“I slip photos under the door from the world of the blind to be viewed in the light of the sighted. I view my work during the event of taking the shot in my minds eye. I “see” each shot very clearly, only I use sound, touch, and memory. I am more of a conceptual artist than a photographer. My influences come from my past memory of art and what I now find in the world at large,” Pete Eckert.
If you ask photographers about what sense they would want to keep the most, the majority, if not all, will say sight. For an artist, vision is a priceless gift.
Last week, I watched a documentary film called “Dark Light: Art of Blind Photographers.” This film presented the amazing work of Pete Eckert, Bruce Hall and Henry Butler. These three photographers are blind, by definition of their physical eyes. The film was so inspiring and touching. It let me realize passion is stronger than disability. How can a blind person be a photographer? There is one answer; it is the “fascination” with the thing you love to do, regardless of all obstacles.
Of the three, Pete Eckert’s work was the one that amazed me the most. He became blind in his mid-age due to an eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa. He makes his images through touch, sound and the memory he formed before losing his sight. According to him, “Sound gives an image just like light gives an image… My work is a byproduct of learning how to see again using sound.”
After being inspired by him, I recently added Pete Eckert to my favorite photographers list. I do not mind watching his work again and again, as I never get tired of looking at his pictures. His work entertains the eyes and feeds the mind. It allows me to learn. Only when we surrender to disability, we are “disabled.”
Suhair Farhat
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
A Form of Language
“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.”
-Elliott Erwitt
“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.”
-Destin Sparks
Everyone in life has his special craft. As someone who thinks photography is my special skill, I believe that I got the privilege to express my feelings and experiences in either a single photograph or a body of work. For me, language, whether spoken or written, was never a sufficient tool to express my feelings and explain myself.
You might see this variety of photos in a phone or framed and seated on a desk. You might even think to yourself “Oh, such beautiful sky, tree, and sun”. But for me, when I look at it, I remember the exact moment during which it was taken, what was going in my mind then, why I took it in the first place, and how I felt after. Some people think photography is about shooting then walking away. It is absolutely not. In fact, it is almost the opposite. It is living the moment, embracing it, feeling it, capturing it, then going back to it. During the time when a photographer sees, shoots, and puts down the camera, believe me, there are many thoughts that come and go, and so much expression of feelings that happens. These, I consider moments of growth and learning.
In each photograph, a photographer leave a part of him or her. Photographs carry our personalities and show our emotions. I probably was not born a writer or a philosopher, and thus cannot express myself using fancy words and complicated sentence structures. However, I was born a photographer, and I see things behind my fancy camera lens. I let my mind think, my heart speak, and my soul live through photographs.
-Elliott Erwitt
“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.”
-Destin Sparks
Everyone in life has his special craft. As someone who thinks photography is my special skill, I believe that I got the privilege to express my feelings and experiences in either a single photograph or a body of work. For me, language, whether spoken or written, was never a sufficient tool to express my feelings and explain myself.
You might see this variety of photos in a phone or framed and seated on a desk. You might even think to yourself “Oh, such beautiful sky, tree, and sun”. But for me, when I look at it, I remember the exact moment during which it was taken, what was going in my mind then, why I took it in the first place, and how I felt after. Some people think photography is about shooting then walking away. It is absolutely not. In fact, it is almost the opposite. It is living the moment, embracing it, feeling it, capturing it, then going back to it. During the time when a photographer sees, shoots, and puts down the camera, believe me, there are many thoughts that come and go, and so much expression of feelings that happens. These, I consider moments of growth and learning.
In each photograph, a photographer leave a part of him or her. Photographs carry our personalities and show our emotions. I probably was not born a writer or a philosopher, and thus cannot express myself using fancy words and complicated sentence structures. However, I was born a photographer, and I see things behind my fancy camera lens. I let my mind think, my heart speak, and my soul live through photographs.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Broken Mirror
Helen Levitt was born in 1913 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. She dropped out from high-school to be a commercial photographer in the Bronx. After that, she developed her own vision, and started to present the social aspect of life through her photographs. She is now known for her photographs, which mostly capture children’s life and activities on the street. That includes playing and drawing with chalk on the ground or on walls. She was relatively an unknown photographer in her past life, but her work is worth seeing.
Helen Levitt, New York 1940
This photograph documents the simple life everyone was
living at that time, especially children. The main subject of the photograph
are the children playing around the frame of a broken mirror. Each one is
involved in an activity of his own.
Looking at this picture, one cannot help but compare fun activities for
children living in that period of time and nowadays. Children found pleasure in
simple things and were creative with the available tools they had because of
the limitation of choices, far from iPads and smartphones. Actually, simplicity in the environment was
the reason she got interested in photography in the first place. I am drawn to
the fact, or maybe sense, that no one notices the broken mirror, except for
Levitt and the curious creatures we call children.
The more I
look at this amazing photograph, the more I admire it, as it allows me to see
parts of these children’s memories. I can see their enjoyment, regardless of
the differences in their styles or skin colors. Each child has a specific
purpose to serve in the photograph, representing, in a way, a part of his
personality. For instance, the boy collecting the glass from the broken mirror
is concerned about the wellbeing of others. The other fully-clothed child with
the stylish hair is helping with the same task, and is closely observing as if
he is learning how to do it. What caught my eyes is the variety of outfits,
suggesting the various backgrounds from which these children come. Some are
fully clothed, some are only wearing one piece of clothing, and some are
wearing torn pieces. However, as children, they are enjoying the moment in the
middle of the street, and not caring about how they look.
Through her
picture, Levitt had allowed me to see the ambiance of life in that past time, a
fact that made me appreciate this type of work. After meditating into this
photograph, I also ended up appreciating the memories people carry along from
their childhood, and their significance in shaping up the person who carries them.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
The Timeless Art
“ Photography is an of observation. It has little to do with
the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them” Elliott Erwitt
After my
visit to Jackson gallery, it inspired me to work even harder to improve my art
pieces. Not only to be able to put my work in an exhibition but, also to work
on the technical part of my skills. It’s in the smallest details, that attracts
a person to the photography.
My favorite
artist from my visit must be Elliot Erwitt. This artist has a fascinating sense
of humor, that is portrayed in my opinion as bold, a work with character, and
edgy. You don’t find a lot of photographers with this specific humor. Through
his work you can get an idea about what type of a person he is. His character
in general. Something that makes this artist stand out from others, is the
emphasis of his humor in it. What I mean by that, if I want to relate it to
myself, I believe I do have a sense of humor, but I never would’ve thought of
putting it in my work. I maybe thought before that it would’ve been too risky
or maybe my audience wouldn’t get it. But that inspired me to not limit myself
anymore, and put limitations to my work, but to be more free in the way I work,
that can show my true personality.
Another
main focus that also fascinated me, is the fact that the pieces that we saw had
no editions to them. They are one of a time pieces, not replicated, or
reprinted. Which makes his work of art so unique and timeless. Yes I understand
that during his era they never used the concept of editions, but now that they
do, and he still hasn’t printed more, makes me wonder that Mr.Erwitt, doesn’t
care about the money as much as the art portrayed though his work. I love that
about him.
Going back
to the quote, Elliott Erwitt has a unique way of seeing things. His work might
look staged, but they are definitely not. The way he sees the specific moment
that captures his eyes, creates an aesthetically elegant shot that is not
negotiable to anyone’s eyes.
Sunday, January 17, 2016
The Subliminal Message
Last May 2015, I attended Leonard Freed’s exhibition in the High Museum of Art. It was one of my best experiences that opened my eyes on learning about new parts of the American history, especially in the southern area, and the civil right movement. This photograph, Harlem New York, got my attention, and I fell in love with it.
Leonard Freed, Harlem, New York, 1963
African
Americans were not only fighting the high temperature in the summer of 1963,
but they were also fighting for their rights. At that time, the Civil Rights
Movement had arisen and Martin Luther King gave his famous influential “I Have
a Dream” speech.
“Why
I am photographing? It is the desire of retaining my sanity, the exploration of
the mind’s limit and man’s limitation. I wish to preserve, to contain, to
measure, and to expand. I photograph strangers, the shell of things, not mind,”
Leonard Freed once said.
I personally think Freed’s wishes came true,
through this picture. For once, he preserved, if not immortalized, African
Americans, at least in these pictures. He contained so much love and emotions
in a single picture; and he expanded people’s understanding of freedom, and
rights.
He was able to capture and show how tight the mom was holding her child.
It seems as if the mother is saying, through her body language, “I am not
letting go of my child, this is our moment, and this is how we enjoy it
together.” In a way, she is also saying, “I am not letting go of my rights,
this is our land, and this is how we will face society.” A sense of love
spreads in this picture, giving it a peaceful atmosphere. The movement of
splashing water creates an astonishing visual effect as it frames the mother
and her child. I believe that the combination of the black and white colors in
the Photograph makes it even more meaningful. The importance of bringing
together these two colors, in the aesthetic and racial contexts, should be
considered when looking at this photograph. I agree with Freed’s view that
“black and white gives him the structure. Color would take away the personality
of the people.” It might be because color is distracting, and thus it redirects
the attention from the story behind a photograph to the mere aesthetics of it.
Regardless of whether this explanation holds true or not, there is something
about black and white pictures that draws your attention to the story behind
it, told by the people in it. Unconsciously, my eyes immediately go straight to
the mother and her child when I look at this black and white picture. I see at
least parts of their personalities as I stare at their facial expressions.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Where It All Started
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better,” said Albert Einstein.
When I came to the United States, my love for nature started to grow bigger. At the same time, I found myself facing a completely new culture, with different types of people having lifestyles that were anything but expected to me. Some experiences were tougher than others. Therefore, whenever I engaged in conflicting encounters leaving me unsettled and hurt, I took the closest path to nature with my camera.
To me, an intriguing aspect about nature is the continuously growing bond that gets stronger with time. I believe it takes a lifetime to fully understand and appreciate nature, and that my relationship with nature will infinitely progress.
Unlike many others, my relation with nature is peaceful and quite. Every single part of nature tells a story that can never be conveyed using the complicated languages of humans. These stories are expressed in a unique way; they are told through silence.
The similarities between some aspects of nature and parts of our lives are unreal. These are, of course, subjective, but they seem very intuitive to me. I chose to photograph nature to show the relation between our stories and the environment, and to document the spiritual peace I found in it.
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