In several previous threads, people have mentioned that hard to explain visceral or gut feeling, the moment when you’re casually looking at photographs and suddenly one stops you cold, resonates deeply, and you don’t quite know why.
Have you ever tried to think about this feeling in a more systematic way? What are the qualities that for you tend to trigger it?
When I reflect on the photographs that have affected me this way, a few recurring elements seem to appear:
Have you ever tried to think about this feeling in a more systematic way? What are the qualities that for you tend to trigger it?
When I reflect on the photographs that have affected me this way, a few recurring elements seem to appear:
- Economy of elements — a sense that less is more e.g Roy De Carava hand outside a car
- Ambiguity — images that , even though you clearly see what they depict, somehow also depict "nothing." e.g. Andre Kertesz man carrying a boat
- Narrative potential — a photograph that feels like the beginning of a long story, one you could imagine or write if you had the right words. e.g. August Sander the Gypsy
- A strong but restrained form — structure that supports the image without overpowering it, a balance between form and content, e.g. Bill Brandt - Francis Bacon Portrait
- Dynamic relationships within the frame — a dialogue between elements that creates tension or contrast. e.g. Garry Winogrand Women Walking in LA
- Nostalgia — the feeling of stillness or a moment frozen in time, something that has passed in time and will never come back again or be the way it was. e.g. HCB behind the Gare St. Lazare
- An unforgettable face — one that lingers in your mind long after you’ve looked away. e.g. Paul Strand Portrait of a Young Man
- Tenderness - Beauty and compassion e.g. Eugene Smith walk in the garden
