This is part 2 of The Roots of Photography e-book, based on the book The Photographer’s Eye by John Szarkowski. It’s about what makes photography unique in the art world. 
The Detail: Image as Symbol
An image does not tell the whole story. It’s only a fragment of the story – a clue. Photographers collect these details as symbols. John Szarkowski, in The Photographer’s Eye (paid link), found that photographs of war are excellent examples of this characteristic.
Photographer Robert Capa expressed the symbols of war – a fallen soldier, a pair of worn army boots, a group of people looking anxiously to the sky. The subject, the reality and the horror of war, were too big. He chose symbols to point to what couldn’t be expressed.
The compelling clarity with which a photograph recorded the trivial suggested that a subject had never before been properly seen, that it was in fact, perhaps not trivial, but filled with undiscovered meaning. ~ The Photographer’s Eye, John Szarkowski
When I visited Ireland, I was impressed with the history – from the western shores where my ancestors set sail for Canada during the potato famine, to the ancient rocks of the Burren. I photographed the landscape, the rocks, the pubs, and the coast. But it was these shoes in the corner of a store entryway that really epitomized my trip there – the oldness of the shoes and the new growth coming out of them. It doesn’t hurt that shamrocks are the symbol of Ireland.
Reflection
Do you see “undiscovered meaning” in the details of life? How are you at noticing details? How could you incorporate practices to help you notice more details?
Exercises
Here are 5 ways to use photography to cultivate attention to detail.
1. Spend a day noticing and photographing details – the wilting petals of a flower, your grandmother’s hands, a crossing guard, a well-worn pair of shoes. What does each represent for you?
2. Take a slow photo walk. Capture details. What do they symbolize, i.e. the season, the time of day, the place, etc.?
3. Photograph someone you love. Notice the details of their smile or eyes or physical appearance? Which objects could you photograph that symbolize that person for you?
4. Pick a subject from nature and photograph its details. See its curves, its colors, its flaws, and its beauty.
5. Explore the work of other photographers who show detail as symbol, like Robert Capa’s images of war.
Lovely tribute to Ireland – full of meaningful symbology.