The Gaze
The gaze is a term that describes looking at something i.e. Person, object, or animal. there are different ways of looking that come under the heading of the gaze that make the term confusing. The camera removes some responsibility from the photographer, a bit like viewing a tiger through the glass, you feel a bit safer. The gaze, a word to describe how we are looking i.e. looking at a person in distress in an Image. We are gazing on their distress they can’t give a look of disapproval to prick your conscience, this is where the term ethics would come into the conversion, depending on how the Images was to be used. Taking an Images of a powerful animal from a hide, first, we are gazing at the animal and the nature of the subject is that it must be done without its knowledge, then we gaze on the finished Image gazing with wonder at its magnificence. The two examples above only scratch the service the term gaze is used for. The term gaze can be used to describe a number of ways of looking when taking Images. The Psychology of the gaze is to complex for me to go into but looking up to try to make the object/person more powerful in the image or taking the Image looking down to make the object/person less significant are just two. The decision of the gaze is made consciously when the Image is being taken. But what message the finished Image will say and how it says it will depend on the gaze of the viewer.
OCA Photography Two. barry511915 