Sometimes everything Being a nature photographer, sometimes I question whether it is better to be literal about the subject matter in labeling an image, or try to be a bit more creative and give it a unique ‘figurative’ name Especially with my rock abstracts, I wonder if a figurative name would impose too much interpretation upon a viewer, instead of just letting them form their own vision Especially because many of these abstracts are simply a combination of graphical elements that attracted my eye – and sometimes nothing much deeper than that Other times I do actually see something within these patterns, and it gives more meaning to an image to label it as such.
I am sure some eyes might glaze over (other than you geologists and rockhounds out there! 
) if I labeled something “Biggs Blue Sky Picture Jasper” versus something like “Giant Squid riding a wave.” However, it will forever be implanted in their mind will be the image of a squid, perhaps unable to see anything else Does this ruin the viewer experience of creating their own impression? I have had this done to me with my own shots Someone will tell me they see some object in say the feathers of a bird that I never saw before, and that object is now always on my mind when I look at that particular shot It can be quite unnerving!
I wonder if for abstract works if it is expected that the artist provide some type of personal interpretation of a piece to give the viewer some insight on where to start in relating to it Are they completely lost without a name? I draw some parallels to music and relating to lyrics Often it isn’t known if they intended as literal or figurative meanings All questions in my head that I don’t really have any answers to, only to simply go with what feels right So I have tried some more figurative names with my latest additions.
. (p.s. on a separate note, I have had a few comments about the font size on my blog being much too small I have never noticed it because it always looked fine on multiple computers, even PC to Mac for me I made a small change, but I would really appreciate if you could let me know if the font size is coming out too small for you Thanks!!).
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Mark,
Your font size looks just fine to me. Keep up the good work!
~ Rob
My answer to this is… depends. It all depends on your intent. If your intent is to uncover some image or story in the abstracts, then titling it as such indicates that. If you prefer to allow people to find their own meaning, then don’t lead them with a title. In my work, I’ve decided to suggest meanings while trying to avoid being too overhanded. And I know this one photographer Colin Blakley who uses very complex leading titles, and I find that really add a lot to the images. Interesting questions….
I hear you on this post (although from the standpoint of a painter.) I abhor titling my works. The image should be allowed to stand on its own, without having words attached to it. I once had a friend INSIST that I title a pencil sketch I’d done of a screaming dragon after he bought it from me. When he wouldn’t back down I countered with; “Tulips at Night.” That’ll learn ‘em! *L*
I’ve always thought a piece of art deserved a title of some sort – be it a photo, poem… Works titled “Untitled” always throw me a bit off guard. But I often like a hint, not the whole story. And now I hate to be so waffle-y, but I do like explanatory titles, too. Perhaps it’s good to impart a bit of the creator on the art – maybe the title does that, no matter what style.
As each of your photos has a strong visual message they deserve a title – that’s my take on it. But you as the artist have to decide. Personally I always find it a bit sad if people do not title their images, no matter whether these are paintings or “only” fine art photos – to me this appears to be a kind of disrespect for the motif itself. And why on earth should the artist not reveal what thoughts s/he had about choosing the motif by giving it a title (other than numbers and such things)?
The question is what is more important for you. Your own relationship to the motif or what the viewer thinks about it? But again this is a very subjective decision.
I don’t think that you can “force” the viewer into seeing something, neither with nor without a title. Also I find it quite interesting if the viewer comes to different conclusions than myself. Anyone has the freedom to interpret what s/he sees but no-one else besides me really knows the truth.
Well put Petra, and some very good points. It is true that my own relationship to the motif is the most critical, and I should probably hold true to that alone.
Mark, I also like when an image is titled as it gives me at least a bit of insight into the photographers thoughts….sometimes only a very tiny insight but often a helpful one nonetheless. On the other hand, I understand what you are saying, particularly with abstracts, about not wanting to force the viewer to see what you saw as it might limit what they are able to see. You could always name it in a non-commital way. By this I mean not what you see in the image but what the graphics or colors are or even what it implies to you without naming an object. Titles like “Twisted Circles” or “Study In Orange” or “Speed”. I won’t pretend to name the images…but as an example the image at the top left could be called something like “Edges And Spatters” and the one on the bottom of the post could be “Curves”. It might give insight into what attracted you to the composition without telling others what to see.
Hey Mark,
First, I really enjoy both of these two images and their beautiful composition. Top work!
Secondly, it’s an interesting conundrum that of ‘what’s in a name’ but I’m leaning towards more creative titles than literal titles although sometimes I must admit I’m struggling to find anything but a literal title. Often it comes down to the picture, the experience and feeling you had when making it and indeed – as you say – what you might ‘see’ in a picture such as an abstract image. I think it’s Craig Tanner from Radiant Vista who suggests that just the exercise of giving titles to your images is a creative process.
Finally, the font-size looks good to me too!
Hope spring is on its way where you are.
Cheers,
Thomas
Dan – thanks for the link – I see what you mean.
Hey Howard, I like “Twisted Circles” – I think that fits a few images of mine. Do I know i have to license that name from you?!!
Hey Thomas – thanks for stopping by. Nope, no spring – just had another 3 inches of snowfall last night.
Mark,
These stone images are pretty cool. They happen to remind me of the fractals that I just read about over at fencer’s blog (http://fencer.wordpress.com/).
I used to title my images, but I stopped. They really started to sound hokey and after the umpteenth waterfall picture (I do a lot of water) they all started to sound the same.
When I take pics I’m not really thinking of anything in paticular like a theme or something that could be used as a title guide. Thinking up titles was such an arbitrary after thought for me.
I see it; I shoot it. It is what it is. Just me I guess.
MDW
This is an area that I’ve definitely been influenced by my time in a local photo club. For nature work I try to be rather exact in the description and less aloof or playful. Including location or an animals scientific name. This provides value in two ways, namely the photo more often comes up in search engine queries and it provides greater naming consistency making it easier for my readers and I to find specific work.
When it comes to images such as abstracts its a matter of personal taste. I think you raise a good question for these types of images. I’ve yet to settle on a naming convention for such images. I do tend to leave as much to the imagination of the viewer as possible though. An interesting thought to ponder.
Titles can be nice and then sometimes an image speaks for itself. Nice vision on the photographs. Nice to see someone that really looks!!!
Hey there,
Good question – I think of the name as sort of a ‘stage’ for the presentation of the artform. It’s similar to the title of a song; it has the power to prime the audiences mind for a particular emotion. A name can sometimes make or break a work.
Nice post and great pictures – (p.s. font size looks great!)
- Rick