Echoes of other photographers in our own photographs – do they matter, do they only matter for would-be professional, and not for us amateurs?
The first photograph below is a well-known image by William Eggleston. I saw a great exhibition of his work at the Hayward in London. I went round very fast – twice – to gather up the spirit of his work.
The feeling from that great set of photographs stays with me like a tune – but I couldn’t put it in to words. (One element or theme in his work is about the presence of those that were there but now are absent – rather like the painter Edward Hopper.)
This photograph can, on the face of it, be hardly less memorable. But it did stick as have many of his photographs - stickabilty of images in our minds is one criterion of great photographs, given the million images we see every day.
Some years later I found myself in a London pub near the Saatchi gallery staring at the wall and ceiling.
Some bits were more interesting in the sense they demanded greater emphasis – the wires for example, but the deep red ceiling held sway in my consciousness.
Taking photographs teaches us how to see. Taking photographs that echo the resonances of master photographers helps in the reading as well as the taking of photographs.
No comments:
Post a Comment