Mixed Impressions

[Bjørn Rørslett]

[ Posted 18 April 2015 - 23:29 ]

Downtown Oslo this evening. Spinal reflexes working on my way to a meeting. I had 30 secs at my disposal during a red stop light and simply couldn't resist the opportunity.

(Nikon 1 AW1, 1 Nikkor 10-100 mm f/4-5.6 lens)





Sometimes it can be instructive to show the "complete scene". This is to illustrate the point that you never photograph what the motif looks like, only how you want it to appear. Often there is a tremendous gap between the first impression and the image that results from your encounter with the scene. As a photographer you have to establish the visual connection between the two aspects.

Thus without further ado, here is the street intersection as I saw it when stopping for a red light. I had thirty seconds to make the pictures posted above.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Bjorn Rorslett said......

"This is to illustrate the point that you never photograph what the motif looks like, only how you want it to appear"

Bjorn your above sentence has to be the very best piece of photographic advice I've ever read,
it may seem obvious but actually it isn't.

Perhaps I'll tape the line to the back of all my cameras because when faced with a scene it can
be easy to forget what we strive for!

I'm curious did you have the first image in mind when you took the wider shot?

Either way it's mighty effective and like all of your images, totally unique.


Thanks

tony

Wildoat: "I'm curious did you have the first image in mind when you took the wider shot?"

From spotting an opportunity to getting the shot is, for me at least, an automated process. I run on autopilot as it were. Later one can analyse the situation and try to understand what happened, but it easily is the same flawed logic as trying to explain a 'Black Swan' incident after it occurred.

[elsa hoffmann]

"This is to illustrate the point that you never photograph what the motif looks like, only how you want it to appear"

now that is a powerful statement - exactly right.

[Fons Baerken]

"This is to illustrate the point that you never photograph what the motif looks like, only how you want it to appear"

now that is a powerful statement - exactly right.

Pretty obvious to me,
photogy is about projection
not some objective recording

[elsa hoffmann]

not my clever saying - I borred it from someone  - maybe even here on NG?  - and found it really profound

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I might be be the guilty one 

What I always find so puzzling are statements such as "I didn't see that ...", "that scene didn't look this way when I was there ...", "oh - you faked this in Photoshop", or any of those phrases that follow when you show a picture to someone in your company at the time of shooting.

All of the above responses indicate people fail to differentiate the notions of 'depiction' and 'interpretation' of  a scene. Photography is a powerful tool if you use it for its intended purpose. With power follows responsibility.

[elsa hoffmann]

Yup - I am sure it was you.... Guilty as charged. But it said a lot to me