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Point of View
Dear friend,
A realization I’ve had after having a nice conversation with my buddy Christophe Wu: photography (and life) is all about point-of-view (POV); your perspective of the world.
Why is point-of-view important?
Point-of-view and perspective is fascinating to me– because this is essentially what makes photography interesting. Point of view as categorized by:
- What is your point-of-view (perspective) on the world from a moral, ethical, or artistic-aesthetic viewpoint.
- What is your point-of-view — in terms of where you were standing when you shot the photo, and also in terms of the position of your camera (for example, whether you were crouching close to the ground, or whether you were on your tippy-toes, or whether you were shooting from a skyscraper looking down).
1. Your moral/ethical perspective
So the reason why I think your moral and ethical perspective is valuable is this:
There is no truth; all is opinion.
However, just because it is your opinion doesn’t mean it is value-less. In-fact, I believe that your opinion is very valuable. Why? In a world of many billions of people, there is probably a sub-section of individuals who can relate with you — individuals with similar lines of thinking, or perhaps drawn to the way you think, perceive, and interpret the world.
Therefore, in a practical sense:
If you share your perspective with others, and at least 1 other human being on planet earth can relate with you (and gets some sort of positive empowerment from you), it is your duty to share your perspective with others!
2. Your photographic perspective
In a world where even an iPhone can take a really really good picture, what is the value of the photographer?
My idea:
The value of a photographer is based on his/her perspective of the world– specifically, what they decide to shoot, how they decide to shoot it (in terms of framing/composition), and where they stand and the perspective of the camera.
For example, you can make a unique photograph by putting your camera on the ground, and shooting up — making small things look very big. Or you can stand on top of a ladder and photograph someone looking down, making them look very small. The perspective of the camera will alter the visual depiction of the scene.
Also, when you decide to click the shutter is essential. Furthermore, which photos you decide to keep or ditch will reflect your artistic vision (if you’re not sure which photos to upload or not, upload it to arsbeta.com).
Practical takeaways:
So some practical ideas/takeaways you can integrate into your photographic life:
1. As a photographer, you are also an artist.
What makes an artist unique? Their perspective on the world! Therefore, don’t censor yourself, and be unabashedly you. Be MORE opinionated in terms of your perspective of the world, and don’t worry about ‘political correctness’. The more unapologetic, and the more individual your perspective, the better.
2. Experiment with your camera perspective:
Shoot from different angles and perspectives. Crouch down super low and shoot looking up. Or stand on your tippy toes, hold your camera high in the air, and point downwards. Or climb a tree and shoot down, or climb a bunch of stairs and shoot downwards. Or if your camera has a tilting-LCD screen, use that more often to shoot from lower perspectives. We are so used to seeing photos shot from eye-level or chest-level; and thus we get visual boredom. So experiment shooting from super-low perspectives, or super-high perspectives.
3. Consider what you’re trying to say as a photographer-artist.
What are you trying to say about humanity? If you’re working on a photographic project– what are you trying to say about the person, community, or concept you’re photographic? You must have an opinion! For example in my SUITS book, I critiqued the ‘rat race’ of the corporate life, and tried to state that “money doesn’t buy happiness”.
Also for CINDYPROJECT, I tried to convey my love for Cindy to the viewer– to also tell my viewers, “Be grateful for your loved ones, and never take them for granted.”
Conclusion: Use it or lose it
You have great potential my friend; don’t squander your artistic power!
ERIC