inoneeye

24 minutes ago, samstevens said:

With a good photograph, the photograph is the experience.

🥂

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And Slap! 
an eye opening topic worth serious consideration and research for ways to improve and understand... the impact we have as photographers. 
fortunately there are many suggestions by photographers and sites worth checking out. Being aware of the environmental footprint we have is a good starting point.
Thanks sam.

2 days ago
“Kat Von D, a celebrity tattoo artist, won a legal battle in federal court Friday when a jury ruled unanimously that her reproduction of a photo of celebrated jazz musician Miles Davis in a tattoo did not violate copyright law.”

13 hours ago, Wayne Melia said:

Nope. No tolerance for people vomiting their angst.

Irony and hypocrisy with a visual reference. very succinct.
angst is a good example of a negative emotion, comes in many forms but usually is expressed with the eyes. 

good distinction. Yeah, i suppose if it was not comfortable it would be a risk to explore those emotions. 

@ericphelps

There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in  - L.Cohen

@Sanford

samples … I would prefer not to post my examples at this time. I have a habit of using myself when I post in this forum. Often I see it not as a strength but as a distraction in this context. Even though this topic was born in self reflection it interests me more as a general curiosity. I found that in all art forms there was an abundance of negatively charged art. There are powerful examples everywhere …. Literature, music, film, flat art. 

15 hours ago, samstevens said:

My initial response has to do with risk. I think there’s a risk in using, exploring, and participating in dark or negative emotions. Not unlike athletes or adventurers who take risks, I think there can be an adrenaline rush or endorphin hit from this. 

👍
Risk had not occurred to me. It doesn’t generally feel like any risk for me (beyond the occasional situation and subject) I find that exploring and reflecting on negative emotions to be comforting, cathartic, feel-good. It often Is provocative but most satisfying for me as a viewer, evocative.

The challenge I often have in my sights instinctually when I am shooting is capturing the beauty of imperfection.s that are all around us. Wabi-sabi. Aesthetically but also emotionally. This often means that I try to take negative emotions and play them with an optimistic attitude and mindset.

I am nearing the end of a long project. I have spent the last 13 months printing 11 portfolios of my photographs. The editing process has been a challenge and enlightening for me. as in "gesture and emotion". It has also brought a question to the forefront. One that has surfaced many times often triggered by responses from viewers over the years and one that i have never put out of my mind. In fact i probably have not ever settled on how to phrase it 'properly'. Why do I enjoy strong negative emotion in my photos. So let me phrase it as I stated it on google...  "taking comfort in negative emotion in creativity and art"
I found myself going down a rabbit hole, 

Aristotle said we don’t like to look at painful things in life but get pleasure from seeing these things in art. - (no doubt there is a context that I only skimmed and chose not to look into yet, that may be significant)

But I found many quotes and a lot of research supporting this from numerous sources. It's safe, it' cathartic, it's emotionally engaging, it's something we can empathize with... yada. And of course whether a photo brings positive or negative feelings is subjective, in affect and in degree.
A strong negative emotional response works on me. That paradoxical enjoyment of negative emotion is not for everyone but I like to tap into the feelings i get from a sad song, a dark poem, a photo of grief or sadness, .... i find a negative narrative in photography can be comforting and rewarding. it touches me emotionally and it is a rich and textured resource.

8 hours ago, je ne regrette rien said:

This documentation can be of such intimate nature that I seriously consider if I want to make it public. And so often I decide against it.

?. I’m intrigued. Intimate photos have So much potential for standing out.