stimulus can transport you into ...makes you feel the rustic village atmosphere, isn't it ? ...so
it should be with pictures.
A photographer visual thinking involves discovering the presence of such elements of graphic design in a subject. He then chooses to make only those elements dominant that express his ideas most effectively
and he subordinates all of those elements that do not contribute to his idea. His picture is successful if the viewer feels what the photographer wants the viewer to feel after looking at a particular arrangement of lines, colors etc., presented to him. At times, a picture is meant to evoke the feeling of calmness and serenity, sometimes the picture evokes a feeling of motion, dynamism and tension, sometimes it will be glamour or the photographer may want you to
feel the crisp cold winter air or feel the freshness of a meadow.
More often than not we tend to look at pictures and think 'it is beautiful' or 'not beautiful' and move on. I would rather that one verbalize to himself his emotions after looking at such art work. This verbalization will help the viewer acknowledge the emotion that you feel upon being subjected to a visual stimulus.
Does the picture draw me into the mood that it is supposed to express ?
Anyone who looks at the picture above can tell me that they are huge vertical cylindrical pillars. Sunlight is coming in from the left side that creates a gradation from light to dark ...it is a little
grainy....blah blah blah .... and that will do little to make that person of anyone else appreciate the picture either more or less.
Someone will look at the picture, become impressed with the visual qualities and like it. There will be others who dislike the work and nothing can convince them otherwise. The photograph must impress
by visual qualities alone and not by the caption following the photograph :)
Then the photographer has communicated his idea (and you have understood the expression) through the sense of sight only !
The picture must express all these is to say without the need for supplementary text.
I have tried to communicate "strength and stability" through the massive structure of the columns. If you did not feel it, I have failed to communicate my idea visually. It is possible that you felt something
else (in which case I will give myself some credit :)) or the viewer did not feel anything after looking at the photograph in which case I have failed as a photographer (which is most likely) or that perhaps the viewer was unable to acknowledge his emotions (possible).
The next time you see a picture, painting, sculpture....anything visual...
maybe an abstract art....or a modern art (most people describe as 'kay veda artist ahe...he tar mala pan karta yeil ..ikde tikde ranga faasle...char pach reghotya oodhlya ki zaale')...whatever, try to acknowledge 'what does that visual stimulus make you feel?'
[ This is not to say that there aren't any sham artists around who will try to pass on junk art !! ......but if you can feel, you can evaluate the success of a picture...distinguish effective from the not so effective ]
# CLOSURE
There is much much more to visual thinking than what is presented here and the point of this article to to get one started on thinking about developing the basic pleasures of discovering exciting lines, shapes, form, colors, texture, like a child who see's things for the
first time. There is as much beauty in the texture of a rusting piece of iron as there is in a rose petal or the texture of moss gathered on the trunk of a tree....all of them visually excite my mind.
There is infinite beauty in nature as well as man-made artifacts and everything you need to perceive it and feel is right there between your ears (yeah right...it is the eyes :-) and we have been fortunate enough to be bestowed upon with a pair of em).
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