Photography by Design

I recently had an email exchange with a photography student who told me he was using my work as a research source for a theme project where he would work in the style of another photographer. He had chosen work from my blog post about Nature’s Reclamation, saying my style was to photograph rusting metal, so he would work on photographing rusting metal. He had asked me for advice on how I captured my images and my first reaction was to point out that photographing rusting metal was not my style of photography. It simply was what that article seemed to focus on, and even that was more about how nature takes back everything eventually, not just rusting metal. It would certainly work for a project theme, but I consider my “style” something all together different.

I believe most serious photographers will tell you they have a style, that is, a certain way they approach their subjects, certain things they like to concentrate on. I think a photographer’s style says something definitive about how they see and interpret the world, how they see themselves, and what they want to express through their art. Styles change. They evolve just as personalities do. They change as our tastes change and as we gain experience as artists and technicians. This is true of anyone in any creative endeavor, whether it’s architecture or graphic design or clothing design or landscaping or photography and so on.

When I was a very young man, I dreamed of being an architect. I drew houses, grand colonial facades with columns and shuttered windows, I drew elaborate contemporary homes with glass and stone and spreading floor plans. Today, I would prefer an arts and crafts bungalow to any other style for myself. Photography is no different. I went through my black and white phase, my Polaroid phase, my color landscape/nature phase. All of these different types of photography have interested me. But through it all, I think my style has always revolved around design. Around good composition.

All 2-D art, whether paintings, photography, etchings, collages, serigraphs, whatever, depend on elements of composition that have been around for centuries. The Golden Mean, the rule of thirds, pattern and repetition, the basic elements that form successful composition and cause our brain to stay and linger and our eye to travel where the artist intended. Elements that move the viewer and cause us to react in some way. Not always easy to define. Pictorial images, unlike abstracts, cause us to react both from design elements as well as subject matter. More abstract images cause us to imagine, and react more purely to design, to line and form and color and texture. Whether an images is pictorial or abstract, good composition, good design is what makes the image work or not. Simple subjects, if properly composed, can be incredibly moving and dramatic. Complex images rely to a great degree on good design to keep them from being chaotic and confusing. We often are not even aware of why an image moves us so, why its composition works. It’s like a good picture frame, it enhances the image without drawing attention away from it. But if we take the time to really dissect an image we like, we can usually pinpoint the elements of the composition that work. It’s a good way to study composition, much like studying a well written paragraph.

The main thing I used to teach my students about composition is that composition IS the visual language. It is the way to give order and understanding to an image. It is about every element of the image, what is included and what is not included. How every element relates to every other element, and how they all relate to the frame of the image. How one part that is misplaced or improperly included can be such a distraction as to destroy the effective communication of the artist’s intent. Everything counts.

One of my favorite photographers and one of the most influential in my own development as a photographer is Freeman Patterson. His book, Photography and the Art of Seeing probably taught me more about how to see and compose an image than anything I’ve ever read. Freeman talks about “dynamic simplicity”, that point where we distill an image to its most basic elements while maintaining something dynamic and stimulating to keep the image alive. His images are pure and rich and complete.

I have tried for years to work toward the goal of this kind of purity of design. It has shaped my style. And my style has shaped my vision and my art.

All images are Copyright © George Cannon, All Rights Reserved.

“Working” in Trumansburg

Today we strike the sets for the Trumansburg High School drama performance of “Working”, the musical adapted from the book by Studs Terkel. After three amazing performances by an incredibly talented group of young people, it’s time to put the stage back in order.

There were several stand outs among the cast, but it’s so hard to focus an a few when so many of these kids worked so hard and did such a great job. My admiration extends to all of the cast.

Jake Seifert touched everyone with several fine performances as the iron worker, in ensemble performances and especially in the Father’s and Sons scene. Skylar Fairchild appeared again and again with great execution as Roberto, the field hand, the truck driver, and several ensemble numbers.

Mia Goldman as Amanda McKenny, the project manager, Kim Hall singing James Taylor’s Millwork song, Ruth Carpenter as the housewife, Zoe Anderson as the checker girl, Dana Darling as the cleaning woman, Luke Heptig as the UPS guy and the ex-copy boy, and so many others.

Emily Goodell touched hearts as the school teacher and was great again in the cleaning woman number. And Eliza Vann knocked me out as the waitress.

Of course as a father of a cast member my main heart throb in the cast is naturally my daughter, Tessa, who choreographed a few dance numbers in the play and danced solo for the mill worker scene. You rock my world girl and it overwhelms me to see how beautiful and graceful you have become as a dancer and a young woman.

To all those great kids that I didn’t mention here, we are so proud of all of you and thankful for your participation, hard work, and great entertainment. And to all those supporting crew backstage, the great musicians in the pit band, to all the parents that helped with sets, props, costumes, food and transportation, and all manner of other support, thanks for a great play. And especially to Sally Priester and Anne Bialke for amazing direction and coordination. I loved it all.

All Images are Copyright © George Cannon, all rights reserved.

Dragon Day

On the campus at Cornell University, as is probably the case at many institutions around our country, there are rituals that signify certain milestones in the student calendar. This past Friday was just such a day at Cornell. It was Dragon Day! Dragon Day is what seems an off-shoot of the pagan rituals of the Spring Equinox, it is the beginning of Spring break and as one might expect, a day to blow off a little steam and celebrate the end of the cold winter months in Ithaca.

As the tradition has it, the students of the Art School create a huge dragon in the week leading up to Dragon Day. It is then paraded across campus to pass in front of the rival Engineering School where it is met by a large phoenix to do battle. Then it is transported to the Arts Quad where, in great fanfare and surrounded by throngs of people and wild students in various costumes and odd attire, the head of the dragon is removed to be whisked away back to a safe place in the Art School, and the body is set ablaze.

Usually Dragon Day is preceded by an evening of decorating the trees around the quad with large quantities of toilet paper. But in the last couple of years this seems to have been somewhat neglected or perhaps discouraged by the administration. Although I wouldn’t think that would prevent the recurrence of this ritual. I think it is more a bit of laziness on the part of the students. All the same, the Cornell Police and Life Safety firefighters stand by as this revelry takes place, left to do their jobs of safeguarding the campus and the students from their own wildness and exuberance.

It’s hard to know just what the themes are that guide the dress of some of these students. But if nothing else, they are very creative and unashamed.

It’s a time for release, for celebration, and a ritual that we all look forward to on campus in that it simply marks our official end of winter (except for perhaps, the grounds crew that are left with the mess to clean up).

All images are Copyright © George Cannon, All Rights Reserved.

Winter’s Last Gasp

It was 57 degrees and sunny yesterday. When I left work I could feel that first warm breath of spring around the corner. It’s coming. I can feel it. Today we had a dusting of snow. Enough to just give everything the look of a lightly sugared cookie or the top of a bundt cake.

A gentle frosting that outlined every branch and etched every black wet edge. It was beautiful. The creeks are already running high with snow melt. We had about six inches of new snow last week, but the warm southern air has sent it all to the gorges and gullies.

We are expecting heavy rain tonight after a bit of sleet and freezing rain, but the rising temp during the night will change it all to rain. About two inches of it so the weather forecast says. That means I will likely have to pump out the basement tomorrow. Living in a 180 year old house with an old stone cellar has its drawbacks.

The creeks were full and the stream above Taughannock Falls was at the top of its normal banks already today. The waterfall out back is roaring and occasionally when out walking the dog I can hear large areas of ice break free and crash to the bottom of the gorge.

I stayed out of work today to take Margot to the vet. She’s had some skin problems on her back and now has ear infections. She was a peach today though, in spite of the poking and prodding and digging in her ears repeatedly, the medicated bath and the antibiotics. She’s such a cute dog and I feel bad for her just as I would for my own child when she’s sick. But still playful and more than willing to harass the cats.

I have been adding numerous images to my other blog, Artcards, and getting steadily more traffic. I’m having a great time experimenting with images in Photoshop when I have the time, and creating photo-art from images that I was already happy with, but have found new potential in.

So, goodbye winter. Sayonara. Arrivederci. Be gone with you. I am ready for green, for the bursting of buds, for the smell of lilacs, for a trip down I-81 through redbud and dogwood country to the warm sands of Florida. I am ready to defrost and put away the boots and jackets and snow shovel. I am ready to not hear the furnace kick on. I am ready for daffodils and tulip magnolias. I am ready for t-shirts and shorts and flip-flops. Come on sunshine! Bring me the Spring!

All images are copyright © George Cannon, all rights reserved.