"Grace" and the Nature of Beauty

The second image to merit at International competition, and this one did exceptionally well. It was selected because it was well liked on social media, and because there's a ton of design elements present in what appears to be a rather simple image. There's form and shape, it's high-key, clear use of the rule of thirds, symmetry, and a little asymmetry using negative space. 

Grace - by Mike Busby PhotographyGrace

"Grace" PPA Merited 2019

One of my passions is philosophy, and finding ways to look past what I know. So much so that I achieved a Masters in Philosophy a few years ago with emphasis on the nature of art, creativity, beauty, critiquing, and the judgments of taste. Beauty, for me, is not necessarily the material aspects of a work of art, but that deep sense of satisfaction we get when we nail a great shot, complete a difficult project, solve a problem, or come across a work that deeply resonates with us. So, beauty is not necessarily in a thing, but it resides in the everyday things that we do as we navigate our way through life. It's also not limited to art world, but encompasses all vocations, hobbies, and interests. 

The reason I bring up beauty is because we can break it apart and understand it better through Philosophy. The more we understand, the more we can apply it to our creations. For example, and just one theory, is that Beauty can be broken into three categories. There's the beauty everyone understands by simply being human (elements of space, time, emotion), sensory experiences (colors and textures), and conceptual beauty (beauty related to ideas or how we think beauty should be). 

Works that emphasize space, time, or emotion tend to form stronger images, as a broader audience understands it. Sensory experience tends to be more aesthetic to the individual, and the area thats most subjective in critiquing and judging. Conceptual tends to be more cultural - it's an ideal of beauty is suppose to be. In the photography and competition world, the conceptual realm can also be called industry standards - the expectations of good photography. These are not absolute, and one can veer dramatically away from categories. If someone pulls it off, then they are rewarded as being creative. If they don't do well, then it's crash and burn. 

My question to you is: Is there interest in a class based on strengthening images.  A four day class with four sessions across four weeks. The class would encompass composition, advanced composition, and how we interpret beauty. I envision a classroom session with discussion, and then in-the-field workshops intended specifically to capture stronger images. The final day would be a review of images and open feedback. Class size limited to 4. This class is going to dig deeper and with more specifics as to what makes a strong image.

Thanks for reading and please leave comments here or on Facebook.

Mike