I. What eye you look in the view-finder?
Whether it is necessary to concern seriously a question on what eye it is necessary to look in the camera view-finder? Setting of a similar question seems to Someone ridiculous. Others are ready to start in answer paste to consider the subjective preferences, and also design features of photocameras and their ergonomics. And for many such question doesn’t exist at all so they prefer to look both eyes, but not in the old-kind view-finder, and at the Zhk-screen of the numeral camera. However, the question is actual and for them: quite probably most esthetic composition will manage to be created, if one eye to blink …
Whether it is possible to try to answer the brought attention to the question, leaning against the scientific data?
One of possible variants of the answer is given in this article. But it is necessary to begin with arguing of wider question: how the brain works?
Fig. 1. A known bust of Nefertiti. The Egyptian museum, Berlin. Experts state that a pupil in the left eye never was. Why? It is a lot of versions, but the true isn’t conducted to anybody.
II. Functions of hemispheres of a brain
The person looks at the world environmental it not simply eyes, and system «eyes + a brain». Therefore on any questions connected to visual sensation, it is necessary to answer, leaning against the data about functionality of a brain and all central nervous system as a whole.
In the middle of the century before last the French surgeon Pol Broka has revealed the area which is responsible for speech in the left cerebral hemisphere. During the further researches it was clarified that at the majority of people the left cerebral hemisphere is responsible for speech and logic, and right – for intuition, figurativeness and creativity. According to the modern scientific representations the situation with functionality of hemispheres is slightly more difficult, but, anyway, is quite admissible to say that our brain can be or in logical (analytical, verbal) a mode (further ЛР), or in a mode creative (figurative, intuitive) (further ТР).
Logical verbal thinking to aspire to classify everything, to reach extreme possible unambiguity. This property is very valuable to occupations by a science. Thus, it is necessary to note that is frequent people of logical mentality often weighs presence of many-valued and various treatments. In art creativity, on the contrary, are often appreciated a variety of interpretations, ability to generate set of senses, ability to create a polysemy within the limits of the given subject.
I do not know, fortunately or not, but the people giving explicit preference ЛР, on statistican it is more. The possible explanation of it is that: our thinking leans against words; over speech the left hemisphere supervises; hence, the majority of us is inclined all to explain and decompose on shelves, instead of to perceive intuitively. For the same reason, right-handed persons among people much more, than lefthanders (the left hand the right hemisphere of a brain controls). This explanation rough enough. To it it is possible to make great variety of corrections and stipulations. But as a first approximation the essence is that. By the way that in a reality the brain functions more with difficulty, it is better to speak about ЛР and ТР, instead of about правополушарности and левополушарности. But, anyway, it is all subtleties. For given article it is enough to understand that there are two operation modes of a brain: creative and logical.
If to tell about art the task as the author of a work of art, and the spectator (the listener, the reader, etc.) consists in ability to switch the brain from ЛР in ТР and effectively to use result of such switching.
Formation (and any training generally) is directed on establishment of the is formal-logical output connected to the unambiguous context more often. That is, unfortunately, the majority of the modern training activities is oriented on logic and verbal statements. For this reason so the number of the critics leaning in the analysis exceptional on verbal senses and unambiguity is great. But for tasks creative and esthetic it is very frequent more important factors integrity, figurativeness and a support on perception are. In articles [1, 2] the author already wrote about favor of retreat of formal logic at acquaintance to works of art. This publication – talk continuation on this subject.
To create – means to be able to generalize, be ready to jump out for analysis frames, to give vent to intuition and figurativeness, to do something, without arguing, instinctively.
Ability of people to be in one of basic modes (ЛР or ТР) can be watched every day. For example, someone prepares a culinary dish, strictly following the recipe, without receding from it on a step. It is obvious that in given a case it is involved ЛР, and such activity hardly can be ranked as the creative. And many housewives prepare intuitively: measuring amounts of components by eye and never marking time. Certainly their activity is much closer to the creative.
Other example. To one people before starting on the journey, very important to orient on a card and in advance to develop the detailed plan of driving. Others prefer to go on reference points, adjusting a route therein in case of need. The first method leans on ЛР more, the second – is closer to intuitively-creative.
Here at once, in order to avoid misunderstanding, pertinently to specify: the author at all doesn’t consider any of modes (logical or creative) more important and priority. Both of them are equally important for the person. Both that, and another should be used as required depending on character of the task solved during each specific moment of time.
Speech, otherwise, goes that for the decision of tasks creative the person should learn purposefully to switch in ТР.
How to learn to switch the perception in ТР? About it speech also will go further.
Irina Pavlenko:From site materials www.effecton.ru(With usage of publications on www.mentalhealthnews.com)
«So, for ingenious inspirations the right hemisphere, as a rule, answers. And the left hemisphere is original« a deafener », filtering and reviewing them according to common sense. People who are capable« to deafen »the left hemisphere, more often others allow inspirations of the right hemisphere to reach consciousnesses, psychologists consider. So that to allure inspiration, writer Joseph Konrad normally took a trough, and composer Brams stated that brightest of inspiration gleams visit him behind cleaning of boots …»
III. Some more words about the logician
Before to pass to the description of methods of switching in a creative mode, we will consider a little more mode logical. As already it has been told above, its role too is very important.
Some people sincerely are perplexed: «As it is possible to recede from verbal senses? What for to create, if the purpose consists at all in informing the unambiguous thought to the people perceiving a subject of art?» Here, likely, it is possible to give such answer: «If you are important for informing the unambiguous thought, whether that easier generally to refuse art creativity and to try to formulate this thought verbally? Clearly, as here it is possible not to succeed. But, investing thoughts it is immediate in words, we risk misunderstood to be ready to a lesser degree, than operating with artistic images». The author already wrote about it in article “to Create and understand” [3]. Being engaged in art creativity, the creator, of course, hopes to inform any thought or emotion to audience, but he can be never assured that it will be possible to it.
One more interesting hypothesis. Boris Raushenbah (one of which operations was considered by the author in [4]) considered that often icon painters admitted deviations from customary perspective осознанно: they were guided or naturalness perception, or achieved the special objective. But if to compare their images to patterns which are drawn by people with the damaged right hemisphere of a brain it is involuntarily possible to find out mass of coincidence. It is quite probable that authors of icons often by operation were not in creative, and in an analytical mode. That is, they drew objects not such what they them saw, and such with what objects existed in their representation. And in it the reasons of deviations from perspective laws on icons also are cut. However, the author doesn’t dare to insist. It is simple one of working hypotheses.
Generally speaking, creativity in ЛР pushes the author to a stamp, to the character, to the typical decision. To recede from the image of ready images in favor of implementation of own creative potential, the author should learn to pass in a mode creative.
Whether and can ЛР be useful to creativity? Yes, can. For example, building a composition, the author can quite lean against «logical crutches» law on “golden ratio”. Here the main thing – not to stop on it and not to absolutize this tool. Having used it as a reference point, it is necessary to go further, leaning against own creative potential. Crutches can give us an additional point of support in a difficult situation. But it is necessary to be able to discard them in time.
IV. How to pass in a creative mode?
In 1979 professor Betti Edwards (USA) for the first time has published the book «Drawing on the right side of the brain» (in Russian translation the book has a title: «Open in itself the artist») [5] in which she told about the experience of training to a portrait picture of the normal people absolutely far from the fine arts. The book has quickly got to the list of best sellers of the New York Times newspaper and has held on in this list more than a year.
Councils published here for photographers on passage in a creative mode are considerably processed and added theses, formulated B.Edwards.
1. First of all before shooting it is useful to practise training of figurative thinking. For this purpose it is possible to be engaged in a known children’s entertainment, for example: examining of clouds and attempt to define, on what they are similar. For the lack of clouds it is possible to consider patterns on wall-paper, the shades, natural invoices, and also intersection of planimetric lines of various subjects surrounding you. The purpose of this exercise – to create the bridge between ЛР and ТР. While we hang up, say, on a cloud any verbal label, we pass in verbal ЛР. But before the label is hung, that is at an examining stage, we, certainly, are in ТР.
2. Try to refuse transmission of the unambiguous sense initially. Creation of an occasion to sense, instead of sense should be your purpose. For this purpose try to depart from unambiguity. Let the spectator will draw an output itself. Your task – to help it with it, instead of to impose it a ready template of perception. Be not frightened ambiguities. That you wouldn’t do, all the same probability of that the spectator will understand all in own way, is great enough. Be ready to it. Try to be adjusted what to share with the spectator it is necessary not ready senses and verbal conclusions, and in the complete and harmonic visual images.
3. Try in the course of creativity at least for a short while to stop the verbal flow of thinking quietly sounding at you in a head (so-called, «an internal voice»).
4. Try to estimate the future image as a whole, having discharged of details and separate objects. For this purpose it is necessary to work with objects and details not as with something, to what it is possible to attach a verbal label (see fig. 2a.), and as with pure forms, stains, gradients, lines, etc. (fig. 2b-e see.)
Fig. 2. Sheet as: object (a), a circuit (b), the form (c),
The negative form (d), a color stain (e).
5. Objects, adjoining and being intersected with each other on the image, generate new forms, a circuit and a stain. These new elements which also can be ranked to negative, also should be harmonic are built in the general visual image (red elements on fig. 3 see). As a matter of fact it is a question of harmony of empty spaces between represented objects.
Fig. 3. The negative forms generated by contact
Objects with each other and with image boundaries.
(Some are shown only)
New negative forms form also by circuits of represented objects and edges of the frame restricting an image format (dark blue elements on fig. 3 see). These forms also should be built organically in in the general visual image. It is often possible to hear thought that «the format defines a composition». It is true. Interposition of removed objects and frame boundaries – one of the determinatives defining an esthetic composition.
6. Now, when the prospective image is perceived by you as set of basic elements (item 4-5) which have been not connected to verbally-semantic labels, try to build from all these elements the harmonic composition making a single whole. The image shouldn’t break up to separate elements. Rules here aren’t present. Try not to think and not to analyze, and to feel and perceive.
The main thing – won’t fall out in ЛР. The majority of typical errors of beginners is connected to it. Has admired object of shooting – and has forgotten that the image has edges. Or has concentrated on the main thing, and the minor detail all has spoiled (such, for example, as a tree “growing” from a head of model).
Ability to abstract from explicit senses and to analyze pure visual elements it is rarely given to the person from a birth. However the regular practice it is quite possible to develop in itself this ability.
Figuratively expressing, on the successful image separate elements as though enter dialogue with with each other. Thus any remark doesn’t remain without the answer. And at the same time any phrase doesn’t hammer, doesn’t outvoice and doesn’t suppress the remaining.
Betti Edwards:
Citations from the book «Open in itself the artist»:
1. «One of the greatest paradoxes of the fine arts consists that the represented subject doesn’t possess vital importance in beauty creation».
2. «As the right hemisphere very much is interested in how subjects are added with each other, forming closed system, it is possible to name it a determinative in formation of esthetic response».
3. «As well as any picture of very attentively considered object, a portrait uncovers not so much person of model, how many soul of the artist».
At the expense of what the positive result is reached? What control levers the photographer allocates at shooting? They are traditional: light, a foreshortening, scale, waiting of a solving instant, creation of a frame and etc. the Beginner shouldn’t be forgotten and about some traditional recommendations, for example, the such: the horizon line shouldn’t be filled up, and verticals – are warped, etc.
V. So what eye it is necessary to look in the view-finder?
With eyes business is more difficult, than it seems at first sight. Each eye is connected to both hemispheres of a brain. The matter is that in a skull is available chiasma opticum – a place of intersection of fibers of optic nerves. The part of fibers passes to the opposite side, other part of fibers doesn’t cross [9]. Owing to it it is impossible to state that blinking one eye, we activate one of cerebral hemispheres.
Nevertheless, as fibers of optic nerves nevertheless cross, perception of images by various eyes happens differently (even if to admit anatomic identity of the right and left eye). Owing to it it is quite possible to admit that composite decisions depend on that what eye the photographer will look in the view-finder.
How much it represents the facts, everyone is free to solve itself. Try to finish shooting a series of pictures, looking in the view-finder (at the Zhk-display) the right eye. Then make a series, the right eye having blinked. Compare results. Draw outputs.
One photographer has told to the author after similar experiment: «it is inconvenient To me to look in the view-finder the left eye, but for some reason the result of such shooting is pleasant to me more». Well, quite probably …
The inference
So, the described method of creation of a harmonic composition as a matter of fact is reduced to ability to abstract from senses and verbal labels. It is necessary to present all image as set of simple elements: circuits, forms, stains, etc. Then it is necessary to try to organize all these elements within the limits of a frame in one harmonic whole. It is thus activated creative the brain operation mode, connected at the majority of people with domination of the right hemisphere.
Vadim Rotenberg writes: «the Critical relation – property of the left hemisphere of a brain, property of consciousness. During the moment of origin new (idea or an image) the right hemisphere should be free from ruthless faultfinding of ordinary and restricted consciousness. It should have the right to flight, on uncountable intersections and collisions of images in planetary space of the right hemisphere for only from these collisions the inspiration spark» [8] can be cut. By the way, and at implementation of a known method of “brainstorming session” the creative potential of group is activated in a mode of the prohibition of criticism.
Not to analyze, not to criticize, not to anchor all to verbal senses, not to use labels and stamps – here strategy of disclosure of creative potential.
Quite probably that the approach described in this article not only correct. Probably, there are also others … And there are also the lucky beggars who are not needing absolutely not in any approaches: creative process flows at them naturally, at intuitive level. But if you don’t concern their number to neglect the formulated recommendations doesn’t follow. Why not to try? And suddenly it will turn out?