When folks ask me what I studied in College, they’re normally stunned to listen to that I majored in English Literature. One as a result of I assume they count on to listen to that I studied pictures, or two as a result of they’re merely stunned to listen to that an Asian really determined to main in English versus Science, Engineering, Commerce, and many others.
Whereas I have never retained an excessive amount of from what English Lit. has taught me, one idea which I’ve been whispering in again my head as of late is Defamiliarization. Basically it is a creative approach during which the spectator sees widespread and acquainted issues in a brand new or unusual approach. The time period itself originates from the Russian ostranenie, which may be actually translated as “to make unusual”. The idea is utilized to poetry greater than the rest, which is sensible due to the inherent depth of which means and symbolism we discover inside seemingly merely constructed verses.
Though we might not be poets, it is a observe which we ought to search out engaging as photographers. A whole lot of us have put this into observe a technique or one other. For instance, take into consideration black and white pictures for a second. Relying on what you are capturing and making an attempt to attain, shade generally serves as a distraction, but shade is what all of us see regularly. Achieved appropriately, capturing a picture in b/w will enable us to see it in a very completely different and unusual new approach. Macro, summary, nearly any type of pictures actually can be utilized to attain this, it is only a matter of paying nearer consideration to the small print round you and noticing the wonder that is already there. Your topics do not at all times must be grand or unique to be fascinating, as a result of defamiliarization is not meant for the novel.
This may sound a bit flowery and oversimplified, however I consider that each object crafted by human sort has been imbued with some extent of artistry, every bearing the mark of its creator’s imaginative and prescient and creativity. All we have to do is see that it is there.