Question #4

Question 4. Why is photography important to us as individuals and collectively as a society?

Recently a reporter asked a group of tornado survivors what their most irreplaceable object has been. One after another said the same thing. The one thing they wanted to recover from their ruined homes was their snapshots. Their other material possessions eventually could be replaced. This reveals the crux of why people photograph: to save and commemorate a subject of personal importance. The image may be memory jog or an attempt to stop the ravages of nature and time. Regardless of motive, this act of commemoration and remembrance is the critical essence of both amateur and professional photographic practice.

What does this mean in terms of artistic practice at the beginning of a new century? There are more options than ever to pursue. Whether the images are found in the natural world, in a book, or on a screen, part of an imagemaker's job is to be actively engaged in the condition of "looking for something." How this act of looking is organized, its particular routines, uncertainties, astonishments, and quixotic complexities, is what makes photographers unique.

R. Hirsch & J. Valentino (2001)

Still, we laugh even when we forgot why. 2007. Sony DSC-W55.

曾经信心饱满地说，我会记得每一张照片的拍摄过程和内容。Hmmm…现在我倒忘了这张照片是我还是院儒拍的了。甚至忘了自己用过 Sony DSC-W55。可是当我看回这些照片，当时的情绪会油然而生。忘记了发生什么事、说什么笑话，但是仍然会觉得滑稽，然后不懂原因地笑。

那种纯粹由光引发的化学反应， 从数亿个脑神经中激发出那一丝回忆。

我说除了 Hirsch 和 Valentino 所说的 "actively...'looking for something'"，摄影师有时需要 let your eyes open freely such that their are constantly accessible for the unexpected，才能及时捕捉亲友之间无常的神情举动。

Question #3

Question 3. What does a photographer do?

A photographer contemplates the nature of making photographs, the cerebral and emotional drive of working with a subject and process. Once this is accomplished, the photographer can then act to provide a physical form in which time can be manipulated or suspended to allow a subject to be thoughtfully examined.

Good photographers also take the time to wonder about their world and ponder how they can best analyze and express their thoughts and feeling to others. Wondering is part of the thinking process that lets one meditate on the possibilities. Wondering is a form of questioning old ways of knowing and can result in new ideas and different directions. Wondering encourages image-makers to summon the courage to take untested courses of action. Without wonder there is no speculation, which makes art and life boring and static.

R. Hirsch & J. Valentino (2001)

The photographer and his subject looking at a same object. 2008. Nikon D40X. Cropped.

我想 Hirsch 和 Valentino 没有提到的是摄影师和摄影对象的互动。身为一个东方人，我（和一些摄影的朋友们）都比较被动，难以找到前去攀谈的动力。可是这举动往往是揭发摄影对象背后故事的好方法。摄影师有时候是被引导的人 （passive）。当摄影师放下自己的习惯时，往往会被摄影对象引导至另一个新世界。

Question #2

Question 2. What can one do to become a photographer?

Looking at photographs can be a primary activity. Photographs are made from other photographs, as well as drawings, paintings, and prints. Look at what drives your curiousity. Look at the classics. They have been preserved because the patterns recorded in them have proved to be invariably useful over time. Look at contemporary work that is wrestling with new and different ways of expressing ideas. Read, study, and practice different methods of photography, not for the sake of technique, but to discover the means to articulate your ideas. Step back from the familiar to better understand it. One big peril facing photographers is lack of commitment, which translates into indifference in their work. Talking, thinking, and writing about photography are vital components of understanding the process, but these activities do not make one a photographer. Ultimately, to be a photographer one must fully engage in the process and make photographs (usually lots of them).

R. Hirsch & J. Valentino (2001)

The man who sat beside me on a bus. 2011. Canon G5. B&W conversion from RAW.

当你开始阅读更多摄影的文章时，你会发现越来越多派别、风格和意见——因为摄影是非常个性化的活动。其中一个让我觉得又刺耳又被激励又有趣的是两个摄影师的辨论。Ken Rockwell 和 Petteri Sulonen 针对 RAW format 发表了个人意见，而我这种刚入门的学生被夹在中间，不懂要听谁的。Rockwell 主要的论点是有能力的摄影师靠 jpeg 就能创作好的照片，而且 RAW 对一般人是没有实际用途的（相机的科技已经能提供高素质的 jpeg）；Sulonen 则反驳说只要适当地运用，RAW 能提供一个更高的平台（要看例子就按他名字的 link）。

我要说的有三点：

1. RAW 激发思考。实际上每一张 jpeg 照片都是经由相机自己处理过的，也就是说，我们一般的照片都是相机帮我们做主的。而我要问的是，为什么不偶尔自己为自己的照片作主呢？这跟自己煮饭或在餐厅叫菜一样。以上的照片是用 Photoshop 来将彩色手动转换成黑白的。如果让相机的 Grayscale mode 来决定的话，我无法凸现乘客的皱纹和裤子质感；
2. 按下快门前，如果你相信自己的判断会好过相机本身，那就拍 RAW。但是不要抱着“以防万一”的心态来拍 RAW，这样让人懒惰；
3. RAW 完工后还是要存成 jpeg （或者 tif——如果你电脑大把空位）。可是，无论成品的素质在电脑荧幕上多么地好，上传到很多免费的网站后，照片素质还是会降低。看看以上照片椅背的影子找到瑕疵了（一块块“淤血”）。我发现 Blogger （Google Picasa）会将黑暗部分的素质降到很低。

A look up into the canopy and... Idea

Scientific photography in the hands of crazy ecologists can easily become artwork. Less than a week ago we were conducting field work in the subtropical rainforest of Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia. An opportunity for me to try out 3 new things: the Canon 50D, a Sigma 8mm fisheye lens, and a standard way to measure canopy cover (i.e. fisheye canopy photographs which would be computerised and analysed afterward).

It didn't take me long to realise that, by arranging these photographs in a particular way, I can turn the labourious scientific work into fun (okay, I admit that the montage process can be time-consuming too).

The Canopy Blossom. 2011. Canon 50D. Digital photomontage. Photo by A Clark, S Day & HR Lai.

Sadly time is a constraint. The hardcore reality (as per Prof. Kirchhof) is that you just don't have unlimited time for both worlds. Often you realised that you've spent too much time on fun and it's time to go back to serious science.

沉甸甸

“沉甸甸”曾经是小学作文中给书包的形容词。在澳洲，想不到也见到如此情景。我们越长大，书包就越来越轻，真正的负担却有增无减。

School kid. 2011. Canon G5.

莱明顿星球

我们乘坐的罗泽号缓缓地降落在莱明顿星球上。我望向窗外，数着莱明顿的卫星。顿时，我想念起地球的月亮。

Scene from the Planet of Lamington. 2011. Nokia 3110c. Poladroid processing.

大地之衣

即使在科学验证之下，我仍然不敢相信这是生命。

这等拥有4亿年历史的生物，静静地坐在顽石上。如果他们的祖先流传着沧海桑田的故事，那么这种故事一定是记录在他们后代的身上的。因为他们坐在石头上的姿势，就是大陆漂移的记载。每一片地衣，仿佛就是一块大陆。

Lichen on Rock. 2011. Canon G5. Photomatix exposure fusion.

鱼的思考

这是一个“双子帖”，请看别有一番风味的帖《杀生也可以很浪漫》，笔于邱嘉兴。

拉起钓竿，等待生命最后的挣扎停止。刀起刀落，腹部裂开，挖出内脏，清理鳞片。数小时后，这几条鱼便已成为饭桌菜肴。在伟权姨丈的厨艺之下，我们很快地便把它们吃干净了。殊不知在那晚餐的笑声中——甚至之后——一场道德和原则的辩论正在酝酿。

人与鱼。2011。Apple iPhone 3GS。Cropped，Photoshop grain filter。嘉兴摄。

20年的思考让我可以毫不犹豫地剖开鱼腹——即使鱼在去鳞时还在抽搐。我承认我没有“人道”地立刻解决掉这个生命，免除它长久的痛苦（因为我不懂方法）。但是我在垂钓之前就已经承诺不能浪费丝毫鱼肉，以珍惜这个生命所赋予的营养。

朋友不愿尝试钓鱼，因为他不想滥杀。我反驳说，只要吃肉，就已经是聘请杀手（渔夫、猪农等）来杀生了。换句话说，吃肉就已经是间接杀生。 更何况没有浪费鱼肉，就不是滥杀了。

一些鱼在桶里垂死挣扎。

当我们发觉钓了很多时，便讨论要不要钓了就放回水里。一人说，放了也是害了它，因为他受伤了不会久存——那不是浪费吗？

一些鱼还在桶里垂死挣扎。

过了一晚，我们从冰箱中取出另一条鱼烹饪。饭中话题仍然围绕鱼儿。我问，为什么要讨论这么多、找这么多理由来让自己吃得安心？人类本来就捕猎为生，这种“道德”是不是太过繁琐了？顾着探讨杀生的对与错，我们便开始钻牛角尖，忘记探讨别的课题。顾着秉持自己不杀生，却忘了自己吃肉就正在鼓励杀生；忘记购买绿色蔬菜也需要燃烧罗里汽油、利用肥料和杀虫剂；忘记购买钻石金链会鼓励黑人被欺压；忘记换新电脑需要印度某村的小孩用化学药物来回收金属……

盲目过度地秉持“道德”和“原则”，就跟被某种宗教局限思考一样。这样，我们便忘记了怎样做回一个人。