Image as Metaphor — Photography Becomes Art
Kai Hornung cites Guy Tal as a major influence on his art
Nic Stover organizes Zoom talks by top photographers to instruct and inspire nature photographers worldwide. He recently offered talks by five photographers with the theme “Kickstarting Your Creativity.”
He included Guy Tal and the German photographer Kai Hornung, who described the paths that brought them to their current work. Tal lives in a remote area of central Utah and has written several books about how his life and art merge in his photography.
At his core, Tal is a student of philosophy, and he writes candidly about his philosophical musings and conclusions. He creates beautiful photographs of his desert wanderings and envisions them as metaphors.
In his most recent book of essays, More Than a Rock, Tal explains himself well. It is an excellent resource for any serious nature photographer who aspires to create art. His topics are art, creativity, photography, nature, and life.
Kai Hornung is a generation younger and an admirer of Tal and his sensitive interpretations of natural landscapes.
These two have moved away from striking, dramatic, drop-dead gorgeous images, and they talked about their emotional journeys from bold to subtle images that they find more satisfying today.
As Tal explains, “Distinct from mere aesthetics, art does not materialize at random; it has to be created, deliberately and thoughtfully.”
Stover included Freeman Patterson, who is a generation older than Tal, as a speaker with similar views.
All three view their art as worthwhile for the intense feelings they experience while they are creating their work.
Nic’s other two speakers talked about their creative processes in more concrete terms.
I enjoyed the lecture series immensely. I was happy to see both Patterson and Tal because I’ve read several of their books. I was glad to learn about Kai Hornung and hear him share his work as well.
All five speakers mentioned other speakers in the series, but Kai warmly credited Guy for influencing him to create his photographs as metaphors.
Their shared message was that photography rises to the level of art when it is deeply felt and is significant for the maker. All three are fine artists.
