Recreation

One of the things I have learned from photography is having the curiosity and interest to look into the past and history for inspiration and learning.  Some of the common aspects that I see sometimes in art photography is the recreation of events, concepts, ideas and etc. There is a quote that I love by Lewis Carroll (a famous writer of "Alice Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel through the looking Glass") where Lewis says that “photography is my one recreation and I think it should be done well.” And I think that being able to recreate themes and ideas in photographs is to look back in the past and interpret the past in a modern perspective (someone could say otherwise). 

Above are photographs of a project I was working on that I named"Recreating once upon a time.” The idea came to me from a random saying I came across that says: “May I never grow old to cherish once upon a time.” The interesting thing was through my process of recreating these princesses in modern times, I learned a lot about history, development, motives, etc of how popular Disney/non Disney princess came about and their significance beyond what we see in the films and know about the stories.

from one idea to the next

I might have mentioned how often times, photographs have inspired me to develop story plots to write; or how occasionally when I have story plot, I picture scenes in my mind and later recreate those words and thoughts into photographs. In some ways, I live and breathe both art forms because they create in me a way to define life to a point where mere thoughts come alive and are able to be shared with others. To give you a gist of what I’m mumbling about: for the past year and a half, I have been working on a story of a young man in his first year of college with Sickle Cell anemia battling with the pain and crisis of his disease while attempting to pursue his dreams of becoming a theater performer.  Months before developing the story’s plot, I was reviewing a recent photo shoot where one photo captured a sense of distress and crisis in the face of the person in the photo. Looking over the photograph several times, I started to think of a possible liaison between someone battling with a genetically predisposed disease while desiring to pursue a passionate interest (heater performance) -initiating a conflict. The story is much more complex than this mere summary.  But my point is that I love the idea that different forms of art can combine together or inspire one thing that later leads to another. I think that other people can relate in different grounds such as how music, a novel, poetry, a speech, an idea or what have you may bring inspiration for one to create “something else” or come up with ideas of things that would not have come to life if not inspired in the first place.

Reflects about the Interview

I did an interview with a photographer I happen to know about his views and opinions on the ways in which the internet plays a role in his endeavors as an artist.  John Lin, whom I interviewed is a sophomore at UNCG, majoring in fashion and interior design. Briefly, I met John Lin through a couple of friends and though we did not know each other very well, we had become facebook friends already (another thumbs up for the wonders of social networking sites).  Through facebook, I was able to see most of John’s work which I very much appreciate. From the interview, it was great to hear his point of view about the internet such as the way it provides easy share and such. But I was also interesting in his views of Photoshop and the fact that he distinguishes Photoshop as a computer work instead of his own—reason why he prefers not to use it to a great extend in his own photographs. I also admire the fact that he pursues to bring out the art and fashion in photography. It was encouraging to see someone of my age (yes, we were born same date and year!!!) excel with his passion for photography at a level that I almost deem professional and unique.  Overall, John Lin was a great insight into the mind of digital photographers today.

Please note that on  the actual interview below, I had accidently deleted the first video recorded part, and did not have the chance to redo it once John left and the interview was done. So, I found a way to put down the first part in a slide show form. An actual recorded video appears after a while. Enjoy!

Interview.

digital technology

It is fascinating how digital technology has transformed photography. Today, people take photos instantly with their own digital cameras. Digital cameras now allow people to capture memorable moments of their lives on their own and to share and save them easily on the internet or their computers. I can remember the times when photo albums in my household used to be a big deal because it would be a way to share our life in pictures with visitors or friends that we welcomed in our house. However today, there is a much less need for portable albums when you can post all of your pictures online in a social site that reaches everybody who knows. Digital cameras even allow people to print their own photos in their own home via personal printers.  Sometimes we take a lot of things for granted, but who would have thought in the 1990’s that technology and the internet would have impacted our lives the way it is today. Speaking of digital technology, today what is mostly shown to us in lines of photography is digital photography, which I find more efficient than was the way in which photographs were taken before (after all, progress is good). Though there has been another observation that has come to light: Photoshop/computer art in digital photography. Today, Photoshop is used to enhance or even “change” raw photos in one way or another.  There are positive and negative things that can be argued about the use of Photoshop today. Without further saying, it is fascinating to see where the use of Photoshop has shaped fashion photography especially—where people for instance, become subject to changes that do not reflect who they really are like in real life.  Nevertheless, it is good to acknowledge how the use of Photoshop plays significant roles in digital photography. For instance, today people have a way to go on photo editing sites, free of charge and are able without any studied knowledge of Photoshop softwares, to apply advanced Photoshop effects directly to pictures the way they desire them.

how images influence of our perceptions of things..

As an amateur, I find myself browsing the web sometimes to look at professional photographer’s work; sometimes to learn different techniques I am not aware of or to simply appreciate different works of art.  Living in a society where images influence fashion, body images, lifestyles, ideas of beauty, fashion, “the coolness of things” or what have you, it is remarkable to acknowledge how without knowing it, we live in a world where different forms of “art” if you choose to view it this way, influences our interests and perception of life. And the interest makes these images appear among us constantly whether we know it or not. In my own experience with taking photos, I find it interesting how the people I photograph often come up with poses that they have either seen online or typical of what is either sexy or beautiful portrayed everywhere in today’s photos.  Sometimes I wonder, without the internet, where most of our ideas and lifestyles illustrated in photos would have been. Not to get me wrong, I’m not implying a cause and effect but rather the idea that the internet allows these perceptions  to be more prevalent in our society today. Personally, I do not appreciate it as much because I often discover that when I ask people to really be themselves, my photographs turn out simple, evocative and original.  I do not believe that art should be practiced as imitations or copies; however with a sense of heartfelt and originality that comes from one’s perception of things. Someone could argue otherwise, because as humans we enjoy the norms of life and having fun by adapting the way we take pictures as we see them professionalize or typical and there is no fault in that. However, when photographs are focused to be artistic, I believe that it is good to set it apart from the norms of things.

                                                          

how I started with photography

I do not believe that I have discussed how I was interesting in photography and wanted to become my own photographer. Well, many photographers start the same way. They love capturing moments, emotions, things, events and people around them. I loved getting to know my friends and my world through photographs. This just means that sometimes photographs offer a way to see the world in a different light and it has the influence to shine light on the meaning of things just as life is meaningful. When I started, I would find myself photographing life as though they held secret meanings that no one could discern except me. Sometimes, when in the car a couple of friends, I would initiate a game where we would take photos of people or things happening, just so we could talk and laugh about them later. Though you may find me mad to pull off such wickedness ; personally, I believe those were one of the moments that made me realize that my friends and I would not furtively take photos of things to talk about them later, but rather we were instead interpreting and putting meaning in those photos. I think art in photography is the same. Now, many times I find myself distinguishing between what I deem as good photographs from normal photos. When I got my first personal camera, I begin capturing random and unnoticeable moments to find meaning to them. In the photos I was capturing back then, I would look for very ordinary everyday things that most people fail to notice in order to show them through a light that hopefully others would deem to be artistic and significant. My theory is that the more we understand the significance of things, the more we appreciate the world around us.  

Learning made easy online.

When I was little, I loved poetry and written about how I felt. I loved how when I couldn’t articulate my feelings directly the way my head wanted to, writing attempted to exclaim them well in a couple of sentences or stanzas, until I was comforted.  Over my years in high school, I found myself much found of short stories and novels. The trigger was reading and reading and reading a lot of books that took me out of this world, into the lives of fictional characters that I could relate to, sometimes wanted to save, or fall in love with, or admire and even utterly despise. So I began writing my own stories; not for the heck of it, but because I felt that certain things needed to be written; needed to be told. And when I write until today, I feel as though I’m defining reality in its own way, and it is a challenge to stop my hand on the keyboard or pen once I start. I imagine myself a novelist someday in the future. I’ve been working on different books over the years that I seem to never finish because half of my time is dedicated to other things that keep me running (ex: relations, education, sleep).  I wish for the days, hours will seem sufficient enough to accomplish everything I plan...*cross fingers, as though it has the power to change this someday*

Now, the internet in its own way has facilitated me in a lot of areas of my own writing. First, I like that there exist writing softwares that enable one to organize every written work in the making.  This is something that has pleased me the most to keep up with my writing and know where to start back again once it’s been awhile.  Different sites on the internet also help me get a general idea of things that I write about. I say this because the majority of stories that I have been working on are related to areas of Psychology and Health. I enjoy discovering things and information about for instance, a disease that my main character may be battling with when I need details. The internet has been a great tool that broadens my knowledge. For one example, I have been working on a story about a young boy with Sickle Cell Anemia who’s had a hard time in life thus far (the story is much more complex than this little description). Now, learning about Sickle Cell Anemia, its effect on people around the patient, treatments, definitions of medical terms, watching credited videos of people with the disease and testimonies online has been a great way for me to stay inspired and at least know what I’m talking about. I have come to understand that sometimes writing isn’t just writing, but its knowing what you’re trying to communicate. It is an art that must be practice honestly and lucidly as well. 

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You may be wondering why I named this blog “the Art of Sight and Words.” See I had something else in mind when I thought of this project. I was going to talk about how my love for photography and writing sometimes intermingle with each other, and inspire a new line of work/topic. To clarify, I’ll give an example. I’ve had situations where my own photographs inspire a story plot and I start writing with a rationale that one day it will become a finished book (which speaking of books, I’ve been working on various ones and never seems to get a grip on them, which is a sign that I must learn to proceed one novel at a time like normal writers do). Hence, I was going to talk about how both arts relate with each other in my life and how from photographs, I have come up with stories to write about and vice versa. And this blog was going to focus on these accounts. BUT it didn’t quite work that way, all of the sudden I had to relate everything to the internet which changed a few ideas around, shifting my purpose of this blog entirely. Obviously putting everything together would be a confusing topic to elaborate on [now]. Well now, I’m discussing the influence of the internet in these arts communities, not just in my life but in general. It isn’t so bad after all; I get to learn and discuss some interesting things at the same time that we all today take for granted as though the internet has been around for thousands of years. But the semi confusing side remains; I have to blog about photography and writing separately like two topics. But again, it shouldn’t be bad. And as you see, I kept this original blog title. If it didn’t make much sense before. I hope it does now!

                                                            Come out of things unsaid.

...writing community.

Previously, I didn’t discuss much about the writing community. Here, I will discuss book authors/novelist or what have you particularly.  As the internet makes an impact on many’s life in one way or another, I feel that it provides a straightforward way for novelists to publicize their work once it is out in the market. It provides a way for readers and fans to follow them, to know the latest they have written, to stay informed about books release dates and more commonly today, to even purchase those works online instead of waiting for it in the bookstores. I can say myself that most of the novels I buy, which lately have been Jodi Picoult’ works; I’ve bought them online.  To use Jodi Picoult as an example, she has a website that discusses her life in writing, what she’s working on, and when her new works get released (considering she is an annual publisher). I feel more connected to her writing in this way and I have much appreciation of who she is because I know her in another level that without the internet I would not know. 

It’s incredible today that there are various sites where readers can purchase books such as www.amazon.com and other personal sites that link you straight to a purchasing link guaranteed. As a reader, I really appreciate this.  There are ways you can follow the authors on social sites, email them and get them to appreciate your comments and my personal favorite BOOK CLUBS!!! What I like most about this is that the internet allows criticism from readers to be made public instead of the old fashion that criticisms marked on the book are the only important ones.  It allows readers to say something straight to the author. Beyond the little information that explains how the book came about; personal websites allow readers to watch interviews or author’s video post that elaborate more about how the story came about. There is so much to say about this, but I’ll stop for now.

P.s Above is “Sing me Home” by Jodi Picoult, a novel I bought online right after it came out. A couple of months before its release, I remember following her writing process & impatiently waiting for its release day!

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I find myself encouraged about how the internet has turned photographers and book authors easy to follow & better known individuals (that is at least, if you take an interest in their works). When I say I'm encouraged, it means that I love the idea that one day when I hopefully become a professional photographer (after some hard core experience that is), I will have better means to reach people and invite them into my interpretation of the world with art. The internet will make it easy for me to make a website, to publish or publicise my work as an inspiration for other rising photographers someday and of course, for recognition. . But not to focus this post so much on me at the moment; I really enjoy the fact that I can search the net or keep in touch with updates of my choice photographers/art. It's a new way of learning I must say, where without even spending money to a photography school, I can teach myself from observing others work the value of art photography. Also, while listening to professionals who freely offer various advices about particular topics or wonders of the camera, I can come to discover my own style or what most interests me about photography. And above all, I love that the internet has come to this age of "sharing", where I can always admire art in this form when I desire to.

"You can't edit a blank page"

Inspiration for Fall Forward