Feng-GUI have kindly given me possibility to analyze my exhibition photos.
I have use Feng-GUI to automatically search for pictures who most pleased the viewers. Almost all from them have shown a similar arrangement of zones of attention (hetamap). Thus, that the photographer style can be calculated without the aid of man-critics.
Synaesthesia - for some people letters are colored, numbers have a personality and when they hear music they see colourful images.
Synaesthesia explained at BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7545888.stm
"I have started to photograph when I was eight-year old. It was the time of a black-and-white film and a house “red room” photo laboratory.
Since then I make at least one shot daily. I have read many books of known photo masters. I studied at art school.
But I have chosen other trade. The photo became my hobbies. Surprisingly, but my academic classical photos bored the viewers.
All has changed, when my wife has presented to me a mobile phone with the built in camera.
I began to photograph "from an ear" during telephone conversations. I aimed on hearing. Sight and all academic knowledge had a rest during such photographing. The man gets used to all. In three years I consider it natural to put the view-finder not my an eye, but to my ear. From hundred shots one turns out adequately. Such perfect shots it was typed on the whole photo-exhibition.”
Alexey Klimov Synaesthesia exhibition photos
http://www.foto3x4.narod.ru/Sinestes.html
http://foto3x4.narod.ru/Muzey.html
Today I have developed ability "to photograph from an ear" to level of regular " view-finder photographing". Viewers began to speak about photographer's style. Experts began to speak about mixture of feelings (Synesthesia). The doctor of neurosurgery marks effect of dreams: when our eyes are closed we have dreams, just like babies. After all, when we dream, hearing is not blocked as sight.
Unexpectedly, I have found out Feng-GUI which helps me to automatically analyze my photos. Using Feng-GUI I have found a way to select the photos which most please the viewers. Now my Feng-GUI tested photos are printed in several Russian magazines. Photos which I take "from the ear" began to be attractive.
We like to see ourselves in group photo. If we don't find out ourselves in a photo then we value it as a documentary or art one.
When we see people in photo, the first thing that comes to our mind is 'Do I know them?' and the second is 'Who are they?'
The city life has accustomed us to see thousand strangers every day.
Our brain doesn’t store flashing persons in long–term memory to protect itself against overload.
And this habit is transferred also to taking photo.
Moreover, we distinguish people in our dreams on familiar or strangers, though we can’t remember their features and details after waking up.
For one thing, could you describe their ears, nose, eyes and lips if it was required to make an identikit for criminal investigation? :)
And still most of us, while having got a city intelligent habit 'don’t examine', 'don’t stare at stranger' and so on, remained wild animals in a our souls, and we expect everything of each stranger.
That’s why we learned to monitor life space about us by off–center vision, and using hearing and tactile perception in transport.
So how we can portray this point of view in photo?
Right in this manner, off–center vision–like.
You have to construct a shot so that the spectator didn’t look at an unfamiliar portrait, and was mown, intuitively listened, or even sniffed it.
So he didn’t stare at the person, like he’s looking at a monkey behind glass.
And the mathematics, 'queen of all sciences', allows to make it.
The first impression of a man is the strongest.
It is a wonder why nature and society together have developed this special first glance for creating a first impression of a stranger.
We do not stare straight at a person at the first encounter (unless we work in an HR department).
However, quick glances at the face, peripheral, panoramic view of a stranger's position in the interior, the elevated attention to information from all our senses — this is what provides the very first impression.
How to convey the first impression with a photo?
Especially, if the model is in fact well familiar to you?
The viewer does not have the intuitive barriers against staring at the monitor or the pages of a photo album.
The viewer can shamelessly eye a stranger's photo, feeling secure.
How to convey to the viewer the anxiety that he would experience if he met in person the man in the photo?
About the author
Alexey Klimov, a resident of the city of Oryol, is the author of over fifty publications on digital photography in magazines “Computerra”, "Home Computer" and “Hard and Soft”. Candidate of technical sciences, associate professor, Ph.D at Oryol State Technical University
http://www.computerra.ru/Authors/793/offline.html
http://www.computerra.ru/magazine/357229/
