Journaling the Lazytea Way

Mood: Studious
Listening to: Tips From The Top Floor podcast
Reading: The Tao of Photography

Looking back again at Randi Hirschman's growth in dog portrait photography after reading more in Tom's book, I realize that it is important to have some relationship with the subject even if it is a street shot while travelling. Randi needed to learn various breed characteristics as well as how to relate to dog owners of the various breeds. We can set a cattledog puppy up on an old leather saddle and get some nice portraits in the studio. A lab puppy might look out of place on the saddle but fine next to a pot of expensive nursery-grown flowers. The cattle dog puppy may be adorable next to the flowers as well; but don't be too attached to the blooms and plant as it may not survive the curious mouth of a cattle dog. You can pose a sheltie for hours on end, dress them up in cute costumes; but you aren't going to get the same patience from a cocker spaniel as a rule.

I admire the portraits parents take of their children. Most elder portraits are interesting because we can usually find some level on which to relate with the older person. Children we know have that youthful playfulness and innocence and can quickly bond to capture the essence in the portrait. Self-portraits of photographers fascinate me. Also portraits of photographers by their professional photographer friends are most interesting.

So, what does Tom say?

"The wise photographer disappears by being evident, for that is the best way to melt into the background of the familiar. To photograph people, you cannot help including your subjects' lives in and around the time you encounter them - and that must include you, the photographer. Therefore, it is wise to realize that a portrait is more than a depiction of a face - it is a record of an act of personal relating." - Tom Ang in Tao of Photography

"Unless your heart is open and serene, how can you respond completely?" Master Foyan

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"Art is the taste of enlightenment without the full experience." Rumi
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