7 Photography Truths Worth Pondering

[Gary@Red Photo]

In my neverending quest to understand photography better as both a craft and an artform, I find myself occasionally thinking about various aspects of this medium. I have had several post in the past on 'photography truths' as I like to call them. They are little thoughts that will hopefully give you pause to contemplate why you photograph, why you create art, and how you feel about the experience. These are not meant to be deep meaning absolute truths. They are just meant to be something to think about. You can accept them or not. The point is not that I make my opinion known. My opinion really does not matter. I am more interested in what I call 'the subjective response of the viewer.' This is applied more to art, but I apply it equally to the way people react to speech or words. I encourage you to come up with some of your own 'truths' in photography and then post them under the comments section. Don't think that your thoughts and ideas have to be prophetic. Just let your mind explore and see what you come up with. And it is not like I sit around and force these thoughts. I just let them pop into my head. It is part of the way that my brain works. I like thinking about abstract ideas and searching for connections, both visually and intellectually. That is one reason why I have so much formalism in my work. I am looking for beauty in form, shape and design, but I am also looking at how these forms, shapes, and designs, interact with one another to form compositions. You can read more about the concept of Formalism in my post 'Photography Movement - Formalism.' I mention it a great deal because it is such an integral part of the way that I see the world and create my work. My two recent post 'Do You See What I See?' and 'Don't Forget the Details' talk more about this.

Here are seven more truths in photography:

43. Don't listen to critics

44. Embrace fear, avoid anxiety

45. You must give to receive

46. Beauty is in the object not the eye

47. Creativity is a gift

48. Winter light is the best light

49. Look for the positive, but notice the negative