Defamiliarization in photography
When people ask me what I studied in college, they are usually surprised to learn that I majored in English literature. One because I guess they expect to hear that I studied photography, or two because they are simply surprised to hear that an Asian decided to major in English instead of Science, Engineering, Commerce, etc.
While I haven’t retained much of what English Lit. has taught me, one concept I’ve been whispering in my head of late is Defamiliarization. Essentially it is an artistic technique in which the viewer sees common and familiar things in a new or strange way. The term itself originates from the Russian ostranenia, which can be literally translated as “make strange”. The concept applies to poetry more than anything else, which makes sense given the inherent depth of meaning and symbolism found in seemingly simply constructed lines.
Even if we are not poets, this is a practice that we should find attractive as photographers. Many of us have put this into practice in one way or another. For example, think about black and white photography for a second. Depending on what you are photographing and trying to achieve, color sometimes serves as a distraction, however color is what we all see on a regular basis. If done correctly, capturing an image in b/w will allow us to see it in a completely new, different and strange way. Macro, abstract, almost any form of photography can really be used to achieve this, it’s just a matter of paying more attention to the details around you and noticing the beauty that’s already there. Your themes don’t always need to be grand or exotic to be interesting, because defamiliarization isn’t meant for the novel.
This may sound a bit flowery and oversimplified, but I believe that every object created by mankind has been imbued with some degree of artistry, each bearing the mark of its creator’s vision and creativity. All we have to do is see that it is there.
