ragman

10 Creative Connection:

In the context of this discourse may I first of all state that I do believe that there is little distinction between creativity and connectivity. Dorothea Lange believed that the good photograph is not the object; the consequences of the photograph are the objects. Everything has a source and a process and a consequence. The source, what you start out with; the process is the connection (between the view you captured and the image you produce). It is your creative contribution and I perceive the key to creativity as;

~ Vision,

Without vision there is no photography

~ Inspiration,

Without inspiration there is no passion

~ Passion,

Without passion there is no dynamic

~ Construction

Without construction there is no structure

~ Attention

Without attention there is no focus

~ Diversion

Without diversion we cannot expand or move forward therefore there is no progress

~ Direction

Without direction we do not have an aim

The consequence is the craft, the photographer’s craft. The idea translated through an image, of interpretation, imagination and implementation into an impact that will influence others

Creativity (or “creativeness”) is a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.

Creativity within photography deals with originality, and an application of imagination, inspiration and ingenuity. It enshrines creativeness, vision and resourcefulness.

It does not mean getting it right every time. Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes, art is knowing which ones to keep. Creativity does not start with the Creative suite of Photoshop. In fact there are many times and circumstances when the creativity is even before the camera stage.

There are certain pre-requisites for creativity. Creative photography requires intelligence, flexibility, time and effort. Given those requisites creativity can be attained.

And it can also be improved but this requires us passing up those things that are obviously good but are ordinary and routine. Instead we seek out a strategy that will find that which is good and unusual. As artists we are concerned with
- Firstly seeing and capturing,
- Secondly the cognitive process of thinking and interpreting,
- And finally communicating a message to the viewer

But there is a fourth dimension to our trade – a process that we can call our own. Creativity thus is the connectivity – creating a connection between the subject or scene, a process that goes beyond the viewpoint and the relationship between the artist and the viewer and is additive or creative. Therein lays the art.

It can be argued that creativity is a product of desire, thought, experience, experimentation and intelligence, of inner conviction (gut feeling). However be warned creativity is not always positive in outcome, in fact it can lead to negativity.

Because it is different our search may not always be seen as correct [due to entrenched patterns of thought or general attitudes and the oft found clichés or oft repeated same stereotyping but high scoring subjects] and thus the creative person will first encounter rejection rather than acceptance. Rejection destroys creative urges and attempts to be creative, and hit with the prospect of failure some will resort to a safer path.

One of the greatest teachers in photography, Minor White, in the Camera Mind and Eye believed that the state of mind of a photographer while creating is a blank…For those who would equate “blank” with a kind of static emptiness, I must explain that this is a special kind of blank. It is a very active state of mind really, a very receptive state of mind, ready at an instant to grasp an image, yet with no image pre-formed in it at any time.

We should note that the lack of a pre-formed pattern or preconceived idea of how anything ought to look is essential to this blank condition. Such a state of mind is not unlike a sheet of film itself – seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a second’s exposure conceives a life in it. (Not just life, but “a” life).

Minor White also wrote in Mirrors, Messages, and Manifestations; ~ in putting images together I become active, and excitement is of another order – synthesis overshadows analysis.

So strive not to understand photography, nor to understand how to operate the camera equipment, but rather strive for creativity; we are not just about making a photograph, we are surely about making a connection ~ a creative connection; and in that way our photography will be seen as true connectivity.

As always I complete the chapter by referring you to comments of the masters of the art of photography, and with this thought from Elliott Erwitt:- A photographer needs: creativity, style, elegance, wit and craft. But also requires courage, stamina, cunning and luck.

So good luck, and may the luck stay with you long enough to become truly creative.

Photography is more than a medium for factual communication of ideas. It is a creative art. – Ansel Adams

I have often thought that if photography were difficult in the true sense of the term -meaning that the creation of a simple photograph would entail as much time and effort as the production of a good watercolor or etching there would be a vast improvement in total output. The sheer ease with which we can produce a superficial image often leads to creative disaster. – Ansel Adams

A very fine photographer asked me, “What did it feel like the first time you manipulated an image?”, and I said “Do you mean the first time I shot black and white instead of color, do you mean the first time I burned the corner of a print down, do you mean the first time I ‘spotted’ a dust speck on my print, do you mean the first time I shot with a wide angle instead of a normal lens, I mean what are you referring to? Where does it stop?” – Dan Burkholder

A photograph is usually looked at but seldom looked into. – Ansel Adams

Simply look with perceptive eyes at the world about you, and trust to your own reactions and convictions. Ask yourself: “does this subject move me to feel, think and dream? Can I visualize a print – my own personal statement of what I feel and want to convey – from the subject before me? – Ansel Adams

Pictures you have taken have an influence on those that you are going to make. That’s life! – John Sexton

As great a picture can be made as one’s mental capacity—no greater. Art cannot be taught; it must be self-inspiration, though the imagination may be fired and the ambition and work directed by the advice and example of others. – Edward Weston

The purpose of art is to raise people to a higher level of awareness than they would otherwise attain on their own. – Brassai

A photographer needs: creativity, style, elegance, wit and craft. But also requires courage, stamina, cunning and luck. – Elliott Erwitt

The state of mind of a photographer while creating is a blank…For those who would equate “blank” with a kind of static emptiness, I must explain that this is a special kind of blank. It is a very active state of mind really, a very receptive state of mind, ready at an instant to grasp an image, yet with no image pre-formed in it at any time. We should note that the lack of a pre-formed pattern or preconceived idea of how anything ought to look is essential to this blank condition. Such a state of mind is not unlike a sheet of film itself – seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a second’s exposure conceives a life in it. – Minor White

I seek out places where it can happen more readily, such as deserts or mountains or solitary areas, or by myself with a seashell, and while I’m there get into states of mind where I’m more open than usual. I’m waiting, I’m listening. I go to those places and get myself ready through meditation. Through being quiet and willing to wait, I can begin to see the inner man and the essence of the subject in front of me… Watching the way the current moves a blade of grass – sometimes I’ve seen that happen and it has just turned me inside out. – Minor White