Photographic Philosophy
By Brian Mullins
22 August 2007
In the search for excellence one must conclude that they cannot be excellent, or they have already failed. I have thought long and hard about these words. It's a hard world out there, and even harder in our minds. We are indeed our own worst critics. I've spent most of the night awake staring at the ceiling, wondering about the many aspects of careers, hopes, and failures. Dreams, aspirations, art, and creation.
What is the process through which one creates or recognizes beauty? At what point does one realize that they have talent or the ability to see that which others will give them recognition for? What indeed is beauty? There is a thing called the eye. The golden ratio, the rule of thirds. All tie together to create something we call art. From photography to painting, writing to singing. We each have our own niche in this world that we attempt to fill. Some of us fill it in the field of construction, building a rack of conduit to the best of our ability and at the end of the day looking back and saying, now that, that is a beautiful rack of pipe. Others build up a sprinkler riser, full of rigid steel pipe, and at the end of the day covered in oil and particles of cut pipe, can wipe it on their overalls and be able to proudly boast at this steel construct holding water, and doing it's function. Still yet some stand in a studio, with a paint brush, and slowly trace the intricate lines of a face, until they have a canvas that bears a resemblance to a beautiful woman, and after weeks of toil can only show this one painting, but they are no less proud.
There are so many lines that can be crossed in the world in the search for beauty that go into the search for lust, that we have to be weary that we don't blur those boundaries. As a man I know that those lines are easily blurred, and so often we are tempted to go across them. Instantly when I think of the next step in photography, I think semi nude photography, or hey I need to get some young red headed model to come here and take some photos. However, that's not necessarily beauty. Yes, young red headed women are attractive to me. However, there is a lot of beauty in the world. A pregnant woman cradling her stomach, holding her unborn child still in the womb. An old woman looking out to sea, remembering her husband of years gone by, as the sun caresses her face. A flower, being touched by the wind. A simple cloud, stoic in the sky. A farmer's tractor, forgotten in a hay field.
Why do we associate beauty with nudity in our society? And beauty with slimness? When I took this self portrait of myself, I immediately began placing my face in the most slimming frame. I moved my head until it was in a slimming pose before I snapped the shot. I could have turned down until it was more unflattering, and it would have been more natural. Others would have said hey, that's not a good shot of you. My wife commented instantly hey, that's a very slimming shot. I responded, I posed it that way. Why? Because society deems that we need to be slim to be beautiful.
I intend to change that if possible. I know one man cannot change society. However, a pebble can start an avalanche. I intend to try with my photography to show that it doesn't take a size 0 red head to be a beautiful woman. A size 16 brunette or size 24 bald woman, who was just treated for cancer, can be just as beautiful when talking to her children. I wanted to show real people, doing real things, and make art that way. Is it possible? I don't know. I am going to give it a go. We shall see if it's possible to be a Good Samaritan and a photographer at the same time, and still keep all of my values in tact.
Will I ever take a nude photo? Maybe. I have to admit some of the more attractive art I've seen are semi nude or nudes. However, I've seen some that are amazing that aren't nude at all. So to the future, and to art. To photography, that involves showing real people, being beautiful, as themselves. Whether they are 20, 40, or 60. Young, old or ancient. Thin, heavy or in between. It's time to show beauty the way God intended it, in all of it's flavors.
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