Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Hagi Jokamachi details


hagi3721

I am reluctant to call myself a photographer. Of course in the simplest sense a photographer is someone who takes photos, so  obviously I, like almost all of us, are photographers, but if a photographer is someone with technical camera skills then I would not be able to call myself a photographer.

hagi3766

I only have the most rudimentary knowledge of such things as f-stops, focal lengths, etc and most of my photos are taken using the auto settings of my camera. All these photos were taken with a relatively cheap "point and shoot" camera. Expensive cameras and lenses would be wasted on me.

hagi3778

I also take photos very quickly. I don't spend much time setting up shots. I wander around going click, click, click at whatever attracts my eye. Often what attracts my eye are details..... textures, patterns of light and shade, compositions of simple intersecting lines. I am a very simple photographer.

hagi3771

I am often complemented on my "eye", and asked how it is I "see" the things I photograph. Its kind of a difficult question because my subjects are simply there staring me in the face. In fact I would say they call out to me. What exactly is going on is really not all that clear to me except I would have to say it is a matter of simply looking.

hagi3743

Simply looking would mean allowing my consciousness to focus in my eyes rather than in my head. I think it means not thinking, not expecting, and not listening to the chatter of words around and in me. In essence, I think, it means shutting up.

hagi3783

These are some of the things I saw while wandering around the samurai district of Hagi for an hour.

6 comments:

  1. Your photos are great...don't change a thing

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    1. That's a very good expression in words of.....
      what can you say really when your in the middle of doing??!!! You see great things. I all ways enjoy seeing them.

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  2. the best camera in the world is only a tool, without the selective "eye" behind it there are no great photos - yours are always truly inspiring. thank you.

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  3. A photographer is someone who produces wonderful pictures, like you do. In spite of what many people think equipment has little or nothing to do with it. Your eyes and your brain are the creators.

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  4. I don't really care of your equipment, I am concerned by your view, the way you see things... and I appreciate your way of sharing !

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  5. Thank you for the photos and the words..."In essence, I think, it means shutting up." That just about covers it and also applies to more than taking photographs.

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