My (complicated) relationship with Photography.

I have mentioned in a previous article (Sketchbooks, January 2025) about my use of the Camera. This was in relation to my using it in the past as a method of aiding my work as a painter. And certainly, as I have said, the digital camera was a tool I carried on my wanderings. My faithful Canon (other brands are available!) Eos 1100D was there, swinging from my neck as I struggled through fields and woodlands. This was however many years ago, so why now is it retired? Left in its bag and stowed in the corner of a cupboard?

Well its not that I dislike photography, because actually, Im a bit of a fan! In fact I also credit it with accelerating my interest in the landscape, and helping me develop my methods of observation. I have a small collection of old 35mm film cameras, and enjoy using them as a hobby. So no, I definitely like photography, although I often feel frustrated that Im not better at it! But in relation to my painting, I don't really use it.

True it is a very convenient way to record what you see when out and about, but I think its this convenience that can be a limitation, certainly in regards to my sketching. It becomes far to easy to take pictures, lots of pictures, pictures of things that actually have very little significance…. If that makes sense?

I supposed what I mean is, its very easy to take a picture, but very hard to take a photograph. Its a real skill to take the sort of photo that has the wow factor, it takes a certain eye, an eye that I don’t have! And I think that taking a huge quantity of pictures, isn’t the method to achieve an amazing shot.

I do however relish a challenge, and have tried throughout my creative experience to get better at photography. And I like the fact that, like many things, its an activity that few ever truly master.

But, lets go back to my relationship with cameras, in regards to my practice of landscape art.

I think my biggest frustration is the way a camera records an image. Certainly it can and does record some incredible sights. But it can be limited, it condenses a scene into a single point of view. Which can be incredibly powerful, but in regards for observing the landscape, in an attempt to then paint it? It doesn't really work, for my paintings at least. It limits the field of view and doesn't allow you to really see everything. Its like looking through a small window at a very large view. You see some of everything, but you would soon be looking at the edges of the window to see what your missing out on. And for me personally, I like to stand and study the whole thing. I like to look, and move, and draw, then sit and look some more. I think it can be easy to kind of…fire and forget with photos. Its obviously a scene or something that prompts you to take a picture in the first instance, just like something that you would feel inspired to sketch. And once photographed the scene is captured for however long the photo exists for. But I think with a sketch made from a similar observation, it prompts the brain more then a photo would? I feel it allows the memory to see the scene again, and (more importantly) it allows the feeling of the scene to return.

Im not saying however a good photograph doesn't capture an atmosphere, far from it. There are some truly awe inspiring photos, from some really incredible artists. But again I feel that photography stands on its own regarding images.

Now I do not want to upset anyone, and for many painters and graphic artists, photography is the best way for them to work an image into a painting. This is all about my personal practice. And as I said at the start, I actually love photography, and will happily head out with my camera to take some landscape pics. I guess Im accepting more the fact that I can use the camera as its own device, as its own way of recording the world. And I think that this is what both painting, and photography has taught me, or let me understand maybe is a better way of saying it, I am only really interested in recording the world around me, so is the means or device for doing so a priority? I want to record its sights, sounds and most importantly, the feeling of being in it, how seeing things in the landscape and feeling the various moods of the sky and the weather can prompt something within us. This can of course be achieved with so many different methods, is there really any that are better then others?

I suppose this is the conclusion I have come to, with the assistance of all my creative practices. For me, my work my paintings, my writing and notes and my photography are all methods to record the landscape, to record not only how I see it, but the feeling of being in it. The human feeling of being surrounded by nature.

Many thanks for your time

Till next time

AViner