Photosophy
29/08/2023 Update: After reading this article I discovered that photosophy was already a concept by photographer Pierre Poulain. I am copying the link here as my article is not a copy of his ideas/work. My article is my thoughts and my thoughts only. You can check Pierre’s work in his website https://photos-art.org/photosophy-book/
Let us talk about photosophy. You haven’t heard about it before, have you? Well, you probably haven’t because it’s a term I created through the years of photographing and reading about philosophy.
Photosophy is the philosophy behind photography.
Let’s start from the beginning and you will understand everything. Most of you, if not all, are familiar with the exposure triangle. It is the relationship between the 3 elements of an exposure. Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. Adjustments in one of these elements will lead to adjustments to the other in order to get the “right” exposure. As one decreases the aperture from f/1.4 to f/8 the shutter speed is decreasing and so we increase the ISO (sensitivity) to compensate. Easy math’s and physic’s laws.
Simple everyday practise with any camera, or any smartphone (most have manual camera apps) will help you understand how these elements work together and what is the limitation of each one.
Now that you have mastered the 2D geometry (triangle) lets move to 3D geometry (triangular pyramid). Don’t be overwhelmed about these terms, they are not important.
Imagine that apart from the 3 elements we discussed above, there is another element, on another dimension. This fourth element is you, the photographer. You are above all the other 3 elements, you control them and you are almost not limited by them. I say almost because no one can surpass the laws of physics. Believe me I have tried several times. But for the sake of this article let's say that we, as photographers, have a very big range to adjust the other 3 elements until we reach their limitations.
The system that consists of the exposure triangle, the photographer and the interaction between all these elements is called exposure pyramid.
That is again another term that you have probably never heard of. The good thing about being an engineer who likes arts and philosophy is that you can easily create words that sound fancy.
To understand your exposure pyramid and manipulate it according to your beliefs and wants you must first understand the 3 elements of the exposure triangle.
Are you ready for the next level?
Until now we were discussing about photography, math and physics. Basic stuff and very easy to understand. Believe me, math and physics are quite easy to understand if you understand basic laws and theorems.
Now the difficult part.
The reasoning behind the photographer’s choices is what photosophy is all about. The whys, the whats and all the other questions a photographers has in his/hers mind that lead to the choices.
Why did I choose this aperture?
Why did I choose this ISO?
What am I trying to achieve?
What is the content I want to convey to my viewers?
…and many many more questions that one might think.
This is photosophy, and believe me this is the hard part. Each one of us is unique. We have all grown up in a different way, we had our own personal experiences that shaped us and that leads to different choices. The meaning of photosophy works both ways. Understanding photosophy for yourself can lead to photographs that express your feelings, your beliefs and what you want to convey to the viewers. On the other hand, using the concept of photosophy while examining a photograph can help you understand and get to know the photographer behind the photograph.
Photosophy will help you create your own style. It will help you learn from others and will give meaning to this form of art.
Remember, photography means to write using the light. What will you write about if you don’t study. Study the masters and study yourself. That is the only way you will have something worth writting.
If after reading this article you have more questions than answers then I have succeeded my goal. It’s not my purpose to teach you anything, I am not even sure I am capable of that. My purpose is to give you an itch, it’s up to you to scratch it. Educate, study, read and act. Make yourselves an ongoing project!
So, what do you think about exposure pyramid and photosophy? I would love to hear your thoughts about it.
