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We are announcing today a new column with the intriguing name "Beauty in a box".
This will not be “serious” texts about the theme and not meant to be learning guides in any way, but more personal reflections around the theme and will be published once a month.
A column is not supposed to reflect the truth.
Beauty is often what we all strive for when photographing: to make a beautiful photo.
But what is beauty really?
Is it personal, is it mathemathical, is it visual or psychological, is it about artistic knowledge etc.?
As we grow up, we learn from the environment about beauty and we assimilate the knowledge as our own. To let go from this knowledge, can be difficult, because we tend to keep what we have learned as something that is true and not questionable. For instance we learn that a flower is beautiful and therefore the rest of our life we think that a flower is beautiful.
Sometimes this knowledge can be "beauty in a box", especially for an artist if the artist wants to create something new and original. Also it is the problem, that if creating something new, it should maybe have some element of recognition if other people are to be attracted to the artwork.
Artwork must be kind of inside the box and outside the box at the same time.
But if we put it too much in a box, the photo will be boring and just an endless copy of other pictures.
With our new column, it is possible to reflect a litte about these thoughts and to think a little bit more about what beauty really is – in general and for each and one personally.
Many thanks to Ben Goossens who allowed us to use one of his images for the "Beauty in a Box" logo.
 | Write |
 | Miro Susta CREW Hello Yvette, you have introduced here an interesting subject, the BEAUTY, and you ask “what is beauty really?” - That sounds banal, but it is not – the respective beauty is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. Perception can be trained, and what is considered ugly by thousands does not have to be for everyone.
Maybe the poet Christian Morgenstern has already answered this difficult question; he was one of those people who have their own view of the beauty of the world. He said:
"Beautiful is everything that you look at with love."
I am looking forward to the first session....... |
 | Darlene Hewson CREW Can't wait!! |
 | Peter Davidson CREW Interesting. I look forward to reading this!
You said: "But what is beauty really?
Is it personal, is it mathemathical, is it visual or psychological, is it about artistic knowledge etc.?"
Well, it is of course all of these things and more. The cliche 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is also while true , disingenuous. Why? Because first, we have to learn how to see. And how we learn to see introduces bias. This comes from everything, our social upbringing and experience to the way we are taught and perhaps more importantly, WHO we learn from.
You can't, by definition, learn to work outside the box until you understand the box you are placed within.
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 | David williams CREW Peter, I really hope you can make it to Tokyo one day. I want a beer and sake with you!! LOL you are so dam cool! You are a photographer I can look up to, respect and listen to for hours. I can’t say that about many people. Really glad I met you here. |