Why Photography?
Photography is a creative outlet; each of us have different ways of expressing our creativity and attitudes towards it. Creative outlets such as photography, or painting, or dance, or woodwork can encourage play and exploration which can in turn have a positive impact on our emotional and mental well-being and growth. The way we experience creativity can be influenced by our preferences and approach towards it, but with an open mind it can be a fun and can help us see the world in a different light. Read more.
Portrait Format Black and White
Belfast Parks and Gardens | 3:4
Landscape Format Black and White
Belfast Parks and Gardens | 3:2
To experience a truly holistic approach to life, it asks us to observe each part of that which exists both on its own and in its interaction with the whole, whether that means within our being, our surroundings, the earth, or into the infinite.
Photography as a creative outlet encourages the creator to observe that what is around us, to really look, and become present in the moment. Perhaps it causes us to focus or understand some part of our surroundings or take them in as a whole. At the very least we interact with moment we are in, even if only to take the picture, or perhaps not if we simply want to enjoy that moment for ourselves. In this way photography reflects life, not just as a carbon copy of the scene, but in the many holistic relationships between the the various elements and the scene as a whole. Not least of these is the relationship between the lighting of a scene, the captured reflection and its reproduction.
A good photographer understands the relationship between these things, at the very least least aesthetically in finding a the composition and in the setup for the shot. It is this observation and understanding that is at the core of the creativity. Once viewed again it can provoke or invoke thought, feelings, memories either in the creator or the viewer; therein lies the art or creativity of photography.