Olfactography?

<h2>Capturing smells?</h2>

<p>Did it ever occur to someone on photo.net that we can capture

light, moods, and at our best moments, feelings, but that we are not

able to capture smells. Smells are said to be able to invoke the

strongest imaginations and feelings in us.</p>

<p>But how can we depict a flower, a garden or park, a fish market or

oriental bazar without the smells? Are they necessary at all? What is

the picture of a heap of rotting garbage compared to its stench? Will

that image ever leave such a bad impression?</p>

<p>I sometimes wish I could capture some of olfactoric beauties and

horrors surrounding us every day...</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

Similarly, you must be disappointed that painting, sculpture and architecture cannot

easily represent all senses.

I feel the same way when listening to radio.

Ulrich, obviously, you've never seen John Waters' 1981 cult classic movie "Polyster," starring Tab Hunter and Divine. With the accompanying "Odorama" card, it is quite an experience in a crowded theater:

 

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/extra/dewey/objet28.html

Just yesterday, during my walk from work to the train, I passed an "interesting" smell on the street and had these /exact/ same thoughts.

 

I could take a picture of what was creating the smell, but there is little to no impact on the viewer. It would be very difficult, no matter how well the subject is lit, framed, photoshoped, for me to convey what really drew me to the object.

 

Visual media are quite hobbled by this. Video at least let's you experience the event with two senses; but photography, only one. This makes the job of the photographer so much more difficult with respect to providing the viewer an emotional response. I have a lot of respect for the photographers that can do this.

1. Go to India for at least a few months.

 

2. Take a lot of pictures.

 

3. Look at the pictures a few months later when you're missing being in India.

 

4. Close your eyes - you can almost imagine the smell.

 

India is the only country I've ever been to that can do this to me - sometimes I can almost smell the spices, the incense, the cows and everything else.

A friend of mine spent a month in India negotiating a business deal. She found the smells less desireable than you, Craig.

 

When she returned to her home in the U.S. she threw everything she'd had with her in the garbage. Her luggage, clothes and shoes smelled so bad she wouldn't bring them into her house.

Eric,

 

I love India - I've spent a little over 1 year there since 1997. I think you have to spend some time there to love it - my first trip was for 5 months. And then, when you're busy working your butt off afterwards, you find yourself missing it. Or perhaps that's just me...lol!

Craig, I think her primary problems were:

 

A. The country left a bad taste in her mouth because she is an attractive, petite blonde woman. Apparently, it is not impolite to stare in India and the men stared and stared and stared and stared at her like she was a being from Mars ... that they wanted to have sex with.

 

B. The area she was staying in apparently had a chronic bug problem and the smell of the bug spray was inescapable, particularly in the hotel rooms.

Why not build a little box behind the picture frame, and put the item you wish to smell in it?!! Collect necessary samples at the site of the photo.

I also love India. It's easily the most amazing and confounding place on the planet. And it's nirvana for photographers. So many things to take pictures of.

 

Great art can ping your other senses. In fact some musicians claim to see colors when they compose and some artists claim to smell things when they do their thing. Although crossing of the senses sounds a bit psychotic, I believe it.

 

Pictures can create smells in your mind. What's interesting is what an individual experience it is. Someone smells spices while another smells dung.

 

Anyway, I have frequently overheard people say when looking at images (photos, paintings, whatever) that they can practically smell the scene.

 

Now, how to achieve that? Ah, that is the question isn�t it.

Thanks for your responses. I didn't expect so many of answering to that query, and I'm glad you did.<br>

<br>

Now some answers to your contributions:<br>

<br>

1) Eric, I haven't seen Waters' "Polyester" myself, but my sister brought one of the Odorama cards home -- great idea, horrible smells.<br>

<br>

2) No, I've never been to India; other places and produce wonderful smells, too: Balkan towns in the fall (the aroma of roasted peppers); a rain shower in spring; etc. But what made me write the initial posting was the stench at the front door of our house that makes me feel sick every time I come home, especially if the weather is humid. I know exactly whose dog is responsible for that, but won't bother you with it.<br>

<br>

3) Regarding the olfactoric samples: my sister just told me that she uses aromatic substances on pictures (for example rose oil on an image of roses) in therapeutic sessions with elderly patients to induce "multisensoric stimuli." I wouldn't use it myself, simply because it takes away the "imagined" smells.<br>

<br>

So let's try our best to capture pictures letting people imagine the fitting aromas...<br>

I have often wondered when the first Scratch and Sniff injets will be available.

Reminds me of that old joke: "I don't do cocaine; I just like the smell."

"Did it ever occur to someone on photo.net that we can capture light, moods, and at our best moments, feelings, but that we are not able to capture smells."

 

Didn't a famous cartoon rabbit from the 50s predict we would have this technology by now?

 

I think it was called "Smellovision". Oh, sorry, that's for video; How about special transparent, smelly, inks for your printer to go on top of the colors; we'll call it "Smellography"; yeah, thats the ticket, see? ;)

I have absolutely NO PROBLEM remembering the smell on the Paris Metro during rush hour in the early sixties......

<<Didn't a famous cartoon rabbit from the 50s predict we would have this technology by now? I think it was called "Smellovision". Oh, sorry, that's for video>>

 

No, actually it was for the cinema. John Waters and the scratch-n-sniff cards were actually paying homage to a Hollywood experiment from the 1950s:

 

http://www.filmsite.org/50sintro2.html

 

Be well,

I have two of those John Waters cards. One used. One never scratched never sniffed.

"No, actually it was for the cinema. John Waters and the scratch-n-sniff cards were actually paying homage to a Hollywood experiment from the 1950s:"

 

In �Old Gray Hare�, the Warner Brother�s 1944 classic cartoon, Bugs Bunny falls into a 56-year �Rip Van Winkle-style sleep. When he awakens, he opens the newspaper and reads:

 

Smell-O-Vision replaces Television

 

(Do the math; it should have happened in 2000...)

 

(quoted in: http://www.gdconf.com/archives/2000/thomas.doc a paper about a modern smell-o-vision complete with software drivers for PC application writers called, seriously, iSmell!)

 

Now if we can only get the Smellography inks to be archival. Hmmmm...

<center><img src=http://www.johnsidlo.com/images/PhewDSC_6495.jpg /></center>

Exactly, John!

A fine example of how to record smells without having to smell them ;-)

I would think her reation is to the suit!...;)....J

The other day I took a big gulp of expired chocolate milk and it tasted exactly how an entire farm smells.

 

??????

 

I thought it was interesting. EXACTLY. I took another drink, only not quite a "gulp" the seocond time. It was like eating those dirt falvored jelly beans. You eat one after another, and everytime, they taste EXACTLY LIKE DIRT.

 

Anyway, completely off-topic, but it's the best I can do.

I dunno about the smell coming from the picture; I think the visual assault of the cigar smoker's outfit may be worse than the olfactory one...