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Aug 03
in Photography Teachings, Uncategorized

Hearing what an image says.

OK…. the first thing I do when I look at one of my images is to remind myself that I am looking at dots on paper or pixels on a screen. I try to wipe my memory and expectations of my image…and just look objectively at only what is in front of me…as if it was for the first time.

I started myself with a skeleton of a list..my ‘training wheels’ …to teach me how to examine what I saw and observed my responses to the question “What happens when I…. ” change or play with any of the elements.

I also learned that I could use the same set of skeleton outline when in an environment in which I was taking photographs; as well as with other’s work when I was asked for my opinion.

I developed a list which helped train me to learn to interact with an image and to hear what it is saying. I learned to let the thoughts flow through my mind and quickly wrote notes in very brief form…. and then I developed the ability to ask more questions …and wrote more thoughts down. Through this process I am able to make myself more aware and available to hear what an image is saying.

Here is my list… and depending on the image or place I am photographing, some will have more relevance than others…. and I will spend more time and awareness on some more than others….. but these elements below have been a good guideline and place to start when I want to determine whether an image ‘works’ for me or not.

 

How I HEAR what an image is saying; 11 ways.

1. Observe my inital feeling or emotion as I view the image. What is my general sense of how I feel or respond to the image?

 

2. Examine the quality of light… and the feeling that the tonality of light gives.

 

3. Examine more precisely individual elements of the image or scene in relation to composition using the following elements and comparisons;

warmer/cooler;           darker/lighter ;          nearer/further;        softer/sharper

 

4. Examine the interaction between different elements of an image. Look at the structure – the structural composition – lines; shapes; colour; contrast and tone etc… and examine the relationship between them.

 

5. Observe the path of where my eye flows.

 

6. Observe whether I am ‘done’ with an image… or whether I would be still looking at the image if I wasn’t doing it for a specific exercise for myself. Ask myself what interests me….and what doesn’t… or what I didn’t even notice until I spent longer looking around.

 

7. Ask myself if I want more?? More of what??? (more/less light; more/less contrast; narrative; more/lesscolour; sharpeness; tension…. etc)

 

8. Examine the impact the size the print has on me. What size would I print it?

 

9. What is the narrative of the image? Is there a ‘hidden’ meaning which is implied/suggested? Have I connected with a ‘message‘. What is my ‘message’ and response to the image?

 

10. Observe whether my response is from my own memory that I am drawing from…or am I endeavouring to be objective about the dots on the paper or pixels on the screen?

 

11. What has observing the image revealed to me about myself? What have I learned about myself after looking at the image..or viewing a scene in preparaton for taking a photograph?

 

THEN – I play with all the above elements… and ask myself “WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I …..” … make this brighter…. make this warmer…. increase the contrast…… move to this location to eliminate that feature…. etc…. and then go through each of the elements above AGAIN..with the new perameters set when I have changed and played with the elements.

Have fun! 🙂

 

 

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.