mattalofs Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 For those who can't stomach The Artist's Way ( I couldn't), Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain is an interesting alternative. It's not specifically about creativity, but I found it helpful. I still can't draw worth a damn, but I think it was helpful to my photography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_west Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 yeah guys, come on over... well, i've not read any books but i watched a film about james nachtwey yesterday and his pix moved me to tears... the famine stuff especially. it made me want to go out and do something good. i think i'm going to read some books and see where it takes me. about being creative - i think creativity is a response. when you respond to what's happening around you or inside you, and output that in a way that other ppl can experience you are being creative and producing art. so i wouldn't think it would be something you could learn, but something you feel at first and then turn into a communication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kipling Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Good idea Takaaki. Let's do the next 24 hour thing at steve's place. How bout it steve? Got enough room for the S&D forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claudia__ Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 i agree with Matt on how dreadful The Artist's Way is (too far out tinkly-bell even for me) and that Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain is a good one. i have been looking for it for someone just getting into drawing, but am wondering if it is still in print as i haven't found one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 The Artist's Way is tough, but most worthwhile things are tough, are they not? (I couldn't/didn't finish it either...) Yes, Steve's place then Peter A's then Kipling's then...who's in London here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 eric, I lived thru that period and was pretty heavy into music then. I like the Stones and the Who, but I always felt they stopped short of taking that final step. Jimi (by the way is spelled this way ;o) and Zepplin didn't limit themselves, they just took it to the limit. Hendrix for one, totally blew apart the "sing a little, the instrumental middle, then sing a little more" mentality that was always so popular in rock and roll. He had no set pattern of when to sing and when to play, except that when it needed it he did it. Zepplin went in the direction of actually creating music imagery. The way they put the words and music together actually conjured up visual manisfestations. To tie it all back to photographs, I think some of the best photographers today are working somewhat in the vein of Zepplin's concept. They are taking what is a visual medium and laying poetic overtones to the images. Not words, mind you, but lyrical musings. It is most prevalent in the "blurred motion" pics we see. There is a kind of verbal rythmn to them. It's like, because you are looking at something not quite visually defined (the blur motion), your mind tries to add a thought to it all. It tends to come out in a rythmn of verbal cues that your mind latches onto. I find myself looking and thinking......heh, that looks like.....and the way that wooshes past his face is kinda like.......and the way the pavement soaks in his feet.....and then all of a sudden the little pieces all makes a sense of some sort.........and it just sorta rymes. rymes?......jeez, my spelling is bad....heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_west Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 i kinda had an idea a while ago when the tokyo 24 idea came up... say you had 10 ppl in city A and ten in city B. city A has a shoot out and the results judged by city B ppl. city B ppl each put in 100$ to pay towards the winner in city A to go to city B and join a shoot out there. then the same thing happens again the other way. now the cool thing is... this just continues for like the course of 2 years and noone is allowed to win twice. hence we all get to travel around the world at least once, meet 10 other photographers, shoot and have fun all for the investment of 1000$. sounds nice, but the logistics of it.... but if someone wants to come over for a w/end i can accommodate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattalofs Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Drawing from the right side of the brain is still in print as far as I know. I got a copy of it 7-8 months ago. Claudia, if you want it, email me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 I'm not sure I agree with that artical because I don't always think pre-visualization should dictate every process. Sometimes, in fact often, its the stuff you didn't and generally can't see that make a photo interesting to me. I think is a very important skill to be able to visualize and then get that photograph, but for me its not always the goal..I like to be surprised and in fact there's a lot of stuff not percieved in the frame when shooting fast and other stuff makes an impact under awareness, in other words you respond to it, but aren't aware of doing so and that can often be the most revealing thing in the photo. I think its really good to look at other's work. It builds a sense of photographic literacy at the same time it freshens and allows things to be looked at anew. Plus I just love looking at photographs! To me its inspiring. I'm not above being juiced by other's work. BTW Jeff thanks for the post on Bystander, I just recieved my copy. Okay, enough drivel from me. Back to work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claudia__ Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 thanx Matt, but i just ordered the new version online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Jeez, I can't stop! Someone mentioned "style". If you look at it, isn't develpement of style really and indication of a journey taken or being taken? What I mean is you get interested in something and start doing it, and stay with it and it takes you someplace you didn't know of before. That's why many say (please don't ask for quotes, I can't remember them) that basically it takes 7-10 years to get "good" in something, meaning doing it enough so your interest evolves and leads you on to a recognizable creative "path" in other words, a style. I've stopped worrying about developing a style, I know it will come. <ahhhh someone turn off this box..> In a documentary class I took last semester, we were all given the same assignment to photograph on the public bus for a day. Everyone submitted photo sequences and each of them was incredibly unique, and that was a real eye opener. So its always there you are your own style, and it is intrinsincly unique. Just do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_elder1 Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Its been my experience that I can't look at enough great photography. I also believe it an asset to have a firm grasp on the history of photography. That being said I am one of the MOST frustrated photogrphers on this forum because my dial-up computer doesn't allow me to view the theads posted. When a thread of "93" photos get posted my computer will take 5 minutes to let me see 3 shots. I guess its time to sink some money into computer gear and a broadband connection. I do visit Edmo's web cite regularly and I truly believe he is pushing the envelope. I have seen alot of photography and Edmo is combining a couple different things including motion , abstraction, darker values,etc and truly coming up with something new. I least that's my humble opinion. In the future, 20 years from now, Iwill not be suprised in the least to find Edmo, grant , Balaji, Takaki,Dixon. Spirer, and a couple others here to be internationally known. I wish i could post my photographs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_elder1 Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Tomatsu is worth seeing. Maybe a group could get together in DC between May and August and see his show at the Cocoran followed by some shooting? DC offers a variety of street subject matter.And if you are willing to risk life and limb ther are some dangerous areas worth shooting, but not alone. I worked DC as a photojournalist in 1987 and 1988. Maybe a combination of Memorial day weekend and a trip to the Cocoran? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougar_allen Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 You *can* download a long thread on dialup if you keep hitting refresh every time it times out. It can take half an hour though, and you can't just leave your computer for half an hour and come back to it; you have to keep hitting refresh. It would help a lot if when a thread starts getting long somebody would start Part 2 and everybody switch to that. Half of America is still on dialup.... -Cougar :{) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uhooru Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 John, if you can financially afford broadband or dsl, it is a huge benefit if you want to look at a lot of photos on line, change your experience altoghether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abufletcher Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Anyone here who can manage to get themselves down to Shikoku is welcome to a spot on my floor (that's where I sleep) and anything in the fridge for as long as they'd like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 1, 2005 Author Share Posted March 1, 2005 Wow, Most of my post last night was deleted. I was pretty drunk, but I don't think I bashed the forum or anyone else for that matter. Oh well, I can't remember all of it anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael s. Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 I am in the DC area, John. Just checked and the ending of the Kertesz exhibit now up at the National Gallery (which is on my list to see) is one week before the Tomatsu exhibit opens at Corcoran. Ah, Phoooey -- I was going to suggest an easy 'two-fer' for the NY'ers. (Newer phrase is "BOGO" -- buy one get one free.) In any case, I really hope the 24 HRS gang does make it down here for one or more exhibits, as I'd like to meet up with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abufletcher Posted March 1, 2005 Share Posted March 1, 2005 Anthony, hmmm...there's an insight... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmo Posted March 2, 2005 Share Posted March 2, 2005 Tomatsu just ended here(nyc) a couple of months ago...great show. John, thanks for the words. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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