The art of photography
João Teixeira is a Software Engineering student at the University of Coimbra and was responsible for the communication of jeKnowledge on social networks! He never thought that photography would become more than a hobby, much less a passion! João loves creating memories, capturing the essence and happiness of every person he photographs!
Not only artists, but everyone begins a craft from something they’re given. As a child, you’re given a set of pencils, so you start drawing. You’re given a ball, maybe you start playing soccer. You love to sing, you become a singer (let’s not forget that gifts are not only material possessions).
However, it may be unrealistic to believe that a child has a deeper understanding of art (a painting, for example) than just a pretty drawing and some nice colours. Realistically speaking, it’s impossible for 5-year-old Johnny to understand the social criticism of Banksy’s Balloon Girl, but that doesn’t mean it can’t speak to him. After all, art is, by definition, subjective.
This means that art can act as a vessel for reality. When we look at (or hear, or feel) a piece of art, it’s impossible not to charge our interpretation with our past experiences, memories, and much more.
And that, for me, is when photography comes into play. Art is intrinsically human. And at least for me, there’s nothing more human than trying to capture what our own eyes perceive and to freeze that fraction of a second in a piece of paper (or in a bunch of pixels).
It’s hard not to appreciate a great image. It’s even harder not to appreciate a great photo. It’s even harder (dare I say, impossible) to determine exactly what a great photo is. We can judge it based on theoretical concepts, such as exposure and composition, or we can judge it based on how much it “touches” those who see it. The fact that this second parameter is immeasurable makes the problem even harder. But then again, there’s no real need to determine whether a photo is great or not (besides the intrinsic human need to categorize and quantify everything we touch).
For me, one of the things that fascinate me the most about photography (and art as a whole) is that it allows you to express and communicate your reality when words have been exhausted, and to tell the story exactly how you want it to be told because every choice you make when creating a photo will reflect on others’ perception of it. You can create a story — your story — and allow others to interpret it at will. This will, undoubtedly, generate an emotion. But the goal is not — and should not — be about creating emotions: it is to tell a story and let the viewer feel the emotions they already have.
