The current state of the world could easily be described as challenging. How can art and photography fit into the broader context of current affairs?
It is no exaggeration to say that the past two years have not been the easiest. A once-in-a-lifetime pandemic comes with challenges. And that is the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Regardless of your opinion on any topic, everyone seems to be in favor of everything. You are never right. Or perhaps the next person never seems to get it right.
No wonder Imran Nuri offers the perfect piece of advice: go for a walk. Of course, this can be a literal or figurative walk. The point is to step back, take a breather, and really get a better range of situations. Clean your head.
Remind myself walking isn’t just good for my mental and physical health; It was also an opportunity for me to go out and experiment. Take more photos.
If you consider John Szarkowski’s idea of photography as mirror or window, then walking can be the perfect way to improve your photography. Szarkowski proposes that a photograph is like a mirror reflecting the photographer’s worldview; or a photo is like a window frame, a view of the photographer’s worldview. Correspondingly, an idealized world is reflected, or a real world is seen through the window. I guess that regardless of your approach, being clear about your choices is important to the image you create. Are you trying to reflect on your worldview and make the world better that way, or are you trying to show the best or worst of what’s out there? Or maybe a walk is just a stroll?
