Excerpt 1: "Photography and the Art of Seeing" by Freeman Patterson

First Section: Barriers to Seeing

"Seeing, in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions. It means encountering your subject matter with your whole being. It means looking beyond the labels of things and discovering the remarkable world around you. . . .

If we look at something that might seem mundane, such as a gravel pit, we are first aware of what it expresses in only the most general sense: destruction, desolation, loneliness, timelessness. This message or theme is expressed in the sum of the features of our subject matter. It is only later that we observe the details -- their shapes, textures, and colours that form their inherent design.

The photographer best expresses a theme by using good composition, or visual design, to support the inherent design of the subject matter. However, when the photographer tries to codify the principles of visual design, or merely follows rules of composition, he or she is likely to inhibit spontaneity and creativity.

The photographer who becomes familiar with the principles of visual design, and who puts expression before technique, will develop intuition for good design, sensing and responding to the expressive qualities of the subject matter. . . . relaxed attentiveness. . . . concentrate on clearing your mind and learning how to switch yourself off, so you can turn your subject matter on. Letting go of yourself is an essential precondition of real seeing. . . . thinking sideways . . . .

You may find yourself abandoning your normal premises and going on a search for new ones. You may forget about the pictures you have been making and start thinking about the hundreds you have yet to make. . . . to see familiar things in a whole variety of new ways . . . ."

Some examples he saw his students make: [paraphrased]

1. an 86 year old man abandoned himself to reflections in the chrome of his old toaster. by experimenting with exposures and techniques, he produced a remarkable slide sequence that transports the viewer through the galaxies of outer space.

2. underexposure transformed a weathered wooden ladder into a space ship sailing through the night sky; the highlights in the tall grass where the ladder lay became the stars guiding its way.

3. sheets tossed on a bed in a random fashion became dramatic images of deserts and mountain ranges.

"Good seeing doesn't ensure good photographs, but good photographic expression is impossible without it. The art of seeing is the art of photography."

pp. 7-8