4.19.2012

Empty. Gone. Measured and prodded. We lost the patient when we did the exploratory surgery to find out where the magic lived.


 Photography? It's not in the camera.  It's in the heart.


Lighting is not a substitute for having something to say.  A new lens isn't the same as new understanding.  A new camera is no substitute for knowing your own heart...

16 comments:

Bill said...

I agree.

Craig said...

True and beautiful -- both the images and the words.

Jim said...

Hmmmm? Why did Blogger present me with a "This blog may contain offensive or unsuitable material" warning before showing me this post? That's never happened before.

Anyway, great thoughts Kirk. A quote worth saving.

diforbes said...

Yeah, and why have your previous posts been removed?

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

Temporarily down for maintenance, besides I thought you guys had already read all of the older blog posts....right?

The offensive warning label was there because I was thinking about saying "fuck." But then I decided, given our current culture, the label probably was unnecessary.

Frank Grygier said...

Once you know your heart a new camera will make it sing! Can't wait for my OM-D.

James said...

This is also known as the Harvard Death. Although the patient died, the doctors were very pleased with their work.

AdamR said...

Just because I've read them doesn't mean I don't like to go back and stare at the photos for a while! This coming from someone who two years ago would have said they weren't interested in portraits.

Kenneth Tanaka said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kenneth Tanaka said...

Um, well the "heart" might lead the feet to transport the camera to a location but it takes a mix of talent and skill to make an expressive photograph and still more talent and skill to present it well on a sharable medium.

Hearts are given far too much sentimental credit for the brain's accomplishments.

"Lighting is not a substitute for having something to say." Indeed, as Billy S. might have said in his day, "A photograph doth not a statement make! It is, alas, just a another damn thing."

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

And I say it takes moment of instant recognition. Beyond thought and skill and the drudgery of imaging to make art. So many of the trappings of "real art of photography" are just the ways we did things in the past, warmed over for digital...

Frank Grygier said...

I am striving to reach a state of no mindedness. Not the usual sense of restricting my thoughts to the process of taking an image but simply a quiet awareness of the photograph to be taken.

Patrick Dodds said...

How about leaving the comments up even if you take the posts down? It could be kind of intriguing.
(Of course, it could also just be a bit irritating...)

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

That's kind of funny. I like to pull posts off from time to time. Most people who say they want more blogs about why don't miss them like they miss the ones about the gear....

I took down a couple gear oriented blog posts last night because they seemed to be a magnet for idiots...

Anonymous said...

I really like the simplicity of the first photo. And simple does not mean "easy". It could be the cover of a book and everyone could imagine a story behind it...
robert
PS: my wife does really like the mood of the second photo, and the colors...

Anonymous said...

What the heck happened to this web site? One day it's the old comfortable site, then it's all new and hip looking.... Don't dislike it but it was a shock to and old guy....
My thoughts are that people make great photos, not great cameras.


John