Photography
“The instrument of the photographer is not the camera, but himself/herself. We are our own instruments. If one is not properly “tuned”, one cannot see properly, one only sees what is banal”.
“My approach to photography is anti-intellectual. For me, the process of taking photographs depends solely on feeling. During the act of taking photographs, our thoughts should be minimal: is the image in focus, is my frame well composed, what is the light measurement – the rest should be intuitive”.
The three pillars of Marian Schmidt's photography: Humanist Photography, Portraits and Landscapes.
Humanist Photography
The trend of humanist photography emerged in the mid-twentieth-century and is associated most strongly with Europe, particularly France.
Most humanist photographers lived in Paris: Cartier-Bresson, Kertesz, Boubat, Doisneau, Izis, Ronis… Humanist photography differentiates itself from photo reportage mostly in its goal. The purpose is not to take a series of photographs telling a story about actual events. The goal is to fish out pearls from everyday life. The humanist photographer “wanders” in the streets, in the parks, in the countryside, on beaches, they sometimes even enter the homes of random people they just met. What matters is the photographer’s inner state, the state of their spirit, their openness towards people, their cheerful mood, their natural ability to create rapport with other people, their respect towards human beings. I have been taking this type of photographs since 1969, with a few breaks.
"The road to visual poetry does not lead through our intellect, but through an openness to the world, our feelings towards people, our intuition and through our authentic living experiences."
Portraits
Portrait photography has been a part of my creative work from an early stage. In 1970-71, I studied the Stanislavsky method of acting as an auditor in Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio. I also studied acting techniques at the AmericanCenter for Stanislavsky Theater Art,New Yorkfrom the old Russian theater director Sophie Evzarovna Shatzov, a former student of Yevgeny Vakhtangov.(the favorite disciple of Konstanty Stanislavsky).
The work involved in portrait photography is very similar to working with actors on a film or in a theater. In both cases, the person being photographed or filmed should have authentic living experiences, and not pretend to have them. It is an encounter with another human being, a surprise both for me and the person being portrayed – neither of us knows what will happen. In portrait photography, what matters is the trust of the person being portrayed towards the photographer, which helps that person to open up during the act of taking the photograph. I prefer it when my portraits are part of a bigger project. For example I made an album about French scientists, then I made portraits of father Twardowski, and now I am preparing a new album on spirituality and spiritual people”.
Lanscapes / fragments of reality
"As is the case with painting, literature, music and other forms of human creation; photography is a craft, which from time to time becomes a work of art"
In the second half of the 90’s I bought a 4×5 camera. I started to look for calm in nature. However, after a few attempts I realised that this type of photography is very difficult. In the case of landscape photography and fragments of reality, as opposed to humanist photography, one cannot rely on the human emotions of the people being photographed. Photographs of nature or of fragments of reality without people can be a reflection, like a mirror, of a whole palette of the photographer’s inner state: tensions, spiritual emptiness, a variety of emotions and inner peace. The latter is the most difficult to attain. It is the final challenge, which only a few photographers in the world ever attain. During my first years of taking such photographs, I was not happy with the results. But since I never give up and always move forward, I kept trying. Finally, I took two photographs in Mexico in 1999, which I consider to be good. Simultaneously, I started to experiment with Ansel Adams’ Zone System. Having the approach not only of a photographer but also of a mathematician, I realised that Adams made a few mistakes. I corrected them and began to use my own Zone System. My discoveries in this field were the subject matter of my Habilitation. Mastering this technique on such a deep level is a wonderful feeling. It is similar to a painter who has mastered his own technique and is now only limited by his own imagination.
I am very happy that some of my students not only mastered the Zone System, but also reached a very high level as landscape photographers.
