Sunday, February 10, 2008

Prescription???



When I think of this word.........

I don't like it. It makes me feel like I am supposed to be sick. Or I am sick. Just write me a prescription Doc and I'll be better.

I think there are very few prescriptions in life that work. Now of course I am not refering to the medical profession. ( Although this is very debatable and I would gravitate to the side of the naturalist most of the time)

I am of course referring to photography. But I also think you could apply this to many facsits of your life. Prescription to me means a set way of doing, seeing, processing, or living out parts of life. And this may be indeed the case for you, you, you, and you. Fortunately we are all different and what works for you probably is not going to work for me. The way Ansel Adams saw is different from the way I see. I think most of us would all agree to this for the most part. Right?

For those of you who know me you know this isn't the first time I have been thinking about this. I have been reflecting on this topic in recent days because of school. We have been given a large assignment with 16 different parts that need to fit certain perameters but allow for creativity to be brought in as long as it fits within the assignment. (if the assignment calls for a female you can't use a male) When is it OK to break the rules or the prescription ? This is the path of a creative.  There are always rules and guidlines and there are times in which to break these rules and guidlines.
When I am creating an image for myself. I do not want a prescription. Guidlines are good but I think prescriptions are dangerous. They can styifle, pigeon hole, and distort the creative.
Here's to thinking outside the box, getting in trouble with the establishment, causing a raucus and making people think.

Peter

P.S. The pictures  are from an assignment. We had to interpret an original piece of art. I choose a piece from 1500's by Caravaggio called the "Card Sharps"