Blog Prompts #16, #17, and #18

Please respond to three of the following quotes.

“I think photographs should be provocative and not tell you what you already know. It takes no great powers or magic to reproduce somebody's face in a photograph. The magic is in seeing people in new ways.” Duane Michals

I agree with this quote.  It's definitely better to have an interesting composition.  The straight forward "yearbook style" portraits aren't very interesting and they aren't difficult to produce.  Is it better to capture something more in the photograph and show the viewer more about the subject through positioning and background.

“I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.” Duane Michals

“Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer—and often the supreme disappointment.” ~Ansel Adams

“Photography, as we all know, is not real at all. It is an illusion of reality with which we create our own private world.” Arnold Newman

  

I agree and disagree with this quote.  In some senses, photography does not portray reality.  Not only can people manipulate the images, but some photographs are "staged".  For example, in group images, everyone gathers together and they are told to smile, but it might not represent the true reality of how the individuals in the photograph feel.  However, for other images, some photographers do try to capture the exact feelings and/or emotions of their subjects.  I think in these images, the reality is shown. 

 

“Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past.” Berenice Abbott

I agree with this quote.  There is only one moment in which you can take a picture.  Once you've taken the picture, you can't go back and try to change the image.  Once the moment is over, it does become the past.