Personal Vision. I'm not sure if my understanding of the term and how it applies is the same other people's.
We often see a difference and variety of opinions on many topics here but the problem with this subject is I don't see a whole lot
of discussion on this subject, except for the fact it is very important.
So, how about we start a discussion on this topic?
Personal Vision, in your opinion;
1. What is it?
2. How does it apply to your photography?
3. How do you develop or improve it?
4. How about an example? Would you please provide a link to one of
your own images, and describe how your personal vision
factored into the end result?
Thanks, Tim
Posted by Jim Erhardt on October 16, 2006 at 7:00 AM
Tim, another great topic!
IMO, "personal vision" is the very reason of why we each of us, as individuals, enjoy nature photography. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and each of us will express that personal vision of nature's beauty in different ways. This is why no "style" of nature photography can be considered better, more real, etc. than the next.
I think it applies to our photography, at least to some extent, in the type of subjects we enjoy photographing. You can see this in the various galleries - those who focus on one genre (avian, landscapes, macro etc.) have become very skilled in depicting nature's beauty in their photos.
I don't think personal vision is something that you "work on" to improve. As others have stated before, PV evolves as we as individuals mature and our interests shift. What does develop and improve (or at least "evolves") is the set of techniques that we grow comfortable with using, that we use to depict nature as we have chosen to do.
This photo is perhaps my best example. For me it not only depicts the beauty of nature, but also represents the "innocence" of wildlife before it becomes fearful of man's predatory nature. I think we all yearn to live in harmony with nature, and this is my favorite photo that depicts that.
Well, my take on the subject is that personal vision is a reflection, in one's photography, of the uniqueness of the individual. I also believe that is a deceptively simple statement, because finding and being comfortable with your own individuality is a constant and difficult process. I think we all have times we wish we were someone/somewhere/something else. Finding that balance between self improvement and self acceptance is a constant juggling act that I find very challenging and never-ending.
In terms of "developing" it, I would offer that it's already there so the trick is to let it out! It's very easy to get in a mode of shooting images that look like all the other photography you see that you like, and perhaps even adjusting composition/subject/approach to make sure that your photograph looks like something OTHERS will like. I think personal vision or style or whatever you want to call it will show itself when you shoot exactly what you want to shoot, in the way you want to shoot it, and da** the critics. For me, I don't think I have a single image that reflects my personal vision - I think it's the accumulation of multiple images over time that show the vision. I also suspect it's easier for others to see that than it is for me, because I'm always obsessing over how a particular image could have been "better".
Lots of nice words - the application is, in my experience, challenging and lengthy and frustrating. It's also very "personal" (sorry, best word) and I think that is a final reason why it sometimes doesn't show up. When personal vision is manifest in someone's photography, I think you can learn as much about that person as you can about where or what they photograph, and putting that much of yourself in an image or portfolio can be uncomfortably revealing....
CJ
Posted by Barb Hansen on October 16, 2006 at 9:27 AM
Good Morning Tim.......
Personal Vision to me is two things 1. It is how I choose to see the world around me ( Nature) and 2. How or what I would like others to see.
How does this apply to my Photography? Well I guess I'd have to say that it is at the very core of why I takes photos. To elaborate: I live in a small town less than 500 people and although I don't know everyone I do know a lot of folks. I knew several years ago that many of these folks had not ever seen areas within a mile or maybe two of their home, places like our little Twin Falls, or Quarry Point just to name a couple. What bothered me even more is that our young people are/ were even more oblivious. When I started photographing this area I wanted to share a part of my son with others, a part that few people knew about him....his love for the outdoors and the creatures big and small that live there. Something he and I had shared his whole life. This became a mission.......to get people here where I live to look and See just some of what I see. Today I can't tell you how many times someone stops me, or calls me to tell me about something really neat that I should get out and Photograph. Two examples: three different people called to tell me about the family of eagles just outside of town working on a road killed deer. Turned out it was a family and something I had not seen before -certainly not close enough to realize. This was the parents and three young ones. Took them 4 days to clean up the whole deer but they did. Another time, I recieved a phone call from a local teenager.......they were down at the lake and there was a summer storm coming across the lake and I needed to bring the camera and get down there, which I did.
That turned out to capture the best storm images I have ever managed.
How do you develop or improve it? I agree with Jim for the most part. I believe that as my technical skills both with the camera and photo finishing software have improved what I look for has probably changed and therefore my PV has changed somewhat also. Maybe a better way of saying this is that my Personal Vision is and will continue to be fine tuned and even expanded.
This image probably does as good a job of representing what I was trying to say: It is a spot that I have dozens upon dozens of shots from, a place that virtually every one I know and many I don't, have seen over and over again But to most it is just a swamp. They never really look and therefore never see the beauty that is here. Oops just realized I don't know how to link to this image ....... Fall on the Marsh
Posted by Lori Kincaid on October 16, 2006 at 10:40 AM
Tim,
I'm an oddball when it comes to this kind of thing, but I have never given much thought to what my personal vision is, or how to improve it. I'm not even sure what personal vision is. I simply walk through the woods, on a bluff, or wherever the case may be with my eyes wide open and wait for something to grab me. My best photos are those that aren't forced, but those that seem to come to me of their own volition. For me, this seems to indicate the best way to grow with my photography is to try to keep my mind free and go with the flow.
BTW, I have thought about what I want to depict with my photography in terms of human influence, etc., but to me this is different than personal vision.
Lori
Posted by Mary Dennis on October 16, 2006 at 11:51 AM
Hey Lori (and Tim of course)
I would say that I operate pretty much the same way that you described. I feel kind of uncomfortable putting parameters or clearly drawn lines around anything that I do and anything that I am. If I had to define what my vision is then I might feel obligated to stick to it and that, to me, would be unbearably stifling. I don't even like the term "nature photographer" for myself. I feel like a constant observer and note taker who likes to breathe fresh air whenever she can.
You're just brimming full of conversation topics lately aren't ya Tim?
For me a personal vision requires that you have something to say. You just happen to choose a camera as your means of expression.
Your statement may be anything from a general love of nature to something very specific, even activism.
As a writer as well as a photographer, I probably put a lot more thought into it, but my photography is almost always an expression of a viewpoint. Sometimes words work better, and sometimes pictures get the nod. As others have noted in trying to sell their photos, the combo of pictures and words is often the most powerful of all- whether for expressing your viewpoint or for selling your photos.
Want to really test your personal vision? Sit down and write an artist's statement as though you were doing a show or publishing a book. But keep it down to 100 words or less. In the process of doing that even without a show or a book, I bet you clarify your thinking and improve your photography.
Great topic, Tim. Thanks for bringing it up.
Christopher speaks eloquently, above, and I can identify with a lot of what he says. In fact, if I could have said it that well, his words would have been mine. Thanks, Christopher. Lori's comment speaks to my method of allowing personal vision to express itself. My best images happen when I am quiet and curious and not looking for anything in particular. Thanks, Lori.
My own artistic vision is influenced by physiology and poses a challenge for me in aspects such as choice of subject, choice of lens (seldom wide angle!), composition (esp. noticing all the tiny cluttering stuff). Since my eye doesn't work like a normal eye, I am always interested in people's perception, impression, thoughts and/or ideas about my imagery. Instructive criticism is very helpful to me. In the end, though, I shoot what makes me happy.
Posted by Mike Moats on October 16, 2006 at 7:58 PM
I'm with Lori, I don't think to deeply into why, or what I shoot. I seem to need to spend time in the woods each week to recharge myself, so I don't think its something I do as a vision, but a mental need from daily life. I guess if I had a vision, it would be to shoot all the great visions in nature the I've had the privilege to experence in my walk in the woods, and be able to share those images with people that never leave the pavement. How do you improve on anything, by working hard at it.
Posted by Kah Kit Yoong on October 16, 2006 at 8:25 PM
I want the viewer to see what I want them to see, feel the mood & atmosphere I want to create whether it exists in the real world or not. I see the landscape as a jigsaw puzzle. How can I fit elements that I feel are integral to the scene in the context of a frame? When I look through my work the solutions to the puzzle are often similar. I often shoot with a friend, our photos are aways completely different despite shooting from the same locations. I don't want my portfolio to look formulaic so I always try to come up with compositions that are not so instinctive for me. I strive to look at things from novel points of view. Of course often my first instinct turns out to be most effective, but sometimes not.
Mary said " You're just brimming full of conversation topics lately aren't ya Tim? "
As you know Mary , I'm just full of it , , ah them . . I meant them.
Ok, I thought I'd try to put my own two cents in.
#1. For me , personal vision means, in a way, my testimony. My technique has been
to venture out and basically try to capture images that express, many times, what I thought about a situation, and more importantly what I felt about a situation.
#2 Success to me, is when someone says " I feel like I'm standing there now, experiencing that moment", when viewing an image of mine. Not too many people say that, of course but that's the goal for me , to express what I feel. So, contrary to what many might think I'm not opposed to using technique to relate an emotion. For example, using colour balance to warm a scene , if that's the message I felt. I try to relate what I find so interesting about nature, patterns are an example, whether they are ripples in the sand or the changes of a season.
#3 - I think it's a hard thing to define this personal vision thing, notice how many people don't really want to get into the discussion too much, because it is personal, I guess, But I think it is worth thinking about. I don't know if it is possible to improve it , perhaps that isn't the best word, nurture might be a better goal. Certainly, our personal vision can change or evolve but I think one important thing is to protect it, because I think it is possible to diminish it too.
Examples would be to become too obligated to a sense of style, or too close minded for any number of reasons.
#4 An example of what I'm talking about. I think it was Picasso who said " Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction"
Until you can accept and truly believe the possibility that your idea might not be the best path forward , you will never "see" a better one.
Thanks for the comments, it's been very interesting. Tim
Posted by Jim Erhardt on October 18, 2006 at 9:10 AM
Tim, that is one of my all-time favorite photos!
What is interesting about the photo is that it shows a common winter scene in a visually appealing way. It is the combination of color, pattern, composition and light that makes it work so well. It proves that even the most common of scenes can portray the beauty of nature, especially to the more casual observer. This, IMO, is a very important point.
In a way, this photo and the accolades it deserves is counter-intuitive to the recent discussions of "truth" in nature photography - that a "truthful photo" should be one that is unflattering of the subject. But because it was created using techniques to produce a photo that the average person finds visually appealing, it creates both interest and appreciation for the subject. I'm sure it has even inspired some to "replicate" the look and has perhaps enhanced their appreciation for the subject in the process. If so, you have achieved far more with this photo than you may realize.
Good nature photography fosters an appreciation of nature, and this one delivers that in spades.
Discussion
12 repliesPersonal Vision. I'm not sure if my understanding of the term and how it applies is the same other people's.
We often see a difference and variety of opinions on many topics here but the problem with this subject is I don't see a whole lot
of discussion on this subject, except for the fact it is very important.
So, how about we start a discussion on this topic?
Personal Vision, in your opinion;
1. What is it?
2. How does it apply to your photography?
3. How do you develop or improve it?
4. How about an example? Would you please provide a link to one of
your own images, and describe how your personal vision
factored into the end result?
Thanks, Tim
IMO, "personal vision" is the very reason of why we each of us, as individuals, enjoy nature photography. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and each of us will express that personal vision of nature's beauty in different ways. This is why no "style" of nature photography can be considered better, more real, etc. than the next.
I think it applies to our photography, at least to some extent, in the type of subjects we enjoy photographing. You can see this in the various galleries - those who focus on one genre (avian, landscapes, macro etc.) have become very skilled in depicting nature's beauty in their photos.
I don't think personal vision is something that you "work on" to improve. As others have stated before, PV evolves as we as individuals mature and our interests shift. What does develop and improve (or at least "evolves") is the set of techniques that we grow comfortable with using, that we use to depict nature as we have chosen to do.
This photo is perhaps my best example. For me it not only depicts the beauty of nature, but also represents the "innocence" of wildlife before it becomes fearful of man's predatory nature. I think we all yearn to live in harmony with nature, and this is my favorite photo that depicts that.
I look forward to the rest of the responses!
Well, my take on the subject is that personal vision is a reflection, in one's photography, of the uniqueness of the individual. I also believe that is a deceptively simple statement, because finding and being comfortable with your own individuality is a constant and difficult process. I think we all have times we wish we were someone/somewhere/something else. Finding that balance between self improvement and self acceptance is a constant juggling act that I find very challenging and never-ending.
In terms of "developing" it, I would offer that it's already there so the trick is to let it out! It's very easy to get in a mode of shooting images that look like all the other photography you see that you like, and perhaps even adjusting composition/subject/approach to make sure that your photograph looks like something OTHERS will like. I think personal vision or style or whatever you want to call it will show itself when you shoot exactly what you want to shoot, in the way you want to shoot it, and da** the critics. For me, I don't think I have a single image that reflects my personal vision - I think it's the accumulation of multiple images over time that show the vision. I also suspect it's easier for others to see that than it is for me, because I'm always obsessing over how a particular image could have been "better".
Lots of nice words - the application is, in my experience, challenging and lengthy and frustrating. It's also very "personal" (sorry, best word) and I think that is a final reason why it sometimes doesn't show up. When personal vision is manifest in someone's photography, I think you can learn as much about that person as you can about where or what they photograph, and putting that much of yourself in an image or portfolio can be uncomfortably revealing....
CJ
Personal Vision to me is two things 1. It is how I choose to see the world around me ( Nature) and 2. How or what I would like others to see.
How does this apply to my Photography? Well I guess I'd have to say that it is at the very core of why I takes photos. To elaborate: I live in a small town less than 500 people and although I don't know everyone I do know a lot of folks. I knew several years ago that many of these folks had not ever seen areas within a mile or maybe two of their home, places like our little Twin Falls, or Quarry Point just to name a couple. What bothered me even more is that our young people are/ were even more oblivious. When I started photographing this area I wanted to share a part of my son with others, a part that few people knew about him....his love for the outdoors and the creatures big and small that live there. Something he and I had shared his whole life. This became a mission.......to get people here where I live to look and See just some of what I see. Today I can't tell you how many times someone stops me, or calls me to tell me about something really neat that I should get out and Photograph. Two examples: three different people called to tell me about the family of eagles just outside of town working on a road killed deer. Turned out it was a family and something I had not seen before -certainly not close enough to realize. This was the parents and three young ones. Took them 4 days to clean up the whole deer but they did. Another time, I recieved a phone call from a local teenager.......they were down at the lake and there was a summer storm coming across the lake and I needed to bring the camera and get down there, which I did.
That turned out to capture the best storm images I have ever managed.
How do you develop or improve it? I agree with Jim for the most part. I believe that as my technical skills both with the camera and photo finishing software have improved what I look for has probably changed and therefore my PV has changed somewhat also. Maybe a better way of saying this is that my Personal Vision is and will continue to be fine tuned and even expanded.
This image probably does as good a job of representing what I was trying to say: It is a spot that I have dozens upon dozens of shots from, a place that virtually every one I know and many I don't, have seen over and over again But to most it is just a swamp. They never really look and therefore never see the beauty that is here. Oops just realized I don't know how to link to this image ....... Fall on the Marsh
http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0605/gt0605-1.html
Guy
I'm an oddball when it comes to this kind of thing, but I have never given much thought to what my personal vision is, or how to improve it. I'm not even sure what personal vision is. I simply walk through the woods, on a bluff, or wherever the case may be with my eyes wide open and wait for something to grab me. My best photos are those that aren't forced, but those that seem to come to me of their own volition. For me, this seems to indicate the best way to grow with my photography is to try to keep my mind free and go with the flow.
BTW, I have thought about what I want to depict with my photography in terms of human influence, etc., but to me this is different than personal vision.
Lori
I would say that I operate pretty much the same way that you described. I feel kind of uncomfortable putting parameters or clearly drawn lines around anything that I do and anything that I am. If I had to define what my vision is then I might feel obligated to stick to it and that, to me, would be unbearably stifling. I don't even like the term "nature photographer" for myself. I feel like a constant observer and note taker who likes to breathe fresh air whenever she can.
You're just brimming full of conversation topics lately aren't ya Tim?
Your statement may be anything from a general love of nature to something very specific, even activism.
As a writer as well as a photographer, I probably put a lot more thought into it, but my photography is almost always an expression of a viewpoint. Sometimes words work better, and sometimes pictures get the nod. As others have noted in trying to sell their photos, the combo of pictures and words is often the most powerful of all- whether for expressing your viewpoint or for selling your photos.
Want to really test your personal vision? Sit down and write an artist's statement as though you were doing a show or publishing a book. But keep it down to 100 words or less. In the process of doing that even without a show or a book, I bet you clarify your thinking and improve your photography.
Christopher speaks eloquently, above, and I can identify with a lot of what he says. In fact, if I could have said it that well, his words would have been mine. Thanks, Christopher. Lori's comment speaks to my method of allowing personal vision to express itself. My best images happen when I am quiet and curious and not looking for anything in particular. Thanks, Lori.
My own artistic vision is influenced by physiology and poses a challenge for me in aspects such as choice of subject, choice of lens (seldom wide angle!), composition (esp. noticing all the tiny cluttering stuff). Since my eye doesn't work like a normal eye, I am always interested in people's perception, impression, thoughts and/or ideas about my imagery. Instructive criticism is very helpful to me. In the end, though, I shoot what makes me happy.
As you know Mary , I'm just full of it , , ah them . . I meant them.
Ok, I thought I'd try to put my own two cents in.
#1. For me , personal vision means, in a way, my testimony. My technique has been
to venture out and basically try to capture images that express, many times, what I thought about a situation, and more importantly what I felt about a situation.
#2 Success to me, is when someone says " I feel like I'm standing there now, experiencing that moment", when viewing an image of mine. Not too many people say that, of course but that's the goal for me , to express what I feel. So, contrary to what many might think I'm not opposed to using technique to relate an emotion. For example, using colour balance to warm a scene , if that's the message I felt. I try to relate what I find so interesting about nature, patterns are an example, whether they are ripples in the sand or the changes of a season.
#3 - I think it's a hard thing to define this personal vision thing, notice how many people don't really want to get into the discussion too much, because it is personal, I guess, But I think it is worth thinking about. I don't know if it is possible to improve it , perhaps that isn't the best word, nurture might be a better goal. Certainly, our personal vision can change or evolve but I think one important thing is to protect it, because I think it is possible to diminish it too.
Examples would be to become too obligated to a sense of style, or too close minded for any number of reasons.
#4 An example of what I'm talking about. I think it was Picasso who said " Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction"
Until you can accept and truly believe the possibility that your idea might not be the best path forward , you will never "see" a better one.
This image is a good example of that thought, for me.
Thanks for the comments, it's been very interesting. Tim
What is interesting about the photo is that it shows a common winter scene in a visually appealing way. It is the combination of color, pattern, composition and light that makes it work so well. It proves that even the most common of scenes can portray the beauty of nature, especially to the more casual observer. This, IMO, is a very important point.
In a way, this photo and the accolades it deserves is counter-intuitive to the recent discussions of "truth" in nature photography - that a "truthful photo" should be one that is unflattering of the subject. But because it was created using techniques to produce a photo that the average person finds visually appealing, it creates both interest and appreciation for the subject. I'm sure it has even inspired some to "replicate" the look and has perhaps enhanced their appreciation for the subject in the process. If so, you have achieved far more with this photo than you may realize.
Good nature photography fosters an appreciation of nature, and this one delivers that in spades.
Good topic - thanks again for starting it!