anne_s3

<p>Hi John, yes, being present and aware takes practice and zen is a perfect way of talking about that kind of practice. For me, I'm an intuitive person and I am psychologically inclined, so it's not that I'm moving towards being more present because I've been walled off from myself or the world around me. It's that I can waste time and energy analyzing things that were or might be rather than just appreciating and being available to what might happen. So photography is a great way to not be in the moment but learn to appreciate the moment. E.g., when you review images, you see things you didn't see when you were there. <br>

Being present isn't just sharpening one's senses, but also being available to alter your perception of things, to let that affect you. And to respond and drive or create something in that moment- well that's really being alive! I think of it like traveling - which I did a lot of at one stage - and how alive I felt. But truly it got exhausting, too :)<br>

Getting back to Avedon, yes, I think he got the surfaces and more in his portraits. I like how he seemed to understand that many people are hidden behind multiple masks and that he liked to spark their performances (of self) to see what layers might be there, to see what else could be revealed. What is genuine and what is just a show or an endless onion of layers? That's where I think his view was refreshing - that he didn't really seem to get hung up on that. Maybe because he was cynical, maybe because his subjects were narcissistic celebrity types that may not have had much in the way of a sense of self or a poorly constructed one. Or maybe just because he was truly extroverted. In any case, I've heard it said that he had a special energy and it affected people around him- that he put effort (social performance you could say) into making each moment the best it could be. Thanks for the book suggestion.</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for responding! Wonderful ideas and thoughts to think about here. My apologies for not checking in. I have simply been snowed under this week! I returned a few times to read the comments but was too tired to figure out a way to thank and appreciate each and every contribution and the general trend of them as well as to synthesize and offer my own comment! Actually, ironically enough, I was persuaded that 'world view' is too big a concept and noted my own inability to categorize one for myself in the question! I think point of view is a great thing and reinforces the idea that photography- as with any creative endeavor - but especially because it focuses on capturing a moment in time - can help you be more present in this world which is what I am trying to do. </p>

<p>Julie, it's interesting to me that you picked Goffman as a point of reference. His perspective on social interactions as a driving force in the creation and maintenance of culture (and personality - both individually and collectively defined) is an important contribution to sociological and anthropological theories. Without this appreciation for the social rules and games we all play - and how they work to maintain our sense of self and our position - some theories of culture and society were not dynamic at all. <br>

Regarding face or saving face and how it plays in photography... I think performance is key whether it is consciously realized or not. I mean by this that the photographer is also involved in this performance. Because to capture an image is by its very act meant to have an audience outside that moment in time and place. And so there is a purpose for it - even if not entirely in awareness and if only to manipulate or enhance for one's own enjoyment. <br>

Then add to this the performance of the subject being photographed (if there are humans or animals conscious of at some level being photographed and their reactions). So this to me is absolutely a fundamental reality to photography- that is involved performance. Whether that performance has a goal - or the goal is shared or towards some end like preserving a shared definition of status, beauty, outrage or whatever - is what is so varied.<br>

So I don't think saving face (with any particular assumption about what that means from a particular social or cultural status) is inherent to photographs or photography. It depends on the awareness and purpose of the participants and even then- they can be at cross-purposes (the subject may think he /she is saving face only to find the photographer has another goal or awareness of it, etc.).</p>

<p>I'll risk dipping my toes into the swirling discourse of the Philosophy of Photography forum to make an observation and later to pose a question. I hope I'm not being too long winded here, but it seems to be the expectation :p.<br>

<br /> First, let's assume that we all are conscious of and then actively maximize or minimize the experience of observing and being observed through photography. No doubt this is a mundane truth that has been hashed and re-hashed from multiple angles in here. And preferences about this aspect of photography inform the skills or genres we are drawn to (e.g., portraits, documentary, nature, animals, landscapes, studio vs. real world, etc.).<br>

<br /> As an example, take Richard Avedon, who was someone very conscious of the experience of observation and the power of it - to generate performances. To him, performance was what was truly genuine about human interaction. To quote him: "We all perform. It's what we do for each other all the time, deliberately or unintentionally. It's a way of telling about ourselves in the hope of being recognized as what we'd like to be."<br>

<br /> I don't think of Richard Avedon as a particular icon or someone I want to emulate or who captures my view of the world. But I think he is a great example of someone whose calling/ art and work aligned very well with his world view. And that served his art and work very well- this idea that all the world is a stage.<br>

<br /> <em>How has your photography - work/ art/ experimentation - been an expression of or shaped your view of nature, people or culture -- or more generally, your world view? To volunteer my perspective, I am working on getting the skills to express my world view/ voice/ etc. through photography (is that a cop-out or what? :p) - so, in a way, my photos are at an early stage of development in this journey. What about you?</em></p>