White Rabbit, Found
May 20, 2007
The white rabbit can now be revealed. Thanks to all those who looked, some successfully, others not.
There are hundreds of articles on the internet and in print about how to look at photographs. I think this one is difficult because it is not obvious what the white rabbit will really look like, and some people assume that maybe the white rabbit is part of some superstructure in the image, like the Young Girl – Old Woman illusion. Other people have the ability to spot it immediately.
Half the people that commented on the posting struggled to find the white rabbit. This got me onto thinking about how photographers, and I assume that photobloggers count as photographers, derive pleasure from photographs when a good number of us clearly don’t see everything in a photograph. (Now before we go much further, I must remind you that I didn’t even realise that there was a white rabbit to look for, even though I understood the question posed in the graffiti, and I know that if I had looked before my wife pointed it out, I too would be one of the strugglers.) So I thought about the photographs I derive pleasure from looking at, and the type of photographs that I enjoy taking, and have come to the self-realisation that it is people that do it for me. Show me a picture of a person that shows their emotions or character, or a group of people interacting in some way (or not) and that is really what clicks my shutter. I can also enjoy shots of nature whether it is close-up flower details or expansive landscapes but most architectural and still life images leave me cold. I know too that I respond to colour and curves rather than black and white, and straight lines.
Perhaps if there is something that you tend to respond strongly too, then it doesn’t really matter that you don’t see everything in an image.
May 21st, 2007 at 3:58 am
A wonderfully captured & composed shot!
May 21st, 2007 at 4:24 pm
lol! so you found teh white rabbit? cool shot
May 21st, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Me, i found the white rabbit ! :p
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:24 pm
May 23rd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
very clever:)
May 24th, 2007 at 8:59 am
I have a strong urge to discover my own string theory of photography–what elements in a photo give me pleasure–and keep coming around to the fact I have not found it yet, it like lemon meringue pie, vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and fresh popped corn with butter and salt, I love them all; however, I have had the great fortune to have found a mentor, someone with 35 years of experience, worked on assignment for National Geographic, awards, etc. who I take photos to for his input and through listening to him (in wonderment) I realize I have only traveled baby steps in art/discipline; the one thing I have realized (strictly my own perspective) is that black and white is so much harder than color to produce a decent photo, color is such a luxury and when you take it away, what was stunningly beautiful is quite plain and the palette to work with is small and you have to use it with great skill; when doing an exhibit, maybe I will find one color photo out of a 100 to throw up on the wall, but would need to go through double that number for a b & W; in the end, I just want to take a good photo–what I belive is a good photo–regardless, that is what brings me pleasure; I think the great fun (and luxury) of a photoblog is that you can post a photo that not the most aesthetically appealing, but it provides a medium for thoughts, ideas and discussion which adds a whole new layer to photography; while finding or not finding a white rabbit holds no intrinsic value for me, the photo(s) and you thoughts very much do
May 25th, 2007 at 3:59 pm
thats a rabbit?