Consonance and Dissonance
Consonance and Dissonance. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.
Structural elements along the High Line Park, Manhattan
Taking a cue from the music-related title of this photograph, perhaps you have noticed that my photographs cover a wide range of subjects. When people ask me “what I photograph,” probably expecting a short answer like “landscapes” or “portraits” or street,” there is an awkward moment while I consider how to respond. I don’t photograph just one thing… any more than a composer would choose to write only, say, impromptus. There is more than one thing to express, so more than one approach is necessary. If anything, my photographs are about… how I see the world photographically.
I won’t try to explain the entire “consonance and dissonance” connection here, except to point out that these terms have multiple meanings. One very basic idea is that something is consonant in music if if “sounds nice” and “dissonant” if it doesn’t. But a more interesting idea relates to something that seems static and “settled” (consonance) versus something that seems restless and striving (dissonance). Taken one step further, the tension created by dissonance often propels us toward consonance… and consonance can resolve that tension.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.
Consonance and Dissonance
Consonance and Dissonance. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.
Structural elements along the High Line Park, Manhattan
Taking a cue from the music-related title of this photograph, perhaps you have noticed that my photographs cover a wide range of subjects. When people ask me “what I photograph,” probably expecting a short answer like “landscapes” or “portraits” or street,” there is an awkward moment while I consider how to respond. I don’t photograph just one thing… any more than a composer would choose to write only, say, impromptus. There is more than one thing to express, so more than one approach is necessary. If anything, my photographs are about… how I see the world photographically.
I won’t try to explain the entire “consonance and dissonance” connection here, except to point out that these terms have multiple meanings. One very basic idea is that something is consonant in music if if “sounds nice” and “dissonant” if it doesn’t. But a more interesting idea relates to something that seems static and “settled” (consonance) versus something that seems restless and striving (dissonance). Taken one step further, the tension created by dissonance often propels us toward consonance… and consonance can resolve that tension.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.