Purposeful
Recently I gave a lecture about Photography to PHOTOG, a group I help lead here in Tulsa. The title of my talk was ‘What’s Inside Your Camera?’ and it was an explanation of the workings of the camera. Of course to talk intelligently about it I thought it might be wise for me to research exactly what DOES happen in a camera. I mean, I know…but I don’t KNOW.
Curious
So, I went about researching. My research was driven by what I was curious about. How does that image get on the screen in the back anyway? I knew how it worked in old film cameras, but I didn’t know the details of how it worked in a digital camera. My curiosity went in that purposeful direction.
I did that a number of different times; exploring this history, that part of the camera, this function. Whatever piqued my curiosity, I went looking into it. I followed threads of images, forums, essays, lessons, in whatever direction I wanted to know more about. I didn’t try to have it all make sense before I started. I explored first and it was only after I had done that for many hours that I started to see how it all worked in detail.
Purposeful Again
I then organized the talk with a certain logic; starting at the lens, where the light enters the camera, and ending at the very back of the camera, where we see the resulting image.
Purpocuriosiful
That is my favorite way to work, purpocuriosiful. I start with a general idea and a broad purpose. Then, within those wide parameters I just explore freely. I allow myself to be confused, to not know how something will turn out, how it will all make sense, while I do this exploring. I allow it because I know the process works. I know my brain will eventually see patterns and structures within my purpocuriosiful explorations and I will be able to organize the information so others can gain from it.
While I am not a scientist I know from talking to my daughter, Rebekah, who is a one, that she often works that way, as do many others. Art and science are not as far apart as people sometimes think.
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote by Nora Neale Hurston, 1891-1960, African-American Folklorist and Writer
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