Filters

While viewing a fellow Flickr-head, it dawned on me how each of us filters what images attract our attention with very different sets of inner eyes. I know when I drive through affluent suburbs with massive homes and strong indications of privacy, with a strong 'keep out' feeling conveyed through signs, fences, and order, I fail to see images that catch my fancy. My photos are tainted by my reaction to the area in which I visit and my inner filters finds little of interest in such a setting, with no death, destruction or decay.

Is that what I'm about most of the time?

Back to the point, I noted that this one particular Flick has a very distinctive approach to imagery and I do believe I could pick out his photos from a general mix. I do not mean to pigeon-hole anybody and think they are limited by what I believe to be their photo-gathering filter.

However, we must have some sort of inner thing going on that draws us to a particular style of photo.

I can't judge just who I am and how others see me, especially when interacting with me in person, but I sense that judging me just from my choice of images, the death, decay, destruction one would think I'm morbid, wear only black clothes and listen to obscure Goth and art rock, have black fingernails and watch every vampie flick that comes out. (Well, actually, I do tend to do the later, though I do pass on teenage romance vampire films like "Twilight.") That is not me at all.

So I have a style, I scan the terrain looking for a certain type of image.

One interesting self-imposed exercise I sometimes do is to fix in my mind beforehand something I want to find on a trip out for photos. Perhaps it is a specific color, or shapes, maybe globes on a partciular day. My filters shift and I notice new things with that filter on. I can alter what sorts of images I'm likely to find on that particular day.

Most of the time, I am unaware of my own filters.

I particularly enjoy finding scenes with incongruity is the theme, things that are not normally linked, perhaps a leisure chair out in the middle of nowhere, or objects that I force interaction with in a photo, signs, words, advertisements, statues, anything. I like the unexpected. The surprise. The big "huh?"



This is an example of what I mean, totally.

We create our own filtering systems, though largely on a subconscious level, and I do believe that just being aware of this, we have a great deal of control of the whole process.

Still, I do not think I'll ever be comfortable driving through affluent neighborhoods looking for interesting things to shoot.