Learning the art of seeing and vision

[Donald]

I know that I go on like a broken record about the emotion we have to invest in our image-making and the fact that I know I operate on emotion and feeling and not technical brilliance. I also write, with probably irritating frequency, about the need to have a vision about what we're trying to create. I have, also, referenced the papers written by Alain Briot on the Nature Photographers website.

Now, I am not one for suggesting that you go anywhere other than CiC for all your photographic knowledge, but I do find Briot's writing inspirational.

His latest paper (which is here) is, I suggest, something that everyone who considers themselves to be on the learning curve, should read. I think if you are serious about learning the art of image-making, it is a discussion that will make you stop, think and evaluate what it is you are trying to do.

He does give a plug to his own books and courses, but I think that's reasonable and he doesn't over-egg it.

[Carl in Louisiana]

Thanks for the link Donald, it was a very good read and will take me a couple more times for the best impact on my mind. He does make some very good points for thought.

[xpatUSA]

Thanks for the link Donald, it was a very good read and will take me a couple more times for the best impact on my mind. He does make some very good points for thought.

Good indeed, most interesting.

Ted

[Kris V]

Thanks for the link Donald, it was a very good read and will take me a couple more times for the best impact on my mind. He does make some very good points for thought.

I saved the PDF for further reference. Very informative!

[FrankMi]

An excellent article, Donald! Particularly the key points in section 5.

In section 6 I would like to add a thought about education and learning.

The primary goal of education is to get you to think and explore the subject in ways you hadn't previously considered. Your life is an endless set of problems to be solved. It is no different in photography. The more you learn how to quickly solve the problems at hand the more successful you will be and the more you will enjoy the journey.

One very important aspect of learning is asking pertinent questions. The more questions you can think of to ask and then go on to get the answers the better you understand how to solve the problems you face. Don't just sit there and read or listen. Proactively question every aspect of the subject at hand and you'll find answers to problems that no one else has thought of.

We all start out with the "I don't know what it is that I don't know." problem. By continuously asking as many questions as you can think of, then seek out the answers, you can overcome even this shortcoming.