05.13. | Group Therapy: How We Learned to SEE

On Sunday we “survived” our hugely successful photography open day — at least those of us who could cope with the ordeal of seeing so many good images — and on Tuesday the hard core of the group was back again.

I warned them in advance: “People, today we’re not just going to look. We’re going to SEE. Switch off that everyday ‘I’ll-take-a-picture-anyway’ mode.”

Everyone nodded politely, although I could see a hint of panic in their eyes.

I told them the theme would be architecture and that they should bring a telephoto lens. As it turned out, the telephoto lens was mainly useful for extreme close-ups of chewing gum stuck to a wall — but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Our routine has become almost ridiculously well established. Between 5 and 6 p.m. we sit together in the classroom. Imagine a circle of chairs. Exactly like a self-help group.

“Hi, my name is Norbi, and I’m working on not making mediocre photographs.”

We started with a little technical retraining. We dug deep into Snapseed to find the tools for correcting perspective distortion — because obviously buildings have no reason to appear straight — and a few other secret weapons for drawing attention to the subject.

Then it was time to go outside.

We headed into our usual cobbled alley. Here came the first proper test:

“Right. Switch off everyday thinking. Find the tiny SECRETS of the space. A scribble on a wall. A faded advertisement. A... cigarette butt.”

I pulled out my phone and made a few “artistic” examples from suitably dramatic angles. After that, everyone understood perfectly well what we were going to practise.

I suspected it would not be easy. Most people fail to notice the small wonders around them even when they are practically stepping on them.

Still, despite the difficulty, by the time we had fought our way through the alley we had produced a few genuinely well-caught moments. All right, not MOMENTS in capital letters yet — but not bad for a start.

Then came the second task.

Now it was no longer enough to notice the “cigarette butts”. We had to look at walls, rooftops, the ground — anything that stayed still and did not run away.

I could feel the exercise pushing several people well beyond their comfort zone.

The unspoken question was hanging in the air: “What if there simply aren’t enough secret subjects in the next street?”

That was when I introduced the big twist:

“EVERYONE. PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY. AND YOUR CAMERA TOO. NOW WE ARE ONLY LOOKING.”

You could almost hear the collective tension.

This was an important psychological operation. We had to reset both the brain and the eyes.

The goal was no longer to hunt for half-decent snapshots. We were waiting for that ONE MOMENT — the one that creates an almost physical urge to press the shutter.

Naturally, as you might expect, several people could not resist taking photographs secretly.

Then came THE BREAKTHROUGH.

More and more people began to feel the tension building inside them. The PERFECT IMAGE was right there in front of them — and they were not allowed to capture it.

That was it.

Artistic frustration at its finest.

And that frustration created the breakthrough. When you are almost desperate to press the shutter, you no longer merely understand what you are seeing intellectually. You begin to feel it.

Once the group had successfully passed through this little baptism of fire, we marched triumphantly into... City Gallery Vienna.

Yes, you read that correctly.

We signed the rental agreement for a huge section of exhibition wall.

During the first week of December, the members of the club will have their own photography exhibition on display for AN ENTIRE WEEK in an exclusive gallery in Vienna’s first district, right in the heart of the city.

It is the kind of place where even the cigarette butts are probably framed on the wall as artworks.

I am incredibly proud of the group.

Considering that we only started this rocky journey in September, this is a major milestone.

Get ready.

The BIG IMAGES are coming.

Part of the BANHALMI ecosystem

For the professional context and practical side of portrait photography, visit the BANHALMI professional website. Related art series, books and exhibitions are preserved in the BANHALMI ART archive.