What photography means to me

    I think photography is a kind of language. After reading "Photography Changes Everything" by Marvin Heiferman, I realized that photography is not just for recording things, but also for influencing people's thoughts and encouraging them to act. In the book, Marvin says, "Photographs don't only show us things, they do things. They engage us optically, neurologically, intellectually, emotionally, viscerally, physically. They demand our scrutiny and interpretation. Photographs seduce and motivate us; they promote ideas, calm or excite us."  I was impressed because I had felt that impact firsthand and experienced how photography could influence my thoughts and actions. A while ago, I saw some beautiful pictures from Europe. They not only made me want to visit; they also fueled this deep desire to immerse myself in the culture, history, and landscape. On the other hand, the photos from my time in Japan brought back everything—vivid memories of the days I spent there, the familiar people I encountered every day, the streets I wandered, and the priceless moments in the place I call home. These memories inspired me to reach out and reconnect with loved ones, relationships that had existed long ago. And for me, that’s the magic of photography—it connects the past and the present, evokes nostalgia, and sometimes gives me the courage to act on it.

   Thus, there is more to a photograph than just looking at it. When we look at a photograph, we are reminded of and interested in the story or context surrounding it. For example, a photograph of a family not only documents a particular moment in time, but also evokes the relationships, emotions, and stories tied to that time. Images not only provide information, they stimulate curiosity and, in some cases, inspire collective action. I believe that photographs can also preserve fleeting moments and connect the past, present, and future. For example, historical photographs not only document important events, but also allow us to recognize, interpret, and influence those moments. These emotional connections can lead to contacting old friends, revisiting memorable places, and taking action to preserve memories for future generations. Thus, photography is not only an artistic and documentary tool, but also a medium that moves us, connects us, and motivates us to take meaningful steps in our lives.

    When it comes to inspiration, I get inspiration from all sorts of places. First is Pinterest. I use it a lot because it’s so convenient and practical, I can use it anytime, anywhere. Art museums are another favorite place for me, especially during my free time or vacations. Whether it’s photography, painting, pottery, or crafts, I’ve learned that inspiration can come from anything if you’re open to it. And then there’s nature. It could be the stillness of the beach, the rugged beauty of the mountains, or just the patterns I notice in the world around me. My biology background often comes into play here—I find myself drawn to the intricate designs in living things. Somehow, all of these pieces come together to shape the way I see and create through photography.

    

コメント

コメントを投稿

このブログの人気の投稿

Edward Honaker

イメージ
  He is a photographer who has garnered attention for his self-portrait photographs of his own mental health experiences and aims to visually share emotions that words cannot explain. I was actually attracted to his photographs when I saw them. I feel a sense of solitude in many of his works. I thought from his picture that his technique was good such as his use of shadows, light, and reflections. In the photo above, I think he fixed the camera with a tripod and shot at a slow shutter speed, the person was blurred, and as a result, I could not read the person clearly, which led to a sense of uneasiness. Next is this picture. This photo changed the way I think about portraiture. By putting the cracks over the face where people pay the most attention, we don't get as clear an image as with the photo I talked about before. From there we get negative emotions such as loneliness and anxiety. This photo was the most shocking and also the most inspirational. The inspiration I got from thi...
続きを読む

Duane Michals / portrait inspiration

イメージ
  He is an American photographer who uses multiple exposures in portrait photography to create beautiful worldviews. His series of works contain stories that capture our interest when we see them.  The image on the top left is one of the photos that inspired me. The photo itself is simple and easy to post-production. But there is something attractive about it. When I thought about what it was, I thought it was a way of directing the viewer's perspective. This photo gets smaller as you move towards the middle. Therefore, the viewer's perspective moves towards the center and focuses on the face in the center. I applied this to create a work. In this photo, the photos get smaller as you move to the bottom left, and the largest and smallest ones are colored, while the others are monochrome. This leads the viewer's eye to the large face (top right) first, and then gradually foczuses on the image on the bottom left. Since the colored parts tend to attract attention, I created t...
続きを読む

Carolyn Drake

イメージ
She decided to pursue photography at the age of 30 and has since undertaken a wide range of projects in Central Asia and China. Her work is realistic and abstract, and sometimes uses collage. One representative project is "Wild Pigeon" in the Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Collages are also used in this project.   The photo above is one from "Wild Pigeon." In this photo, we can see that she effectively uses collage. Collage makes it clear what she wants to show by changing the size of the objects. She makes the things she wants to show larger and the things that are less relevant smaller. I thought this photo was abstract. When I first saw it, I thought the head had been erased using Photoshop, but when I looked closely, I saw that only the arms were visible and the rest of the body was covered with a large cloth. I don't know why only the arms were visible, but I realized that the photo is not necessarily concrete or realistic. I made a collage for a portra...
続きを読む