Photographic Inspiration in Unpredictable Places
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Presentation House Gallery - 2014 |
Only in the beginning of my interest in photography (in
the late 50s) would I have been a street photographer even though I was
ignorant of the term. What made it interesting was to go on photo safaris in my
neighbourhood which happened to be Mexico City. I had a German friend who would
call me up and armed with our cameras we would go to churches, markets and cemeteries.
I abandoned street photography in 1975 (and before) with
my interest in portraits and my new job by 1977 in Vancouver Magazine and other
magazines.
Cartier-Bresson’s “the decisive moment” I turned on its definition
by making my own decisive moments when figuring out how to illustrate (with
photographs) a manuscript for a magazine or newspaper article.
But I have to admit that sometimes inspiration can be out
there without even having an assignment. Or, when the assignment can simply be
to take photographs for a personal blog.
That was the case in 2014 when I went to the Presentation
House Gallery in North Vancouver for an art opening. By then I had a brand new
digital camera, a Fuji X-E1 that had the capability of taking panoramics like these.
La Recoleta, Buenos Aires - 2016 |
While I do not believe my photographs of that show are
all that remarkable they did break a little ground for me with the idea that an
art gallery (with the more permissive rules for taking photographs in them
these days) can be a place ripe for inspiration.
That idea was reinforced today in my Friday NY Times when
my eye immediately noticed the photograph taken by Philip Greenberg at this show. At first I thought it was a hyper realistic painting (newsprint can do
that!). But it isn’t!
Photograph by Philip Greenberg for the NY Times |