Blog Prompts #16-18

"I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways." - Duane Michals

    This quote reminds me of the photographs that you see that make you want to stare at them forever. It also reminds me of some of the photographs we have had hung up on our walls over the years/still do. There is one that still is up that is just of this girls shoes. From the photo you get a sense about what type of person the girl was though. It captures something neat. This quote also makes me think of the difference between the photos people have hundreds of that they post on facebook and the photos that people have that really meant something. The photos you were trying to take for photography's sake. It is a change in mindset. I think that this effort is what Michals is referring to. 


"I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see."- Duane Michals.

  I am not quite sure how to read this quote. I wanted to respond to it because I agree in the importance of imagination. I think the only times I have problems with things is when I become close-minded. When you realize you are not even using your imagination and only looking at the problem from one perspective you see how easy the outcome can be if you just do something different. The whimsical sense of childhood imagination is something that is always a devastating loss because I believe that it is what contributes to the happiness that kids have. Michals second sentence is what I couldn't decide upon though. I understand what he is saying in the sense of your imagination is full of things that aren't solid objects in front of you, and that it is important. But at the same time, if it is your imagination you can see it, and therefore it becomes a tangible thing for you to try and express if you chose. 


"Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer-and often the supreme disappointment."- Ansel Adams.

Adam's quote reminds me of all the historical photographer presentations that we have had. I think this  quote is even more applicable to an older era. Then, a photographer was tested physically just to capture a great landscape photograph- no longer in the safe haven of their studio. It was a greater test of skill and patience. With the unknown so large and so many added factors to their endeavor, I believe this is why he also refers to it as a disappointment.  I also think that even today there are challenges to landscape photography, because it is still an uncontrollable environment. There are always going to be endurance tests, lighting issues, and the fact that you are trying to capture something that could be gone in an instant or changed (sun, animals, wind, etc.), and you can't go back always and have the moment the same as the last.