Matt's Haircut

For my first image post, I am admittedly choosing an image not shot this week - but it was shot quite recently. It is of my three year old son Mattias, right after he got a haircut.





From an image-design standpoint the image is not 'perfect' on a number of points. Perhaps primarily I'm breaking a 'rule' about cutting off heads and body parts. However, for me the photo, in spite of being cut off a bit close to the eye, has a certain dynamism to it - I like the eyes looking upwards to the top right of the photo, and the positioning of the face on the left side of the image. There is for me a certain 'creative tension' in the image which makes it dynamic, and thus supercedes what might otherwise be seen simply as a cropping error.



On the subject of it's value as an image - if a photograph is an accurate representation of reality, but a portrait is a representation of the soul, then for me this image clearly is in the realm of portrait. With the pastel treatment I gave it, it is not 'realistic'; but yet it captures the impishness of a 3 year old boy in a very special way which transcends the moment and, I suspect, connects with any parent. It is, in that way, both a portrait and a more general statement about childhood...

The Purpose of this Blog

The purpose of this blog is simple: to challenge myself to post one new picture per week, for one year. The reason: to force myself, through a type of artificial project, to be creative. Or, more specifically, to use discipline - external or intrinsic - to foster and nurture my creativity behind the lens.

I recently heard said: 'the best time to plant an oak tree is twenty years ago. The second best time to plant an oak tree is today.' With that in mind, I start this blog today. I had intended to start this blog Jan 1, and make it a 'one-year' project...but that didn't happen. So I'm starting today.

I do fear, in launching this, that either I won't be able to stick to it, or that my images won't be worthy, and also that this project may demand too much time that I should be spending with my children/family. While these fears (and others) are real and valid, they seem resolvable...

Thus, with no further ado, I shall launch this little project, noting that it is an essentially private exercise - though the use of the public web-space makes that some somewhat ironic. Those of you who read this and are yourselves artists will understand the important role of critique and support to the development of an artist. This is essential to develop both aesthetic sensibilities and craftsmanship - mastering the tools of one's craft. Thus, I embrace and invite critique and comments on what you see here. I am on a journey and this little blog is but one step along the way.

Glenn Mason