Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
function is not as an art object in their own right, to be hung on the wall
of a gallery, but to help you get through to a deeper understanding of the
subject. The real value of such drawings lies in the level of understanding
they have helped you gain and the role they have played in developing
your ability to more clearly observe, record, and analyze. The drawings
themselves may have little value as art objects, and though they might not
be the most beautiful things in the world, the learning they will facilitate is
beyond price.
It is one thing to say that drawing should make a major contribution
to the development of a visual arts craft; it is quite another thing to
implement this contribution. For some, the very process of drawing is
rather intimidating. For animators who simply find drawing too much
of a chore, photography offers a different kind of vehicle for action
analysis.
Photographing Action
For many animators who want to analyze action, photography offers
one of the easiest and quickest ways to capture and record movement.
Photography could be a particularly useful technique for animators who
feel less confident with other methods, such as drawing. Photography can
also be good news for people who are less comfortable with technology,
because it doesn't have to entail highly complicated equipment (though
it can) or be prohibitively expensive (ditto). Equipment can be simple,
quick, and easy to use. I am not trying to present photography as a better
alternative to drawing; it is simply a
different
alternative to drawing. Where
possible I would advocate the use of both drawing and photography.
Photography offers a contrast to drawing and provides a different
perspective on a subject's movement. It offers an opportunity for a different
kind of investigation of a subject and provides the animator with different
but complementary information. Unless one takes a purely creative
approach to photographing, in which the aesthetic nature of the image
itself is important and represents an
interpretation
or
representation
of the
subject, I would argue that creating a photographic image is rather less
subjective than drawing. A photographer may choose to make a selection
of a particular part or aspect of a subject, but the focus of attention in a
photograph is rather less selective than in a drawing. It takes in the entire
field of vision and, in rather general terms, treats each part of the frame
with equanimity. The recording of an image in this way is less subjective,
and outside certain parameters, such as focus, depth of field, and exposure,
it has the potential to provide a more objective approach to capturing an
image or sequence. I would not go so far as to say it offers a more truthful
representation of a subject, though. If it offers any truth at all it must be
considered as one particular truth, a different truth to that provided by
drawing.
