Monday, September 22, 2008

Photocuts: Loving Photography with a Swiss Army Knife






I really began to enjoy photography in a different way when I found the courage to physically "destroy" some of my favourite 8x10 black and white prints that I had made.

The process of selecting a quality negative and enlarging it for display was fun, but I felt that something was missing after viewing the developed image for a period of time. I felt that, although the image was saying a lot, there was something more it could say, more specifically, something more I wanted it to say. So, armed with a small Swiss army pocket knife and a solid dose of ignorance, I embarked on what has turned out to be another rewarding aspect of the photographic experience for me - the "photocuts".


Photocuts are simply prints cut into any number of potential shapes that create a new visual appearance that gives a viewer an additional element to consider when appreciating and experiencing an image.


By deconstructing the standard rectangular photographic format, I was able to vary and deepen the audience's viewing experience.


Ideally exposed or focused images were no longer critical to me when trying to create powerful and lasting images that tell a story. The reshaped/reinterpreted images began to tell new stories in a way that the photograph in its rectangular format had not been able to tell before.


In my opinion, photography has no rules, only individual preferences and I am thrilled to say that I have found for now, a new creative preference.


© Lloyd Pollard

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