Alain Briot's Aesthetics & Photography

[Gordon J. Millar]

I also hope that the next part of the series comes along soon.

The material may be old hat for some but I learned from it and am still learning. I feel that learning never ends and I am glad of that fact, it keeps things interesting. If I stop learning and discovering then I am just repeating myself and that becomes dull very quickly. The journey is half the fun of getting there.

I shoot alot on "feeling" and have a difficult time seeing photgraphically, many times I am disapointed that my photos do not recreate the feelings I had when I took them. It is more of a miss than hit situation. I want to learn to hit more often so I can have a reminder of those feelings and have others feel something from the images as well, as egotistical as that may be.    

Gord

[Hank]

I reacted strongly and positively to Alain's first piece, specifically because he has taken the time to lay a basic foundation for what is yet to come.  You don't start writing a book with Chapter 3, any more than you construct a building without first clearing the ground and laying down a foundation.

Based upon the level of thought he has put into the topic, the quality of his writing, and certainly his exceptional photography, I am very much looking forward to future chapters as he can contribute them.  This statement is certainly a teaser for great things to come:

"In my case it is also difficult to put into words a system which has largely been developed through years of trial and error, years of learning what works and what doesn't work, until, someday, I find myself looking at one of my images thinking "I really like this one. How did I get there?" I, and you, got there, I am tempted to say, because of perseverance, because we never gave up, and because we loved photography so much that we somehow found both the motivation and the finances to continue in the face of less than satisfying results."

Hank

[Ray]

The first part of this series, How to see Photographically, was interesting but not ground-breaking. It was basic stuff, which is probably why no-one commented on it. But one has to start somewhere. The material was clearly presented and though many readers may have felt they already knew this stuff, the presentation was good and I for one looked forward to the next episode on composition, due in May.

It's now near the end of May and I'm beginning to wonder if the project has been abandoned due to lack of response. If it has, then that's a great pity. There's a lot of 'art farty', 'airy fairy', 'wishy washy' stuff written about art, and we need clear presentations on the subject.

You have to remember that articles by regular contributors like Alain Briot and Mike Johnston are done gratis, as and when they can.

We all have to make a living doing other things. Best intentions aside, sometimes assignments and personal matters prevent sticking to a firm schedule, especially for
pro bono activities like this.

Alain's second installment will be along shortly.

Michael