Comments on: Can Vision Be Taught?

By: Subhash

Subhash — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:04:10 +0000

Hm, it seams nobody cares about old posts. But I investigated further and an friend of mine, a philosopher, came up with the idea that this saying of “What’s in the way, is the way” might be an other translation of the very first sentence of the Tao Te King: “The way that can be spoken about is not the eternal way”. Translation from old Chinese to English or German is very complex and I can imagine that he is right.

Maybe someone is interested in this topic and reads this.

By: Subhash

Subhash — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:16:18 +0000

David, you have quoted Lao Tze saying “What’s in the way is the way” several times. I am fond of Lao Tze since my twenties but I cannot remember where this quote is from. Please tell me the chapter! Thanks in advance!

(I hope a comment on such an old posting will be noticed.)

By: Christopher

Christopher — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:08:27 +0000

Well I’m an amateur in photography and sometimes I know my vision but I try to be more creative and find another way to express vision.. the same message but two different POV.
I don’t think it is possible to teach people how to view things differently but it can definitely be learnt. It’s by looking to other artists work that we can understand what works and what doesn’t work in photography. It is also by experimenting different settings and subjects that we can come to build a vision that conveys a message.
I remember an exercise that helped me understand what was vision and how to express it: just take an object that means a lot to you and shoot it in every possible way you can imagine; different lenses, apertures, speeds, close shots, far away shots..

By: Shoot What You Love? | PixelatedImage Blog

Shoot What You Love? | PixelatedImage Blog — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:00:39 +0000

[...] missed the comments left in Friday’s post, Can Vision Be Taught, be sure to check them out HERE. I’m still unpacking it and trying to wrap my brain around some of the words we use in these [...]

By: Anirban Chatterjee

Anirban Chatterjee — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:58:03 +0000

I guess it not the question of teaching….it is more of showing the path…how to tread that path depends on individuals…and many thanks to u for showing the path…just keep it going…people like me need that

By: Adam Loewen

Adam Loewen — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:09:51 +0000

Here’s my two cents for what its worth. I think the word ‘taught’ is problematic. It alludes to a very linear form of education, like that in a class room or self help book. In that sense I don’t think vision can be taught, which is kind of beautiful because that means it can’t be exploited.
However, I do believe vision can be ‘learned’. We wont learn the majesty of a mountain range by reading about it, we learn by climbing. We don’t learn about injustice by watching the news, we learn by feeding the hungry, and standing with the oppressed. In the same way, I don’t believe we learn creative vision in class room, blog or book. We learn by going out into the world, engaging it, and experiencing it.
Our experiences shape us… who shape our photography? I pose that as a questions cause I’m really just thinking out loud now…

By: Vision in the rearview mirror | John Batdorff

Vision in the rearview mirror | John Batdorff — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:14:29 +0000

[...] this same spot in the road some 30 years later. But so is life. I read an interesting article by David duChemin ( a brilliant writer and photographer) a few days ago regarding vision. Can it be taught or is it [...]

By: Dan

Dan — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:47:54 +0000

Vision can’t be taught, but it can be taught about. When we learn the elements, and observe the vision of the masters, we are learning about vision. When we see that vision, and say “But what if I do this instead?” we are beginning to learn our own vision. Excellent topic.

By: brad

brad — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:29:47 +0000

I guess my instinctive reaction is that if vision can’t be taught, what’s the point in writing about it?

I equate this to jazz, the art form I was most deeply exposed to in my formative years. There are rules and structures and freedoms and expressions all held in a weird tension. I had a teacher explain them to me, introduce me to the ‘cats’ who really got it, and even jam with me. I’m not the next Sonny Rollins, but I enjoy the rare op I get to play with people. (My favourite advice from him: “When you get a chance to play, you know, preach!”)

Chase Jarvis posted a trailer for a cool-looking movie on advertising, called Art and Copy. This is the line the clip starts with:
“The frightening and most difficult thing about being what somebody calls a creative person is that you have absolutely no idea where any of your thoughts come from…”

Right. So, that’s scary. Especially when you put yourself in a place of pressure, deadlines, etc. But with increased familiarity to the rhythms, the scales and how to step right out of them at the right moment, then you can really start to play.

Touché, Phillip — that’s an important distinction.

By: claude etienne

claude etienne — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:45:42 +0000

David,

I am afraid that the writer of that review was perhaps hoping to have all the answers upon finishing the book. Exposure, and off-camera flash can be taught, those are purely technical, although the end result will depend entirely on the photographer. You might want to under expose an image on purpose to create a mood, and the way you manipulate the light from your flash will also affect the final image. But, for the most part those are technical considerations. Vision, on the other hand, while, it still requires the tools of the trade, is something we all need to seek. A book can only guide us, give us advice, and even help us avoid making certain mistakes. But, ultimately, a photographer can only write about his experiences, HIS vision.