Articles
Art starts in the viewfinder.
28/01/2025
There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.
This quote by Ansel Adams emphasises the importance of having a well-defined idea when creating a photograph. It suggests that capturing a technically perfect image is meaningless if the underlying idea or concept is unclear or poorly defined. It serves as a reminder for photographers to focus not only on the technical aspects but also on the clarity and coherence of their creative vision.
A second quote by Adams The negative is the score, the print is the performance, no matter how good the performance is if the score is rubbish then the performance is rubbish. You can not make a great print starting with a rotten negative. The ability to recognise a bad negative is a big part of darkroom work, or at least it should be. I don't always succeed as often a misguided aesthetic sense will take over and I will often pursue a lost cause. Invariably the opposite can also be true - a rotten print from a great negative is always and frequently possible.
One crucial aspect in photography when you are searching for an individual style is the ability to decide on the "look" that you want your final prints to have. It is important to learn how the final image can be affected by all the adjustments that are available to you. This can be camera adjustments or any manner of darkroom manipulation that enables you to realise your vision. With analogue it is a learning process of evaluating a negative and deciding which of those adjustments would possibly give you the final expressive print. The evaluation is usually based on an examination of the negative on a light box or when it is first projected on to the easel.
I've been told many times that my images have a very distinct look to them, and that people can tell my prints from the work of other photographers. This is possibly due to only working in monochrome and the subject matter that I choose, but also it is my own aesthetics and style that I have evolved over time.
If we pursue sharpness, correct exposure, sharp focus, and colour accuracy, we restrict our options in developing an individual style for our images.
Imperfect images are good for creativity, you create your own aesthetics. Imperfection gives you the freedom to be you, to be unique.
This quote by Ansel Adams emphasises the importance of having a well-defined idea when creating a photograph. It suggests that capturing a technically perfect image is meaningless if the underlying idea or concept is unclear or poorly defined. It serves as a reminder for photographers to focus not only on the technical aspects but also on the clarity and coherence of their creative vision.
A second quote by Adams The negative is the score, the print is the performance, no matter how good the performance is if the score is rubbish then the performance is rubbish. You can not make a great print starting with a rotten negative. The ability to recognise a bad negative is a big part of darkroom work, or at least it should be. I don't always succeed as often a misguided aesthetic sense will take over and I will often pursue a lost cause. Invariably the opposite can also be true - a rotten print from a great negative is always and frequently possible.
One crucial aspect in photography when you are searching for an individual style is the ability to decide on the "look" that you want your final prints to have. It is important to learn how the final image can be affected by all the adjustments that are available to you. This can be camera adjustments or any manner of darkroom manipulation that enables you to realise your vision. With analogue it is a learning process of evaluating a negative and deciding which of those adjustments would possibly give you the final expressive print. The evaluation is usually based on an examination of the negative on a light box or when it is first projected on to the easel.
I've been told many times that my images have a very distinct look to them, and that people can tell my prints from the work of other photographers. This is possibly due to only working in monochrome and the subject matter that I choose, but also it is my own aesthetics and style that I have evolved over time.
If we pursue sharpness, correct exposure, sharp focus, and colour accuracy, we restrict our options in developing an individual style for our images.
Imperfect images are good for creativity, you create your own aesthetics. Imperfection gives you the freedom to be you, to be unique.