“To See and Not See,” by Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks was a doctor who studied the life of a middle aged man named Virgil, who lost his eyesight as a child. Regaining his eyesight later on in life altered his future more than anyone had ever imagined. One of the most interesting aspects behind this miracle was that he was not able to adjust to the world after seeing it properly. The readjustment was so hard for him leading him to be hospitalized and redeveloping health problems. I think this goes to show how subjective the world is to us. We all experience it differently. Sometimes it can be more overwhelming for others, sometimes certain factors outweigh other factors, and sometimes others can see more or less than the average.
Reference:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/05/10/to-see-and-not-see#:~:text=A%20NEUROLOGIST’S%20NOTEBOOK%20about%20Virgil,he%20partially%20relost%20his%20sight.
Eugene Atget
Eugene Atget was a French photographer born in 1857 in Libourne, France and died in 1927 in Paris, France. Before becoming a photographer, he worked as an actor, but shortly realized he wanted to take part in a more visual art form. Atget was known for working with a large view format camera, in which he used to capture the essence of Paris’ streets and architecture during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Atget’s primary focus was working with space and the overall ambience of his locations, hence why he did not photograph people as much as landscapes and cityscapes. He felt as though the overall culture of France was heavily based on its outside look rather than only its people. Eugene Atget captured photographs as a way to document the history of France, signifying how much he connected with his own culture.
Source:
www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/atgt/hd_atgt.htm
Eugene Atget: PechaKucha Presentation
“Eye, Heart and Mind”
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s vision in the art of photography have changed the way I look at photographs. It is all up to the photographer how an image comes out, not the camera nor the subject or the background. The picture speaks for itself.
One of the most interesting things I read about Cartier-Bresson’s process was that he always found a way to get to a certain location just for the shot. It was always worth it to him no matter how hard it was to get there. Many photographers like to stick to their comfort spaces, where they tend to not branch out to unfamiliar ones. Letting yourself go out past those familiar places enables you to capture other parts of the world you never would have thought of in the first place.
Another interesting idea I stumbled upon was the extreme difference between photography and painting. I never really considered them to be too different as I do work from photographs myself when I paint. However, something that stands out with photography is that you cannot omit anything you do not want the viewer to see. Just like in painting, many artists leave out certain details from their reference photos. Photography forces the photographer to work with all the detail and imperfections that their subject and background have to offer. They are all directly incorporated into the image already, and it is the photographer’s creative decision about how to depict them.