While FaceTiming with my daughter she demonstrated how modern day portrait photography is lifted to fine art when the photographer has trained their eye so well that they create as artists.She made this image of me with a simple screenshot (notice the keys on her laptop.) She just aimed her cell phone at her computer to capture this striking image)
She had suddenly noticed one of the crucial elements to a successful picture – unusual lighting. She then did something else. She positioned my face low & to the left of the image with lots of negative space that serves to highlight her subject. The viewer "discovers" the subject & notices it because it fulfills a crucial distinction – it is DIFFERENT. (I am, by the way, not posing. Just looking at my cellphone.)
It is not a surprise that she was an award winning photojournalist with the Hartford Courant. She became award winning because she did more than just record events.
I am grateful to remember that, as a little girl, she stood next to me in the darkroom & watched with fascination as images emerged in the chemical baths used with film. Years later, she has trained her eyes so that she sees much more than most whether she has a camera in her hands or not.
Everyone can snap a picture with their cellphone. Only a small percent can see pictures the way she does.
I learned long ago that art cannot be APPRECIATED in a hurry. But with a camera you can MAKE a great shot fast IF you have trained your eye. My daughter learned that too. Thank you, dear Tia.
Art enriches life for you as a caregiver by helping you experience life in new ways. If you are a veteran you may experience burnout. Try using your cell phone to do more than just record your vacation or snap obviously pretty things like flowers or sunsets. If this changes your eyes you will become a better caregiver.
-Erie Chapman
photo by Tia Chapman Pierotti, January 12, 2021
Journal of Sacred Work 
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