Mirrors and Windows

Portraitists notoriously used their brushes to depict not only their subjects but characteristics of themselves in each stroke – arguably due to ego; purposefully asserting their likeness for power or simply because their own faces or those of their kin were their most common sight, committed to memory. A person using a camera to capture an image inadvertently does the same, showing bits of themselves in the subjects and scenes they are collecting. The mirror analogy inevitably makes itself evident in the choices the photographer makes and the bits of information she collects. On the other hand, images offer the viewer a glimpse into a new perspective, essentially holding the window analogy to be true as well. If I found myself swaying toward one over the other, I think that the mirror analogy would hold the most weight for me. While it is possible for a photographer to document space and time without interference, the image was captured because the photographer was there in that space and in that time. Their mere existence, necessary to capture the image, suggests that it is a mirror, not a window, that the audience views.

I find the idea of photography as acquisition to be noteworthy. Part of what motivates me to capture imagery is the “thrill of the hunt”, an expression that I barely tolerate due to my hypocritical feelings about hunting animals. The thought that the perfect image is out for the taking opens up a world of possibility and motivates me to be less an image-creator, but an image-seeker. While I have a foundational understanding that photographs are, indeed, created, the idea that one is able to collect pixels, which in turn allows her to collect photographs, and thus, collect subject matter puts photography on a uniquely strange platform than other art forms. This does get complicated, however, when collecting and showcasing that subject matter creates a social barrier or vehicle for “othering”. While I believe that photography has, throughout history, provided the means for fostering empathy, it can and does also bear the risk of division.

At my early stage of developing a photographic voice beyond the commercial world, I fear that my motivation to create photographs is still unclear. My education in design has always instilled motivation to please a client or other and I am eager to practice creating art for myself or my own audience. I am excited to explore and develop my practice and motivations through this course.