One time a number of us photographers went to Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu, California to take pictures of the sunset and beach. We scattered up and down the beach taking photographs. Afterwards, we compared the images we had captured. The photographs were similar, but slightly different. They expressed the thoughts, intentions, and training of each individual photographer. One photographer had captured a magnificent image of the beach at sunset. I was puzzled (and to be honest a bit disappointed) in that we were shooting next to one another. The key difference was his experience and the use of a special filter he placed in front of the lens. These enabled him to capture what was there but was nonetheless missed by others. I hope that my thoughts do the same for you.
This blog topic is on punditry, which sounds like a word game on puns. Punditry is a term often, but not always, used in a political context where an individual is expressing an expert opinion. The vehicle to express these expert ideas is usually the popular media. Television shows in particular often include individuals who opine on various topics. Pundits immersed in a policy issue are often called policy wonks. A more negative term for pundits is talking heads, which suggests the individual may not be that learned after all.
It is important to know the derivation of words in order to understand their meaning. The word pundit, according to Barbara and Thomas Metcalf, American scholars of India, derives from the word pandit. It was customarily used to signify respect for a wise and learned Brahman scholar. The standard for attaining this status was very high indeed. The term, via the British, became an English loan word.
I hope that my own insights compare favorably to past and present pundits in the photography profession. The goal is to bring light to a topic—bring it out of the shadows as it were—and make the shapes more readily defined. Here is where the analytical equivalent of the Contrast and Clarity sliders in Adobe Lightroom can be applied to topics to help bring out what is already in the picture. The elements are there; they are just not immediately obvious. Yes, I have my filters and biases, but at their best they illuminate and do not obscure. If the ideas and insights bring light and clarity, then it was a very good day’s work. In that spirit let the journey begin.