The Way We See It: Philosophy

Showing posts with label Philosophy. Show all posts

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Go with the Flow

Old Cider - Stillwater, MN
Canon 5D mark iii + 17-40mm f4.0L & 3-stop B+W ND

We've adopted another puppy and with this comes the duality that accompanies every major decision. The fun of jostling a belly with stumpy legs is tempered by sleep deprivation and zero dark-thirty walks. The older dog, Sequoia, must endure the annoyance of puppy teeth in order to eventually have a worthy playmate. Dichotomies are at the root of so many of life's experiences. When we embrace the dichotomy we begin to see with greater clarity.

To produce this photograph I needed to balance my vision with the limits of my circumstance. The light was changing rapidly as heavy winds moved the clouds aloft. The streaky sky was quickly becoming overcast, and the tree I sought to photograph was trembling in the breeze. Rather than fight nature, I let the conditions dictate the process. I must have encircled the tree a dozen times before settling on this vantage point. The apple blossoms were in full bloom, but the wind foiled any attempt to make them my focus. The path of least resistance was to embrace the situation. It was here, before the composition was set, that I knew the image would be a black and white photograph. I added a 3-stop neutral density filter to my 17-40mm lens and zoomed to maximize the size and texture of the trunk. I waited for a massive gust of wind and shot a one-second exposure to capture the rustling of leaves. With windows facing into the apple orchard, I embraced the dichotomy and captured this familiar place in a new way.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

The Butterfly Effect

Moon Tree Number II - Minnesota
Canon 5D mark II & Canon 50mm f1.4 USM

Most of my free time is spent at work, working on work or talking about work. My commitment to “the job” reflects the passion for the work I do. Twenty-one years later, I still believe that I can influence the future and make a real difference in the lives of the people I see each day. Teaching is one part insanity and one part naïveté.

I am delusional because I believe that what I do each and every day really matters. It’s a crazy thought when you go to work with the assumption that what happens today makes a difference tomorrow. Some call it the “butterfly effect;” a sensitive dependence on initial conditions which assumes that a small perturbation will result in large-scale changes to a future state.

Eastern-tailed blue butterfly ( Cupido comyntas ) - Wm Obrien State Park
Canon 5D mark I & Canon 100mm f2.8 USM

What is your motivation? If you work for the money, you will never know the pleasure in the work you do. My craft, photography, is not limited by the product. The picture is something to share, while the story in the image reflects the life that is lived. Like the work I do everyday, my art is my passion. Images are like the beat of wings in the still of the night that generate ripples in the air. Regardless of the stimulus, both will have unpredictable consequences. In this non-linear world where chaos rules, I choose to embrace the experience, and believe my actions can influence the future.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Fear and Inhibition

Finch Flight (Carduelis tristis) - Pasadena, CA
Canon 5D mark iii + Canon 300 f2.8L IS w/ Canon 1.4x Converter

This craft, photography, can be defined in so many ways.

It is...

...a form of pure journalism when the photograph captures the “decisive moment,” a proverbial blip in time.

...a narrative, when the photograph tells a story about a place and time.

...a form of commerce, when the photograph captures its subject and portrays an ideal that can be bought and sold.

...a form of expression, when the photograph is a tool used by an artist to convey an idea or abstraction that resides within.

Sharks Love Popcorn - New York City Aquarium
Fuji X100

To the working stiff, this craft is a hobby, an outlet for the weekend warrior who is trapped by the constraints of life, career, and time. Yet we, the amateurs of the world, have the least to lose by taking a risk and still, we tend to play it safe. We stay in our comfort zone rarely look beyond our strengths.

Years Later at Ground Zero - New York City
Fuji X100

Guilty as charged, this is my modus operandi. I travel, document untouched ecosystems, avoid people and photograph large charismatic mammals. Shrouded behind a veil, I stay within my predefined limits and protect myself by hiding the experiments. Sadly, this is also a formula for quieting creativity, innovation and growth. My craft requires an adventuresome spirit and desire to take a risk, bug fear of acrimony or ridicule inhibits the urge. So here it is, the New Year and the requisite Resolution.

Green and Gold (Carduelis tristis) - Pasadena California
Canon 5D mark iii + Canon 300 f2.8L IS w/ Canon 1.4x Converter

“I Bruce Leventhal will continue to push myself beyond my comfort zone, and I will share the experiments that I too often hide from my peers.”

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Tip #100: Eat that Frog

Poison Dart (Dendrobates auratus) - Selva Verde, Costa Rica
Canon 40D + Canon 100 f2.8 Macro USM

It’s your mountain of homework, bills that need to be paid or taxes you’ve neglected to file. Your frog is the ugly task you avoid each day, week, month and year. It is your anchor; a weight that drags you into the abyss. Your frog saps your creativity. It sits on your desk and croaks in your general direction. That frog needs to be eaten!

First Snow - Stillwater, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM

Based on a book by Brian Tracy and introduced to me via a podcast by Martin Bailey, the analogy really resonated with me. We all need to eat that frog now, because there will be two tomorrow and three the next day. It is important to recognize that we do the things we need to do so that we can do the things we want to do. If you eat that frog today, you’ll have more time for your craft tomorrow.

Before First Snow - William Obrien State Park, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 40mm f2.8 STM

Want to learn more about Brian Tracy’s book? Check out the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W7GB5Fh2XM

Cope's Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) - In the Garden, MN
Canon 5D Mark ii + Canon 100mm f2.8L IS Macro

Monday, November 19, 2012

Tip #99: Make the Connection

Jasper National Park - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 50mm f1.4

There are fleeting moments where time stops and the essence that is the photographer becomes one with the subject. These are ephemeral experiences, intense bursts of focus that I can only describe as Zen. It might seem a contradiction for this empiricist to describe an experience in nature that is something less than science, yet I find that Zen philosophy can inform my mind without imbuing a religious conviction.

Eddy - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 24mm TSE f3.5L

Slot - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 50mm f1.4

Id, the scientist... “life is a continuum that began with a single cell competing for limited resources, motivated by the programmed need to replicate. Competition inspired organic innovation that led to a branching tree of life that extends into every ecological niche. Selection is the mechanism, and chance events in the environment separate the winners from the losers. The evidence of this rich evolutionary history is written in molecules and preserved in stone.”

Nanny and Kidd (Oreamnos americanus) - Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + 1.4x converter

Leading Lines (Oreamnos americanus) - Canada
Canon 40D + Canon 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS

Zen, the artist... “Reality seems sterile and non-emotive. Art is a human pursuit, a mode of self-expression, and Zen helps me to explore my place in nature. I am the ripple in a pond, a wave in the ocean, a drop of rain cycling through the atmosphere; I am one, a part of the continuum.”

Reflecting Jasper - Canada
Canon 5D mkII + Canon 50mm f1.4

We are the Rock (Oreamnos americanus) - Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS + 1.4x converter

Schizophrenic in the literal sense, photography is a split of the mind; it is art and it is science. White light emanates from solar fusion, reflects off an earthly mass and photons are captured by a Silica wafer. Transformed into a binary code, this is the picture. In contrast, a careful search for leading lines, colored abstractions and tonal gradients shape our art. Lost in the moment, the photographer is one with the place and sees what others will not. Whatever your mind, accept that you are a part of the nature that you seek to capture, and you will make art from the science that is our reality.

Monday, October 8, 2012

Tip #95: It Might Be Your Only Chance

Steep Climb (Ovis canadensis)
Icefields Parkway - Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

Is it half empty or half full?

I won’t bore you with this tired cliche, but I do believe that the tension inherent in the question offers a photographer some pause for thought. Photography is fraught with compromise, especially when considering the stark contrasts that life has to offer.

Should I expose for the shadow or for the highlight?
Do I select a slow shutter speed to convey the motion of a moment, or do I shoot it fast to stop the action?
Could a shallow depth of field isolate my subject, or would it be best to capture the infinite space of a landscape.

Salt Lick and Grit (Ovis canadensis)
Icefields Parkway - Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

While I might lack a religious conviction, I am a Taoist photographer. I see balance in nature and seek to understand the contrasts inherent in this world. I see the yang at a peak moment, and the yin as the sun begins to set. Taoist accepts the contradiction between light and shadow and sees this as a part of the whole.

Watch for Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Icefields Parkway - Canada
Canon 7D + Canon 300mm f2.8L IS

When you approach a novel subject do shoot as if you’ve reached diminishing returns or do you immerse yourself in the cornucopia of a limited opportunity. I suggest that you shoot as if every encounter might be your last, and you approach your subject from diverse perspectives. By accepting the contrasts inherent in nature, you make the most every every photographic opportunity.

About the Images: The posted photos are of Canadian bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) captured along the Icefields Parkway and Kootenay National Park. We spent several hours with the sheep seeking to capture a diversity of perspectives and behavior.