I myself am one of those who looks more towards the outside world while making pictures. One of the goals of mine is to be more aware of the mirror aspect of it. But I don't think we can avoid it. Even if we are thinking about it, our photographs, even if they are of the world outside, do reflect aspects of our inner self.
I think there's a bit of mirror in all photographers anyway because they tell you about what the photographer found interesting enough to photograph :)
Yes Youssef, good stuff! In my recent Questioning Authenticity post, I was driving at a similar concept, which is that there is what we think we are creating through observation. There's what the subject actually is conveying from its essence. Yet there's another aspect to it: the tiny opportunity to join those two aspects into one fluid entity and that's the magical moment.
"There’s a dichotomy between photographers who see art as a form of self-expression, a mirror reflecting a portrait of the artist, and those who see it as a means of exploration, a window into the world." I love that metaphor of window versus reflection!
Kudos on the post. insightful.
I myself am one of those who looks more towards the outside world while making pictures. One of the goals of mine is to be more aware of the mirror aspect of it. But I don't think we can avoid it. Even if we are thinking about it, our photographs, even if they are of the world outside, do reflect aspects of our inner self.
Thank you sangram!
I think there's a bit of mirror in all photographers anyway because they tell you about what the photographer found interesting enough to photograph :)
Love it.
Thank you :)
Excellent piece - thanks for sharing.
Thank you Glen!
Yes Youssef, good stuff! In my recent Questioning Authenticity post, I was driving at a similar concept, which is that there is what we think we are creating through observation. There's what the subject actually is conveying from its essence. Yet there's another aspect to it: the tiny opportunity to join those two aspects into one fluid entity and that's the magical moment.
"There’s a dichotomy between photographers who see art as a form of self-expression, a mirror reflecting a portrait of the artist, and those who see it as a means of exploration, a window into the world." I love that metaphor of window versus reflection!
Thank you Juliette! I would that there also another aspect: the viewer looking who brings their own essence :)
yes! that’s very true….
The exhibition and book are entitled ‘Mirrors and Windows’. You can find out about it here: https://fotologic.substack.com/p/mirrors-and-windows
Darn, I didn't know there would be a quiz at the end of this post! - Okay, here goes: mirror, window, window, mirror, mirror, mirror
It's an interesting concept. I wonder how subjective it is.
Haha suprise quiz! I agree with your classifications :)
It is indeed subjective. Check this post about the same topic from Jon: https://fotologic.substack.com/p/mirrors-and-windows
He does the exercise with his students and they come up with different results :)