The Nose Knows

I know something. And I know what it is because I was there when I thought of it. And you know that I know something because I am telling you that I do. But what you do not know is what it is. And it is in fact what it is. But I have not told you that yet. If I had, you would know. You know? The word "yet" at the end of the fifth sentence here gives you hope that you will soon know what I know. I know this: Introductions are everything! If you do not draw a reader or fan's attention within the first few seconds you have most likely lost him/her. Art that is out of the ordinary or extraordinarily beautiful is becoming commonplace as abstraction in media becomes increasingly popular. Speaking of abstraction, if you have not visited The Modern in Fort Worth, you simply must.

There was a particular exhibit in the museum which caught my attention this past year. It was comprised of various films showing severally and simultaneously together artistically and indirectly to tell the story of Dmitri Shostakovich's satirical opera, "The Nose." The story begins with a barber who discovers a nose in his bread. Shocked by this strange happenstance, he disposes of the nose by casting in to the river and is arrested for doing so. One of the barber's loyal customers soon discovers that it is his nose which has gone missing. As is turns out, the nose had joined the police force and outranked the man whose face it had belonged to and refused to return to its place there. The nose and its patron have a heated debate about what the nose will do next and the nose runs away. The story continues on in this ridiculously entertaining fashion with twists of romance, action, revenge, and identity theft until the nose is reacquainted with it's rightful owner and all is good and right in the world. It helps to think of the man who misplaced his nose to be an elephant who has lost his trunk, so that the detached nose could travel as a snake would. (makes much more sense that way)

Now the plot of "The Nose" has no bearing the purpose of this blog besides the fact that it is entertaining and gives the post a clever title. It's presentation at The Modern, however, was most impressive and perfectly exemplifies a captivating introduction. (a first impression if you will) Just like an interesting story or intentionally disclosed information draws and keeps one's attention, a photo that is visually pleasing beckons a second or third look. I like to do this with a skewed perspective, selective focusing, or an interesting depth of field.

Heres an example of a slightly different perspective in a picture.

By shooting with a relatively wide angled lens with a wide open aperture,

Anna Marie's eyes are in focus, while the rest of her face and body appear smaller.

"A good image can tell an interesting story with the detail it does not give you."

-Josh Haygood, 2010