Here are some things that caught my eye, and ear, on social media this week:
Amazing documentary photos from Dave Jordano,
Jazz Sounds from Toronto’s “Metalwood”,
The surreal eye of Brazilian artist Viki Olner,
Saskatchewan ranchers stunned as beaver herds 150 cattle,
Light pollution in Halifax, Nova Scotia,
East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) Nominees for 2017,
Graham MacIndoe’s best photograph: Quentin Crisp, toast of New York,
I have always thought of black and white photography as an abstract medium and colour photography as a psychological medium. American photographer Elliott Erwitt said, “With colour you describe; with black and white you interpret.” If it’s true that colour appeals to our emotions and leaves less to our imagination, then it makes sense for us to be judicious in using it.
This can have a lot to do with how the photo is framed—how much of a particular colour, or colours to leave in or crop out. When I view a scene, then, I look for ways to combine colours–for me, it’s about balance. Sometimes a tiny splash of red is enough to counteract a sea of green, or a little orange goes well with a lot of blue. There are no hard and fast rules here, but the conscious combining of colour is something to keep in mind when you’re out taking photos.
On Instagram there are dozens of filters to choose from, each giving the image a certain look, but it seems the most-used Instagram filter is “normal”–that is, roughly the colours our eye sees. And that’s good news for an old-school guy (like me!) who believes that colour is something to be observed, not added with a filter.
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“Autumn Playground” appears on Photo Vogue
Editing photographs takes time and patience. You’ll probably follow different strategies, depending on whether you’re working on an assignment, an exhibition, or a scrapbook. I’ve found it helpful to let some time pass before making choices. That could be a few days, months, or years. It’s important to try to lessen the emotional attachment to an image and see it as objectively as possible.
On his blog, American photographer Eric Kim tells a story of photographer O.C. Garza, who said, about a class he took with master street photographer Gary Winogrand, “He never developed film right after shooting it. He deliberately waited a year or two, so he would have virtually no memory of the act of taking an individual photograph. This, he claimed, made it easier for him to approach his contact sheets more critically. Winogrand said, ‘If I was in a good mood when I was shooting one day, then developed the film right away,’ he told us, ‘I might choose a picture because I remember how good I felt when I took it, not necessarily because it was a great shot.’” (To be clear on how meta this is: I’m quoting Kim quoting Garza, who’s quoting Winogrand. Four layers of photographers finding this a useful insight!)
The photo at the top of this blog post is perhaps a solid example of letting time pass in editing: It was taken in Little Italy in Toronto in 1983, and scanned some 33 years later. I didn’t think it was a worthy photo when I took it, but I do now. Time has given me a different perspective on the photo. Part of the reason is that I’m a better photo editor now than I was in my twenties.
In these days of social media, it seems to be a lot about instant gratification–how many likes a photo received that was taken just five minutes ago. Resisting the urge to post things immediately is sometimes difficult but rewarding.
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St. Clair West, Toronto, 1983 is from the series: Toronto Days
Here are some things that caught my eye, and ear, on social media this week:
Throwback Thursday versus Flashback Friday #fbf,
The awesome writing of Teju Cole,
Thought-provoking photos from Teju Cole,
Video and tour from Nova Scotia band “Hillsburn”,
Fine images from Toronto photographer and educator Michael Morissette,
Beautiful music from Justin Rutledge,
Toronto Maple Leafs make the NHL playoffs!,
Korea’s app “Snow” is more popular than Snapchat in China, Japan, and Korea,
Landscapes in transition by Dutch photographer Bart van Damme,
Birthplace of Hockey – Windsor, Nova Scotia?,
Sweden’s new “Museum of Failure”,
Wonderful work from Fort Worth artist Lorrie McClanahan
I have always enjoyed looking at old photos—newspaper clippings or photo albums from my past or other peoples’ past. There is a kind of comfort in it—a chance to connect with the old days, to see and experience history without going there.
Throwback Thursday, with hashtag #tbt, has been a phenomenon since 2011 with people posting or reposting older photographs on social media. It turns out that Throwback Thursday has a positive psychological impact. Colleen Leahey writes in Fortune, “Sharing old photos is a fun way to remember the good ol’ days, but it may also help people counteract feeling alone. A 2008 study published in Psychological Science found that nostalgia alleviates feelings of social exclusion.” The study’s authors wrote, “The past, when appropriately harnessed, can strengthen psychological resistance to the vicissitudes of life.”
So that’s a good reason to post and view those old photos of bell bottoms, and peace signs; or Pokemon, and flash mobs.