I clearly remember when I’m still in early process of learning photography; there are so many friends that gave suggestions to me. My gratitude is never forgotten and always echoes in my head. As my gratitude, I want to give suggestion to future photographer through this article. A suggestion from photography researches (data based on fact), and also from literatures that I got from some campuses in Indonesia. This time I want to give idea about the basic and origin about how a photographer can “show” an art.
In “Perception and Imaging” by Richard Zakia page 208, there are 3 basic about how photographer can show a work. I will explain it one by one, to make it easier for future photographer in their early learning process.
The first is PROJECTION.
There’s a friend of mine who don’t have any background in (Formal) art and design. But when he bought a camera and practice often (autodidact), it makes him to reach the top from his learning process. He has high sensitivity to an object. When others see an object and might think it “ordinary”, in other hands he can see it as something extraordinary. I look at this phenomenon without talks to much.
Then I’m interested to go deeper into the process and tried to test his skill. I asked him for hunting together. But I let him to lead the hunt. Like what I already told before, he chose some objects that I never think will be a great picture. I’m more interested to follow his steps. Then after capturing process, we gathered in a place that comfortable for picking process.
I showed him more than 100 photos (non-edited standard photo, high similarity with each photos), then I asked his help to choose. The result, my friend who don’t have any formal background in art (only autodidact experience), could choose 10 photos out of 100 (even more), with 100% similarity with my choice that based on theory of art.
The meaning of projection is a photographer can feel it before capturing, so the objects stand out. There are 2 things that I can get from this event. First, the photographer has been given a talent/grace from God. The second is learning (searching self potential skill). I want to explain the second point, about how to learn to capture an object so we have high sense to an object. The first key from this study is to learn more about MORPHIC.
Morphic is derived Greek is Morphos = form. In all my life, I already see there are 6 type of morphic,
- Isomorphic (form similarity)
- Antropomorphic (human form)
- Zoomorphic (animal form)
- Theriomorphic (scary form)
- Mechanomorphic (mechanic form)
- Anamorphic (distortion or destructed form).
In this essay I won’t tell much about these 6 forms. But from this early “surgery”, I hope to future designer and photographer can develop this knowledge deeper. So in the future they can train themselves, in “translating” an object to a masterpiece.
