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Perceptive Vision - Developing a Personal Style

creative dialogue

There are many ways photographers use the medium – while you might identify with a certain genera, don’t be frightened to experiment with others – at least when you are initiating a project. Initiating can be like sketching out ideas, so try a wide range of approaches. While preconception of how an image might look can be a powerful tool, it can also inhibit other dimensions.

• Illustrative – (In terms of subject matter, illustrative photography is difficult to define. It could centre on still life as easily as people or landscape. Jerry Uelsman sums it stating that illustrative work is photographing objects for "what else they are." In this category, photographers use whatever subjects necessary in ways that strongly illustrate a concept. This approach to photography has become popular in almost every aspect of applied art. Initially editorial work was the most common arena for illustrative work as the images had no other purpose than to illustrate the written editorial. However, it has become progressively popular in advertising, annual reports and all forms of non-media assignments such as CD covers as designers and art directors find new ways of utilizing the power of the illustrated photograph.

• Reportage – (Reportage or Photojournalism is associated to creating images in order to tell a news story of a real life event. Photojournalism is distinguished from other closely related areas of photography like documentary photography, street photography or celebrity photography by three qualities. - 1. Timeliness — the images have meaning in the context of a published chronological record of events. - 2. Objectivity — the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict. 3. Narrative — the images combine with other news elements, to inform and give insight to the viewer or reader.

• Metaphoric - Metaphor is defined as the substitution of one idea or object with another, used to assist expression or understanding. - Examples - Manuel Alvarez Bravo

For example the fallen fruit tree in this image from Mythology of Place - represents the concept of a loss of innocence at puberty from the poetry of James K Baxter. The horizontal ladder suggests a purpose that once was that now has no relevance

• Surrealist - Comes from the 20th century movement of artists and writers (developing out of dadaism) who created fantastic images and incongruous juxtapositions in order to represent unconscious thoughts and dreams. While these can be create from several visual components in as a collage, or directing a scene or constructing an environment, they can also be created from a single image by excluding a reference to the larger context. Examples – Mann Ray, Jerry Uslemann - John Paul Caponigro

• Conceptual - Conceptual Photography is most clearly be defined where the idea or concept – be it philosophical, political, or from everyday life – takes precedence over aesthetic concerns. Conceptual Art as a broadly defined movement is centred on the idea. However when the idea of conceptualism is manifested via photography, a potential conflict arises. The idea or concept is communicated by one of the most representational mediums.

• Emotional landscapes – Here the approach relates to the state of the creators emotions. As in my “Equivalence” series of the vibrant green growth after the fire at Wilsons Prom, the photographer could look to explore a particular colour. Colours are often linked to emotions. Emotional approaches are associated more often to human cultural experience and responses.

• Physiological landscapes – This is closely linked to the emotions, the is associated more often to individual personal experiences and responses.

• Aesthetic concerns – Like the work of the colour formalists – William Eggleston - where the formal or design elements of the image were of prime importance and the subject matter was subordinate to these concerns.

Have a look at these Definitions