What is Photography?

Some people say that if you have a camera, you can photograph anything under your nose. Anything you can photograph, no doubt about that. But can your photograph move the viewer? If it can, then it can be said that it is really a photograph to cherish and relish. Otherwise, that particular photograph is not a photograph at all to reckon with. Why it is so and why it is not otherwise? That is a pertinent question to talk about.

Photography is a form of art and photograph is a work of art. Everybody is sure to agree to this. But what is art as such? Connoisseurs of art have often told us that art is the true reflection or reflex of reality around us and it is the vehicle of heavenly poise. Matter-of-factly speaking, this reality is actual reality and actual reality is the breeding ground of all forms of art. There is no denying of this. But the problem is that actual reality never moves human sensation to the height of heavenly poise, rather it torments human sensation to the degree of dismay and disbelief. That is to say that actually the actual reality is no art so far as it fails to motivate human senses artistically.

This is the crux of the problem. When actual reality is turned into virtual reality through acts of transcendence, it becomes art. Virtual reality does have that intrinsic quality to be called art so far as it kindles the fire of art and reflection in human psyche. It motivates human sensation to the height of heavenly poise which is raison d'etre of all forms of art and without which artistic volition walks on a sticky wicket and becomes moribund and just mundane ultimately.

Virtual reality is actual reality created but not recreated. It gets the succour from actual reality but it is not actual reality per se. The transformation of actual reality into virtual reality is the act of creation. This act of creation perennially goes on in human psyche so that the vehicle of art gets permanent settlement in the human ideoverse.

Photography as a form of art also not a true representation of actual reality, rather it is akin to virtual reality. A photograph is a miniscule part of the vast expanse of this universe. When something is photographed, that 'something' snaps all ties with the actual reality and in the process gets seamlessly embedded with imagery world of the universe as it has got no back and forth relation with the universe or the human world so as it exists for itself only and it represents itself only. That self-existent 'something' is a work of art and having been detached from actual reality it gets to convey some message which in turn motivates human psyche and sensation to the height of heavenly poise.

So, a photographer has got to be choosy and careful while chasing actual reality so that it is not fated to be moribund in the end. And at the same time he has got to exercise his perception immaculately so far as what to capture and what not capture are concerned. He should know that while to freeze some particular moment or moment, he has got to be very particular about photographing something. Otherwise, he cannot be called a deemed photographer and his photographs cannot be deemed photographs of the 'actual reality'.