Response to Weston's "Seeing Photographically"

 The very first line of Weston’s “Photography- Not Pictorial” holds so much meaning. Goethe was correct in his belief that art portrays that which is inexpressible and should never be explained in words.  The explanation will never come close to the inspiration that the artist used. Photography is a relatively new form of art, and it is constantly evolving with technology advancements. This makes the art ever changing and more interesting than some other art forms. Photography can capture almost any physical object with an exact and precise detail. The transitory light effects can change one picture to be completely different than another. It is also a very honest medium because it captures exactly what it sees, representation and objectivity.

Seeing photographically is so unlike anything else. You see and think differently than anyone else. Even photographers see and think differently than each other. Photography is one of the hardest forms of art because it requires the greatest accuracy and surest judgment. Photography has as many possibilities, as it has limitations; technology, settings and subject variety all contribute to this.

Photography’s origins come from painting. Early photographers based their work off of paintings and wished to simply replicate them, into pseudo-paintings. This hindered the creativity aspect of the art for many years. Early photographers saw the camera as just a machine and not an art form on its own and wanted to do everything they could to bring out personal handiwork into their images. This is when the rules of composition first sprung from. Some photographers, mostly amateurs, stick to these rules like glue, and this lessens the creativity in their camera shots. With practice, these photographers will loosen up a bit and embrace the spontaneity of the shots while simply keeping the valuable skill set in the background.

Photography’s infinite possibilities are sometimes a cause of trouble. Its instantaneous recording process allows for no mistakes. Photographers have no chance to change their plans mid-process, like other artists. The tiny particles that make up the image can contain texture, detail, lucidity, and tones. The finished product must be finished before the film is exposed, which cause even the artist to put even more consideration into the very short creation process. Altering these images destroys the perfection of a natural photograph.

I certainly agree with the writer when he says, “It is learning to see photographically- that, learning to his subject matter in terms of the capacities of his tools and processes, so that he can instantaneously translate the elements and values in a scene before him into the photograph he wants to make.” I think this one sentence sums up the entire essay very well. Seeing photographically includes using all of the skills artists learn during their training. I am learning these skills in this class, as well as my photojournalism class, in which we carefully take pictures by varying exposure and focus by manipulating aperture and shutter speed. These invaluable tools will help me in my photographic future. Photography is truly about “revealing the nature of the world we live in.”