Photophilosophizing.....
Old brain musings....
Reading UHH posts I sometimes wonder why people react so strongly against or in favor of certain subjects and types of photographs.
Some folks love pictures of birds, flowers and landscapes others are bored by these subjects. Why is that? Is it just a matter of taste or is there more to it?
There are many ways to think of this. Is one way to say that some viewers react emotionally to images and like them because of feelings they create, while others prefer images that make them think?
Just wondering....
Don't lose your time.
Why do you like some food and no other?
Answer that and you are done.
Beats me.
I don't do birds and flowers, just no interest, or very rarely.
I like landscapes and vistas, lighthouses, barns, waterfalls, some animals, but not so much cityscapes.
I take shots because I like what I see; to record where I've been; make <hopefully> shots that are interesting and/or attractive, for myself, family, & friends.
It's an online forum populated by excitable seniors ...
CHG_CANON wrote:
It's an online forum populated by excitable seniors ...
Who have spent most of their lives being excited by important things. Now we can be excited by unimportant things and our blood pressure doesn't go up.
srt101fan wrote:
Old brain musings....
Reading UHH posts I sometimes wonder why people react so strongly against or in favor of certain subjects and types of photographs.
Some folks love pictures of birds, flowers and landscapes others are bored by these subjects. Why is that? Is it just a matter of taste or is there more to it?
There are many ways to think of this. Is one way to say that some viewers react emotionally to images and like them because of feelings they create, while others prefer images that make them think?
Just wondering....
Old brain musings.... br br Reading UHH posts I s... (
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Taste would be a good part of it. Another could be a relatable bad experience.
Personally, I do not react strongly into anything unless it is being untruthful (stating what it is not or outright wrong), divisive (us-you mentality), entitling(bully, self appreciating by stepping on others) or cheating.
Since photographs seldom does these, they just pass under my radar.
Also, I'd simply go my own way if something is of no interest which usually are the cliche'd. When it is the same thing over and over and over specially when the quality is severely lacking.
I seldom give a thumbs up, and when i do i mean it.
On UHH, aren't these "strong" reactions mostly contained in main discussion rants and threads that encourage complaining?
In the Photo Gallery there is a subset of respondents who are quite vocal with regards to playful processing, regardless of subject. But most folks, in my observations (which includes close-up forum, landscape and others), offer positive responses or feedback that includes the "why." IOW, if they don't like flowers, they simply don't comment on flower photos.
As to personal matters of taste, one way to break it down is whether a person is a nature lover (into hiking, camping, backyard gardening, birding) or a city-loving people-person who finds more interest and stimulation in human activities (street photography, newsworthy events) and human creations (architecture). Or their taste in art in general leans more towards the abstract. Or you're a contemplative introverted personality vs. a highly social person. On and on.
Linda From Maine wrote:
On UHH, aren't these "strong" reactions mostly contained in main discussion rants and threads that encourage complaining?
In the Photo Gallery there is a subset of respondents who are quite vocal with regards to playful processing, regardless of subject. But most folks, in my observations (which includes close-up forum, landscape and others), offer positive responses or feedback that includes the "why." IOW, if they don't like flowers, they simply don't comment on flower photos.
As to personal matters of taste, one way to break it down is whether a person is a nature lover (into hiking, camping, backyard gardening, birding) or a city-loving people-person who finds more interest and stimulation in human activities (street photography, newsworthy events) and human creations (architecture). Or their taste in art in general leans more towards the abstract. Or you're a contemplative introverted personality vs. a highly social person. On and on.
On UHH, aren't these "strong" reactions ... (
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Interestng points, Linda. Do some people look for intellectual stimulation in an image, something they don't get from a "routine" bird/flower/landscape shot?
Not making a value judgment, and not talking about individual tastes. Just wondering about "thinking" vs "feeling" reactions elicited in a viewer. Of course it could be a combination of both - maybe those are the best pictures?
Any of you out there need to be intellectually drawn into a photograph to fully appreciate it?
srt101fan wrote:
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Any of you out there need to be intellectually drawn into a photograph to fully appreciate it?
No, I'll either like it or not.
srt101fan wrote:
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Any of you out there need to be intellectually drawn into a photograph to fully appreciate it?
When people look at an image from a mirrorless camera, they see the difference not just with their eyes, they feel the difference in the depth of their heart.
srt101fan wrote:
...Any of you out there need to be intellectually drawn into a photograph to fully appreciate it?
I can't separate how I view photography as a hobby from how I view the photos of others. The hobby brings me joy. Many of my photos are connected to memories of happy discovery - most often involving nature & wildlife, weather and light.
Having been a Type A much of my life, an
intellectual response to a photo is the last thing I'm interested in
srt101fan wrote:
....Just wondering about "thinking" vs "feeling" reactions elicited in a viewer.......
As an alternative to thinking in terms of stimulation you could think in terms of interest - which can be intellectual or emotional, but in addition to that, in the case of photography it's possible for an image to have purely visual interest. Perhaps it comes down to how we process things. An image may engage our intellect or our emotions, but separate from either of those possibilities is the possibility that an image may engage us just because it looks good. We process everything we see in various ways and we react in various ways. Stimulation is only part of the chemistry. We can enjoy looking at an image just because we find it visually engaging. Patterns are a common example of that - no intellectual or emotional interest, just visual interest.
R.G. wrote:
As an alternative to thinking in terms of stimulation you could think in terms of interest - which can be intellectual or emotional, but in addition to that, in the case of photography it's possible for an image to have purely visual interest. Perhaps it comes down to how we process things. An image may engage our intellect or our emotions, but separate from either of those possibilities is the possibility that an image may engage us just because it looks good. We process everything we see in various ways and we react in various ways. Stimulation is only part of the chemistry. We can enjoy looking at an image just because we find it visually engaging. Patterns are a common example of that - no intellectual or emotional interest, just visual interest.
As an alternative to thinking in terms of stimulat... (
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And everyone is running a different program in their "processor"!
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