Self-Enlightenment
The essence of photography is the art of seeing.The concept of “seeing”was first proposed by Edward Weston in the early 1920s.Among his prolific writings,the meaning of “seeing”had derived into twofold: seeing in an aesthetic sense and seeing in a photographically technical aspect.For the latter,Weston also referred to using the term “visualization”.As he pointed out,the technical part of “seeing”can be learned through practice,while the aesthetic “seeing”relies on one’s talent.The way of distinguishing between the two,however,is often difficult to define,as “seeing”involves both aesthetic and technical elements.Art must be original.Seeing in imitation of the masters only leads to simulation and duplication.In a sense,what determines the originality of seeing lies on the talent of an artist.If talent is a gift to an artist at birth,its essence is the potential of self-enlightenment through artistic creativity.As stated earlier,“talent”is a Godgiven ability guided by the additional gift of self-awareness,but one’s creative spirit still has to be nurtured,edified and enriched,so that one can become a fine artist and accomplish extraordinary work.And through the work selfenlightenment manifests itself.
For nearly two centuries,there have been many great photo masters who have not received formal education in art or photography.The way to approach art may vary,but the destination is the same for every photographer.As a unique form of art,photography is distinct from other arts (e.g.,painting and music) in that the equipment,such as cameras and lenses,as tools,has largely solved the technical requirements for photographers.Therefore,it is possible for one to master the art of photography entirely through self-learning and practice.
Although the traditional wisdoms acquired by the pioneering masters are valuable,photographers should not apply to all situations mechanically.While I was in Bryce Canyon near the end of a winter many years ago,I came to the edge of a cliff one early morning before dawn to photograph the delicate rock formation,as quite a few other photographers were also doing.I noticed that some of the photographers started taking shots long before sunrise.I assumed that they were dictating the rule of “first light”.The sound of the shutters reached crescendo when a few clouds above turned colorful in the sky.In the meantime,I also noticed that the canyons below the red rock pillars were still quite dark as there was no direct light reaching there.But remarkably,as the sun rose above the mountain range in the far background and started to illuminate the rocks and canyons below,no one was taking another picture.As if on cue,they inexplicably packed up their gear and dispersed in different directions,and I was the only one left at the edge of the cliff.I was surprised and puzzled at the same time.I was wondering if I had missed the best moment.But as I looked ahead in the background and below the cliff,the scenery was just beginning to unfold: the beautiful morning light cast long shadows of the rock pillars and trees into the canyon,color was still brilliant.The dark and sleepy canyon a few moments ago was just turning three dimensional and everything was coming to life.I wondered why no one saw this as a picture.I rechecked all the knobs on my 4X5 view camera,took light readings one more time,set shutter and made a vertical exposure.I was thinking that if there was anything that I did not know about,this picture would tell me.When I received the processed film,I was more than satisfied with the lighting,composition,contrast and color saturation of the image.From this trip I re-assured myself that pictures taken at this steep canyon at pre-dawn are lacking the charm of light and shade,and tend to be very dull and flat.Similar photos circulating on the internet are more than likely the result of blindly following the dogma commonly dictated among many photographers.The use of so called “first light”has been advocated as the golden rule by British landscape photographer Joe Cornish.Many photographers have been fervently following this rule indiscriminately without realizing that its most successful execution has been to the seascape for which Cornish has been known.The time when the sun just emerges from the horizon is the most dramatic moment at the sea; however,the same moment may not be so dramatic at high mountains with steep cliffs and ravines.More than often even the most talented photographers tend to be distracted by the bright colors before sunrise while ignoring other compositional elements.
For many photographers,“seeing”can be transformed by an epiphany — an idea or conceptualization that comes irrationally,sometimes even spontaneously.The visualization of an image may be driven by a ‘visual impetus’ — an inspiration compelling the photographer toward the making of a particular picture.Some claim that they can acquire visual inspiration from other art forms,such as music.Music may affect photographers both emotionally and visually.But exactly how music affects one’s visual perception is always a fascinating phenomenon to me.I think that certain photographers can extend their natural talent of musical interpretation to photography through the interaction of their senses.It is possible that photographers with better musical perception possess the unique sensibility of transforming melody and rhythm into their visual conception.This would in turn enhance the photographers’ visual ability to recognize compositional elements in a landscape.Exactly how and why some photographers respond to certain music in a way that others do not,cannot be explained.I assume that it cannot be taught or learned.
My knowledge and understanding of music is only at a beginner’s level.But that does not prevent me from receiving musical influence and finding an application to photography.Among all the best known masters,Frédéric Chopin is the most inspirational to me.The poetic and sometimes almost translucent quality of his Nocturnes has always brought to my mind the images of a clear stream meandering at the foot of a mountain.The seamless fusion of the granular sensation of splashing water droplets and the silky feeling of the limpid running water is vivid and profound both musically and visually.My photographic vision and Chopin’s piano music had integrated perfectly when I was photographing Tinkers Creek in Ohio.In the past the fast rushing water has always been rendered as a blurred milky mass in 35mm film pictures.After I adopted the 4X5 system,I was able to see the detailed fine trails of spattering water droplets for the first time.
独自的领悟
摄影的本质是“观看”的艺术。摄影史上“观看”这一概念首先是由爱德华·韦斯顿（Edward Weston）于20世纪20年代提出来的。在其诸多的论述中，“观看”一词衍生出双重的含义。其一是较为广义的，泛指在艺术审美观念意义上的资质。无论是爱德华·韦斯顿，还是其后的安塞尔·亚当斯（Ansel Adams）都曾指出，这一资质是不可教的。其二是所谓“摄影的观看”，这层含义则专指摄影技术方面的素养，即摄影师要在拍摄之前从被摄物体想象出最终的影印作品的视觉分析和构思的能力。后来韦斯顿将“摄影的观看”称为“预视”（visualization）。（注：中文没有“预视”一词。为了给予visualization这个词较为直接的视觉艺术含义，笔者在2013年初出版的《无穷之光》一书中首次使用了“预视”这个词作为与其对等的中文词）。预视作为摄影创作中的一个技能是可以通过学习和实践而掌握的。然而，预视在这两个层次之间的界限常常又是很难划清的，因为观看既有赖于先天获得的艺术资质，又依靠后天学习到的技能。必须指出的是，效仿或借用艺术大师的眼光只是一种模拟的观看方式；只有当以个人独立的意识来视物时，才可真正称得上是自己在观看。
复制与模仿永远也创造不出艺术。从这个意义上讲，决定摄影艺术独创力的“观看”所依靠的是天赋。天赋通常也称作“天资”、“天分”或“才华”等等。从字面上讲，天赋是指上苍的恩赐或先天的资质。然而，这个解释只概述了其一半的含义，并没有指出先天获得的究竟是什么。有人说是创造力，也有人称是想象力，但这可能都只是天赋的表征。从实质上讲，天赋是指一个人有通晓某种事物的特殊潜能，也可以理解为是其自悟的能力。它能够让一个勇于进取的人在适宜的条件下，比如老师的传授、旁人的指点，家庭的熏陶和培养等等，通过持之以恒的刻苦修炼和不断的自觉自悟，走出一条成功之路；使其在某个领域做出不凡的事业，达到前人未曾达到的高度和境界。百余年来，世界涌现出许许多多没有经过正规学院式的艺术教育而自学成才的摄影大师。通往艺术的道路对每个人是各有所异的，因为每位摄影师的成长路径不尽相同。而单就抵达艺术这一目的地而言，每个人的成长历程又是殊途同归的。摄影与其他的艺术形式（如音乐和绘画等）相比，其独到之处在于相机和镜头作为器材本身已经在很大程度上解决了摄影艺术创作中对技能上的要求。除了多方学习与交流之外，摄影师还应在实践中不断地通过自觉自悟来掌握和提高艺术创作所需的技能，积累创作的经验和智慧。
经典的智慧纵然可贵，但摄影师不应毫无选择地对任何拍摄情形加以套用。令我体会最深的一个例子是若干年前一个冬末初春之际在布莱斯峡谷的摄影创作。那天拂晓，我与不少摄影师一样，来到一处悬崖旁，望着山谷中玲珑剔透的岩石和点缀其间的树木，等待着日出的到来。不少摄影师牢记着“第一光线”的创作法则，当天边刚刚有了亮光时就开始拍摄了。不久，天空中出现了绚丽的早霞，将本是色彩浓重的岩石映照得更加鲜艳无比。但我也注意到山谷中依然很幽暗，纵然岩石的色彩诱人，却缺少我想要的光影反差。此时站在悬崖旁的摄影师们频频地按下快门的声音响成一片。然而，当太阳从山头上升起后，开始照亮山谷中的石柱和树木时，我身旁的摄影师们却纷纷收起相机，不约而同地一哄而散。悬崖旁只剩下我一个人，我在诧异中心想，大家为什么离去，一定是有什么重要的创作原则我不晓得。我集中精力再次查看了一下4X5相机上所有的旋钮，拍了一张竖幅照片，心想如果有什么事情我不知晓，这张照片会告诉我。当拿到冲洗好的照片时，我反复地审察画面中的每一处细节。无论是画面的清晰度、造型，还是色调，都令我满意。之后我发现在媒体中流传的绝大多数作品都着眼于岩石上鲜艳而饱和的色彩，无视那幽暗的峡谷，更缺乏光影的魅力。从摄影艺术的审美观点出发，这些影像并非是出色的作品。日出时的第一缕光线虽然优美动人，却未必适用于所有的拍摄情形，尤其是那鲜艳的色彩迷惑了不少摄影师。英国著名风光摄影师乔·科尼什（Joe Cornish）将使用日出时的第一缕光线奉为艺术创作的黄金法则。然而，科尼什对这一法则应用得最成功的例子是他在英吉利海峡沿岸拍摄的作品。那里的地貌与布莱斯峡谷有着鲜明的差别。海岸的景观与日出的第一缕光线交相辉映，而在同样的光线下，布莱斯峡谷依然阴森幽暗。显然，这一法则不能同用于状况迥异的两地。
对不少摄影师来讲，“观看”受到灵感的激发。灵感是从外界事物中获得点化而产生的顿悟，是一种非理性的、自发的精神跳跃。灵感对摄影艺术非常重要，它给予摄影师的创作以活力和激情。一些摄影师声称能从音乐中获取灵感。音乐对这些摄影师的艺术创作大概有着多重的影响，有感情方面的，也有视觉方面的。我猜想摄影师能将在音乐中对乐谱的诠释能力加以扩展，进而运用到摄影创作之中。摄影师在对乐曲的体会中，可能会将旋律、节奏等音乐成分融汇于对视觉影像的想象或幻觉之中，从而产生了视觉的灵感。对音乐的记忆可能还会增强摄影师对构图元素的识别，有助于视觉的构思。只是不同的摄影师对同样的乐曲所产生的反应或许是不尽相同的，也是很难学习或传授的。
我自己的音乐修养只有初学者的水平，但这并不影响音乐对我的感化，也不妨碍我从优秀的作品中吸取创作的灵感。古今中外对我影响最大的音乐家要数肖邦了。肖邦主要创作钢琴独奏曲，其乐曲有着独特的韵味，能充分体现钢琴特有的音色。他在《夜曲》中将钢琴的乐声所具有的颗粒感与流水般的透明质融汇得淋漓尽致，天衣无缝。这些乐曲对我在婷克斯溪流的摄影创作有很大的激发作用。婵娟溪流中丝丝细水所描绘出的线条似乎再现了钢琴的乐声所具有的独特品质。以前我曾使用135相机拍摄过许多溪流和瀑布，但由于35毫米胶片的成像面积小，使得流动的溪水和飞溅的水花只能在画面中呈现出一团白色的模糊影像。而当我开始使用4X5相机拍摄时，多倍于35毫米胶片的成像面积可以分辨出长长细水和飞溅的水花划过的痕迹，展现出我忽略了多年的细节，也让我以新的眼光来看流水。