How the process of photographic image creation is being translated into self-knowledge through mindfulness
Three basic settings to expose a photograph - aperture, shutter speed and ISO (ISO is not an acronym for the 'International Organization of Standardization', like many believe, it comes from the Greek word isodynamos, which means equivalence). The interaction of these three hand wheels lead to a correspondingly exposed image. Aperture asks, how wide do I open my view. Shutter speed asks, how long do I let the light in. The number of ISO stands for the sensitivity of the digital sensor or the analogue film.
Aperture - How wide you open the lens conditions the depth of field, which is the area that distincts itself from the back- or foreground through its sharpness. In this way you can direct the viewer's attention to that part of the image that carries the meaning. Here it gets interesting for me - as the camera. Because I can ask, where do I direct my attention to? What is important to me in this situation? Which element attracts my special attention?
Dream no. 1, Regensburg, 2021 © Dr. Christine Lehr
Shutter speed - How long you let the light in determines the motion blur. If you expose the sensor for a longer span of time, motion will appear blurred, the image shows dynamism or dreaminess. If you expose the sensor for a shorter span of time, you will capture moving people or objects in sharp outlines. A fascinating effect, to freeze motion. When I am the camera, I can ask, how much time do I dedicate to a specific situation? Which motion am I interested in? What makes time go by? Can you make time, perhaps your time, visible?
ISO - In which sensitivity should my sensor be exposed? To get a good image even in low light situations, you can raise the ISO. But this comes at a high price - setting the ISO too high can make your photo noisy. That means there are some soft blurry areas in the colors or darker parts of the image. Can I adjust the sensitivity of my heart? Is there "noise", if so, where is it?
Aperture and shutter speed do have one aspect in common. I can set them. I determine, how wide and long I open windows and doors to the world. ISO is a special candidate in the inner sphere. The heart's sensitivity seems to develop through camera life. Through time there might be no getting back behind certain ISO values. And the noise diminishes through time?
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