My research = (in relation to observation on people and how other photographers deal with this subject)

- https://www.all-about-photo.com/photo-events/photo-exhibition/2071/the-art-of-observation-the-best-of-photographer-elliott-erwitt =

The Art of Observation: The Best of Photographer Elliott Erwitt

Fenimore Art Museum

5798 State Highway 80

Cooperstown, NY 13326

In his essay for the gallery guide, Steven Hoelscher, Departments of American Studies and Geography, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin, writes, “This exhibition offers an enticing window into Elliott Erwitt’s oeuvre. It showcases the impressive results of a remarkable career that coincides with two of the most significant developments in photography in the second half of the twentieth century: the rise of mass-circulation picture magazines; and the occasionally contentious relationship between personal work and commercial photography.”

This exhibition shows both the miracle of Erwitt’s balance between commercial and personal photography, and the memorable flavor that he brings to his work.

The exhibition was organized by Photographic Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 - https://www.myclickmagazine.com/power-of-observation/ =

The photographer’s power of observation

 To notice everything is to experience heartfelt gratitude. There is a particular power in noticing. When you examine life carefully, paying attention and giving full notice to all things, you realize your ordinary life is truly extraordinary. This is where photographers have the edge. The camera slows us down with careful consideration. Lifting the viewfinder to my eye happens without thought, and my eye travels the frame as on a well-worn path. Pressing the shutter and seeing in this way is a part of who I am.

 

Observation is a key part of creating art.

The potential for fine art lies in the power of noticing. When we’re limited by constraints such as time or location or responsibilities, it’s tempting to think there are no pictures to make. But there are always pictures to make when you see everything as worthy and meaningful. I spend a lot of time studying my pictures after I take them. I print my favorites. I hold them in my hands. I lay them on the floor so they’re visible every time I walk by. I live with them. I ask myself, Why am I drawn to this picture and not this one? What of my hopes and fears and joys is revealed in these pictures?

 

Use diptychs to strengthen a thought or point of view.

As photographers, we like to think each of our images will have the merit to stand alone, and often they do. But when you study and read your pictures, you’ll begin to make connections between them. Pictures rise from collections and become complementary. Sometimes images compliment one another because of similarities in subject matter or perspective or color. More often, the complementary elements are more subtle, sharing attributes like space or mood or expression. And then there are pairs of photographs connected by their discord, dissonance, and difference — thesis and antithesis, opposites that attract.

When you notice how images flow, overlap, and merge, you can pair them side-by-side to reflect a kind of visual intimacy. Much of what we notice is how the beauty of one image blends into the next, like the pieces of a patchwork quilt. In this way, photography is, in essence, the practice of noticing, where the diptychs are subtle and supreme, beautiful and broken. Because we notice everything.

 

Donna M. Hopkins

Southern photographer Donna M. Hopkins relishes the simple pleasures of life. She makes slow exposures that reveal her insecurities, her wonder, her beauty, and her hurt.

 

 

 

 

 

- https://erickimphotography.com/blog/2018/08/24/the-art-of-observation/ = 

The Art of Observation

 

 What I think differentiates a good photographer and a great photographer is this: a great photographer is a better observer of the world around them!

 

What does “observe” mean?

The word, “observe” comes from the Latin word, ‘observo’, which means:

1. To watch, keep safe
2. To guard
3. To head, pay attention to
4. To respect, notice, perceive

To me, the art of observation is the art of determining what is important and worthy of admiration.

 For example, if you observe something, not only do you notice it — you respect it. You perceive it as valuable, and worthy of being looked at/admired!

 

As a photographer, we are visual judges. We judge what is beautiful, and what we perceive should look at.

 

 Whatever captures your attention is good— because the more of your attention advertisements can get, the more likely you are to click on something and purchase it.

To observe is technically easy. Anyone can do it. Children are the best at the art of observation. They are naturally curious, and want to touch, see, and experience everything!

As adults, we are discouraged from looking, staring, and touching. In modern society, to stare at someone is seen as rude. But I would say, when we stare at people, we’re actually just observing them, trying to better understand them, because there is something we find interesting in that individual!

 

That is why I love street photography so much; street photography is the applied art form of observation turned into photographs!

 

 

 

 

 

- https://www.photography-retreats.com/blog/gesture-in-portraits =

Gesture in portraits

In a portrait, gesture plays a very important role because it helps to highlight the mood of the person we are photographing.  

Observe

The best thing the portrait photographer can do is to observe the subject when they are relaxed and remember their positions, how they use their hands and the way they move.

We all make gestures that we are not aware of. It happens naturally, and then when we are asked to make a spontaneous gesture, we don't really know what to do. The portrait photographer who has been able to observe his subject may suggest, "I noticed earlier that you placed your hand like this. Would you feel comfortable now in the same position?" Usually, the subject is happy with this kind of suggestion for two reasons: first, they feel relieved of the burden of having to find a position, and second, they realize that they are in good hands because the portrait photographer has observed them and is taking care to portray them in a position that suits them.

 

When the subject wants to direct

It sometimes happens that the subject is particularly "purposeful" and suggests positions and images to be taken. That's all very interesting as long as it doesn't clash with the portrait photographer's creative freedom. It is the photographer who directs, evaluates different paths and guides with gentle firmness. A portrait photographer who tries to pander too much to the subject runs the risk of losing touch with their own vision and may not even be able to understand what the expectations are.

 

 

 

 

-  https://www.magnumphotos.com/theory-and-practice/quiet-observation-deconstructing-hannah-price-portraits-everyday/ =

A Quiet Observation: Deconstructing Hannah Price’s Portraits of the Everyday

The Magnum nominee’s images capturing people at their most understated reveal the importance of listening in photography

 

Hannah Price After school access. From the series, "Resemblance". Rochester, New York, USA. 2008. © Hannah Price | Magnum Photos

 

Pelumi Odubanjo is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, writer, and curator whose work explores the intersectionality of women, migration and black identity as means to unravel our understanding of archival practice. In the following exploration, Odubanjo responds to the portraiture of Hannah Price. Unpacking the sensory qualities of Price’s photographs, she examines quietness as a phenomenon within the work which allows for a more holistic interaction with the images.

 

Hannah Price Hasan. West Philadelphia. From the series, " City of Brotherly Love". Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. 2009. © Hannah Price | Magnum Photos

 

 

A photographic encounter enacts itself through a protocol that is often presumed to be universal. The photographer raises their camera which is thought to be the signal that an image is being captured; a flash, shutter, or a click signifies the end of the interaction. But what happens before and after this act is performed is unique to every photographer, subject and place.

 

Hannah Price The Sydnor-Joneses had finally moved into an actual home by scrimping and saving. But the pandemic has stymied their resourcefulness. New Jersey, USA. 2020. © Hannah Price | Magnum Photos

 

 Photographs cannot speak for themselves and one portrait alone cannot exemplify the fullness of the humanity pictured. In her work, Magnum nominee Hannah Price (the only Black, female photographer included in the membership as of 2021), depicts the masterful interaction that can occur amidst two strangers; the photographer and their subject, through the quiet methods of watching and listening.

 

 Price’s images should not be considered simply through the typical paradigm of someone invasively looking and someone else being unwillingly seen, thus signifying a loss of autonomy. Instead, Price’s photography is exemplary of the expansive potential for the individual experience in its depiction of the everyday and muted aspects of contemporary Black American life.

 Through her artworks, Price asks us to expand our visual cue of Blackness, and to instead listen to what is heard through the stillness of her subjects.

"I’ve just always been interested in people. It's very odd because I am introverted. when photographing people, there's always something to learn about."

- Hannah Price

 

 

 

 

- https://www.cairn.info/revue-management-2020-3-page-79.htm = 

Observation as photography: A metaphor
Hervé Laroche

 

We all know that photos can also hide or lie (or support lies). Yet photos are still considered as a powerful way to observe reality (all kinds of realities, including social ones) and to account for it. Photography, as an extension of human vision and as a device to retain what can be seen, is probably the archetypal instrument of observation. 

 This article is an invitation to take photography as a metaphor for observation. Of course, many forms of inquiries truly use photographs as a tool for observation.

 (...)

When this problem arises, photography seems to be the perfect instrument. It provides both width and depth. It records everything, even what you have not seen. Moreover, you can focus on details, go deeper into the exploration of what you have recorded. If you cannot see clearly, just enlarge or zoom. It is all in there!

 

The photographic eye becomes much more than a way to retain what the human eye sees but is unable to record except in the fleeting, messy, and unreliable storage device of human memory. It is rather an all-seeing eye: flawless, distracted by nothing, and focused on everything.

 

Definition

Photography, it is believed, records everything and any detail can be picked up from the photo and enlarged for deeper examination. Stunning discoveries can be made this way, unveiling unsuspected aspects of reality.

 Photography does not record everything and cannot provide details on everything. This is partly a technical issue.

 

(...)

What one needs to look at is where there is nothing to look at. Observation can reveal what it does not show.

 

 

 

 

 

- https://paintingportraittips.com/portrait-painting-from-observation-2/ =

Work from observation, the power of perception

Posted on 10 February 2016 by Ben Lustenhouwer

Portrait painting from observation

 

But without prejudice I encourage everyone to study from observation.

 When I work from a live model, I should actually take many more pictures in between to show that process well.

Pay special attention to the small changes around the mouth and the eyes.

Every model tends to drift or have difficulties to hold one position. That is why I always take some pictures with my cellphone before stopping the session. So afterwards I am able to correct some features when the model had gone.