How Do You Look at Photographs?

John Muir once wrote, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken to everything else in the universe." My aim as a nature photographer is to illustrate that concept.

Elephant in its natural habitat

There are various ways to do that. One is to photograph wild animals in their natural habitat, to show how they interact with and are interdependent with the other animals and plants around them.  A single still photograph doesn't necessarily show the interaction and interdependence that connect things. Some verbal explanation is still needed, or a series of photos. I like to do this with narrated slide presentations.

Do you feel a connection?

More often, I try to close in on my wildlife subjects, creating intimate portraits, or, to use Muir's phrase, "pick out (something) by itself..." In this case, of course, the invisible cords are indeed invisible, the animal is out of context and not bound to anything.

Or is it?

Ansel Adams once answered critics who complained about the absence of people in his photographs by saying "There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer."

This is the more important bond that I think most nature photographers are trying to establish. The photographer already has the connection; that's why he makes the photo. This is the emphasis of miksang orcontemplative photography, in which photography becomes a meditative practice by making the photographer aware that there is an indistinct line between observer and observed. I attended a miksang workshop recently that helped me understand "true perception" as a necessary skill for any photography. Some of the images from this practice are stunningly beautiful, to be sure, but contemplative photography is like journaling, good practice, but not necessarily meant to be shared. 

How does this make you feel?

When we do share a photograph we aim to help the viewer discover an emotion. In the case of wildlife photography, this emotion might be how the viewer feels about the animal, based on his perception of what the animal is doing, thinking or capable of. Or the viewer may feel an emotion that she at least imagines she has in common with the animal being photographed. 

This can lead us to commit the crime of anthropomorphism. We might show a particular image because we are confident that the viewer will imagine that the animal is feeling dignified or silly or sad, when there is really no way to know what, if anything, the animal was feeling at the moment the shutter opened.

I personally do not subscribe to the purely scientific view that animals are incapable of emotions or thoughts. Anyone who has experienced the unconditional love of a dog, or  the studied indifference of a pet cat knows that these animals think and feel. Many wild animals display social structure, teamwork, compassion, playfulness, and the ability to communicate and to learn that seem to go well beyond instinct. 

What is he thinking?

I also do not think that you can necessarily tell what an animal is thinking or feeling by looking at its face or its eyes. This is especially true of fish, which seem to be very expressive, but which actually have no facial muscles, and therefore no way to project any emotions even if they have them.

But we want them to have emotions, so when we see an image of an animal that seems to be cute or adorable or pathetic, we tend to feel something, too, at the emotional or heart level. We feel connected to the animal, and that's okay, because we are.

And that's the point. As a photographer, I want the viewer to feel the connection that already exists, as Muir said, even if you don't actually understand what is going on behind the animal's eyes. When you connect at the heart level that way, you don't have to understand anything. You just have to feel it.

When you view someone's photographs, you are looking through their window on the world. But if you see an image that really moves you, that makes you feel that connection at the heart level, you are actually looking into a mirror. What you see is you. 

I hope as you look at the photographs on my Web page, or any photos that you like, that you will find a little of yourself. And I hope you like what you see.