[Practitioners]

There are four photographers whose work I admire most. Even though these four have had no great influence on my styles and approaches to the photographic medium, they are the ones who got me interested in the first place.

When I was studying painting at university, I had my first introduction to Man Ray. Of all the movements in art history, my favorite has always been Dada. And Man Ray was one of the first photographers to be included in an art movement (i.e. Dada). His experimentation took photography beyond a simple device for representation and his images still hold their power today.

I also came across Joel Peter Witkin around the same time. This American photographer is not too far removed from Man Ray in that he encapsulates the spirit of  Surrealism. Though his images often cause offense because of their subject matter. He uses human body parts and deformities primarily to shock the viewer.   However, his compositions and themes are harmonious and ineffably beautiful, so they cause aesthetic conflict in the mind of the observer.

An Australian photographer whose work I have admired for more than 25 years is Bill Henson. He  has also caused controversy due to his use of underage homeless children as models for his work. This is the kind of challenging work that pushes the art of photography across moral boundaries.

Finally, more recently I saw an exhibition of a Japanese photographer named Ken Domon. His simple black and white images portray Japan in the aftermath of World War 2. The scenes are often very innocent, yet on occasions also shocking. Although, they never preach any moral stance. They simply record a time in history.

[Parking space]

At this time of the year in Japan, the leaves are in their last color cycle before their final demise. So, when I was walking home from the subway station last night, I was overwhelmed by the yellows, browns and reds illuminated by street lights. After reaching home, I immediately grabbed my camera and went back to the main street to capture some night shots.

 

I used my 60mm macro lens and set the camera's ISO to auto (with an upper limit of ISO5000). Before reaching the my destination, I stopped outside a local guest house to capture a few macros. This place is particular favorite of mine as it has a small flower garden with flowers that bloom in all seasons. It is quite sparse now but I still got a couple of nice shots using Aperture mode on a low stop of f2.8.

 

 

The main street near my apartment was exploding with color. I played with the white balance, because of the artificial lights, and took about 30 images. The results were quite pleasing. This one really captured what I saw and felt upon leaving the subway station earlier in the evening:

 

 

 

I find talking night shots with a high ISO camera to be an extremely rewarding experience. I love the atmosphere produced by artificial light. There's always something sinister about the tightly lit spaces and the final product can be a little surreal.

 

 

I finished my shoot with a few random snaps of lights and buildings. I especially like this one with its odd name. 

[Philosophy]

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic philosophy that is closely associated to concepts of Zen Buddhism. Although trying to express this theory in word is in total discord with its ineffable quality, the fundamental idea is the expression of imperfection and impermanence which is attached to the rudimentary way most of us perceive reality. A work of Art created in the spirit of wabi-sabi would include such elements as beauty, melancholy, grace, euphoria and darkness, and would finely balance the negative with the positive. To penetrate wabi-sabi as a viewer elevates ones awareness, but to capture it as an artist belongs to the realm of an elite few.

This aesthetic is my goal in photography. Taking technically perfect shots is a magnificent achievement, but the role of an artist is to express the inexpressible.  As I stated previously, I'm still finding my way with photography. This is my time of experimentation before settling into an aesthetic that reveals my personal creative statement. Meanwhile, I have taken a few photos that play with the ideas I've mentioned in this post.

A simple shot of a building at night. At first it looks like a simple abstract geometrical pattern. However, on closer inspection we see workers at copy machines in their office. 

Macro photography helps to portray the oddities of nature. It's a great way of looking closely and discovering what was previously unseen.

Even an everyday scene, like a teddy bear on a bed, can take on an ominous character with the right lighting and depth of tone. It can transform a safe, welcoming environment into something unnerving.

#photography #philosophy #art
 

[Pride]

 A couple of things happened yesterday that I am proud to share. Firstly, my photo report was featured in "fotopedia" and was also published on the "fotopedia Japan" iPad app. This may not seem like such a big deal, but it's the second time and last time more than 30 000 people viewed my photographs. As a beginner in any field, I believe in the importance of getting your work out into the public eye. I spent many years just creating ideas without any physical manifestation. Now that I am using photography as my preferred medium of expression, the next logical step is to share my images with other people. And the more that I can reach, the better. If I were precious or exclusive about my work, I might as well simply look at the world and keep the pictorial process locked away in my mind instead of creating a physical representation of it.

Therefore, I was very happy to have the opportunity  to share my pictures globally. If you have a chance, please see them for yourself at the following site: http://www.fotopedia.com/reporter/featured

My report is about Yamadera in the north of Japan, and I have tried to captured the atmosphere of this area during Autumn. I hope you enjoy it.

The word "pride" tenuously leads me to my next proud moment. Yesterday I went to my local zoo (a pride of lions) and filled my camera's memory card with images of animals. After returning home with over 350 shot, I was extremely pleased at seeing the results on my computer. I tweaked the best of them on my editing software and posted a few on "500px".  Here are my three favorites...

While I was shooting yesterday, I finally felt as if I had a certain control over the out come of the images. I'm getting the gist of lighting and aperture selection, as well as shutter speed. Also, my camera is beginning to feel very comfortable to use, so I am more able to use it as a tool for expressing my perception and concepts rather than just recording what is there. This has always been my goal since taking up photography and it's steadily appearing within my grasp. 

[Prologue]

This is my first blog post, so I thought I'd give you a little background information. As I mentioned above, my blog is primarily concerned with photography. However, I could only be referred to as a beginner as far as technical photography skill is concerned. Actually, I have been truly serious about taking photographs for less than a year. Where this seriousness wil take me, I have no idea. I just know that I really enjoy learning about this creative medium, both from practical experience and from ploughing though publications.

Originally, I was a painter. I studied for five years at Art school in Australia, at which time I took classes in Graphic Design, Photography, Film as well as my majors of Painting and Drawing. For around 15 years following my graduation, I continued to paint and exhibit my work (with varying degrees of success). Throughout this time, I also enjoyed traveling and visited over 30 countries. This curiousity in cultures not my own eventually brought me to Japan, where I have lived for more than eleven years.

Unfortunately, living and working in Japan meant, through a variety of circumstances, that I no longer had the space, energy or inclination to paint. What didn't change, however, was the way my mind works and the concepts that pump through my imagination on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. My training has been in the principles of conceptual perception, and for many years this was a personal experience. Until I eventual found an outlet in photography.

So, in this blog I want to throw around some ideas about creative processes, technique, equipment, style and other general imaginings. To keep it all structured I'll title my entries under words beginning with "P"... like photo (and publish):