Freeman Patterson is a professional photographer who well deserves his distinguished, international reputation. His pictures often suggest the mystical and divine. To try to critique his work seems almost sacrilegious, because his photos are best experienced on a deep personal level.
Photographers such as Patterson have helped to demystify photography by making it more of an every person's medium, thereby guiding people to discover their own personal mysteries. His work offers opportunities for new inspiration and learning for other photographers and artists.
In his book, Photography and the Art of Seeing, Patterson says, “seeing, in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions. It means encountering your subject matter with your whole being. It means looking beyond the labels of things and discovering the remarkable world around you.”
Patterson truly personifies a “talk the talk and walk the walk” philosophy in his approach to photography, because how many individuals do you know who would take their nature photography to the next level by having donated their own family property of about 250 acres in New Brunswick Canada to the Nature Conservancy for an ecological education reserve.
Photographic Beginnings
Patterson’s early attraction to the world of photography can be said to have followed a deeply spiritual path. Studying for a Master of Divinity degree (M. Div.) from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University, New York, he completed a master's thesis on Still Photography As A Medium Of Religious Expression. Interestingly enough, he has also been fascinated by motorcycles and his website reports that he is a member of his local Harley Owners' Group.
Can you visualize a “mystical biker minister, or a religiously racing Harley photographer?” – now there’s a photojournalist's image that might stop you in your tracks! And yes his images will likely halt you in your tracks and possibly knock you right off your "harley." But maybe that type of image partly explains the stunning Zen-like quality to many of Patterson’s photographs – the Yin Yang as it is called in eastern mysticism – a belief that there exist two complementary forces in the universe.
Yang represents everything positive and the other Yin which is characterized as negative. Both are needed and a balance of both is highly preferable in life. It is like a marriage of right and left brain thinking – a mastering of both the technical and artistic sides of photography.
Freeman Patterson Books
As a prolific writer and photographer, Patterson has been able to skillfully and poetically combine both written and visual images to communicate his message. He has been involved in the publication of over 10 books including The Garden, Odysseys: Meditations and Thoughts for a Life’s Journey and a series of instructional books including:
- Photographing the World Around
- Photography and the Art of Seeing
- Photography of Natural Things
His readers through his books will be intimately exposed to many photo topics such as: visual design, camera techniques, photographing nature, plants, animals and people.
Photography Awards
Freeman Patterson has received many international awards including:
- Lifetime Achievement Award - North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA)
- Photography Society of America - Progress Medal (The society's highest award.)
- Honorary Fellowship - Nature Photography Society of New Zealand
- Order of Canada
Photography Workshops
Patterson has presented numerous illuminating photo courses and lectures in countries including the United States, New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. He will be hosting sessions in 2009.
You can gain new insights artistically and technically from the portfolios and words of this master. “Photography is both a process and a product. While you aim for a good finished product, the process of seeing and making the image is, or should be, a complete experience in itself and valued for that reason.” (Freeman Patterson, National Association for Photographic Art magazine)
Studying the works of recognized master photographers can give your own work new perspective.
References:
- Freeman Patterson website
- Photo Quotes website
For other ideas for your own photography consider: Focus Your Photography .
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