Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-jr42d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T14:48:15.904Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - Photography and Creativity

from Part II - Creativity in the Traditional Arts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2017

By
Joanna Serafin  and
Stephen J. Dollinger
Edited by
James C. Kaufman ,
Vlad P. Glăveanu  and
John Baer
James C. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
Vlad P. Glăveanu
Affiliation:
Universitetet i Bergen, Norway
John Baer
Affiliation:
Rider University, New Jersey
Get access

Summary

Abstract

This chapter reviews some aspects of creativity that are common to many artistic domains and particularly aspects that are distinctive about photography (e.g., the violence/entrapment metaphor, the role of timing and light, the issue of whether photography is merely a reproduction of reality with minimal creativity). Although photographers typically do not concern themselves with definitions of creativity, many have offered suggestions on how to judge photographic creativity which aids the measurement process. In this chapter we cover creativity in photography based on three different perspectives: (1) creative photographs, (2) expertise in creative photography, and (3) creative personality as studied through photographic autoportraits and photo essays. Consistent with the expansion of the literature, the rapid growth of digital technology suggests that this domain of creativity is entering its golden age.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity across Domains , pp. 123 - 144
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2017

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, A. (2007). Introduction. “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” In Jaeger, A.-C. (Ed.) Image makers, image takers: Interviews with today’s leading curators, editors, and photographers (pp. 6–12). New York, NY: Thames & Hudson.Google Scholar
Aschermann, E., Dannenberg, U., & Schulz, A.-P. (1998). Photographs as Retrieval Cues for Children. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 12, 55–66.Google Scholar
Axelsson, Ö. (2007). Towards a psychology of photography: Dimensions underlying aesthetic appeal of photographs. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 105, 411–434.Google Scholar
Back, M. D., Stopfer, J. M., Vazire, S., Gaddis, S., Schmukle, S. C., Egloff, B., & Gosling, S. D. (2010). Facebook profiles reflect actual personality, not self-idealization. Psychological Science, 21(3), 372–374.Google Scholar
Bayles, D. & Orland, T. (2001). Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking. Santa Barbara, CA: Image Continuum Press.Google Scholar
Beilin, H. (1991). Developmental aesthetics and the psychology of photography. In Downs, R. M., Liben, L. S. & Palermo, D. S. (Eds.), Visions of aesthetics, the environment and development. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum Assoc. Publishers.Google Scholar
Berger, J. (1980). Uses of photography. In Berger, J. (Ed.), About looking. New York: Pantheon.Google Scholar
Berger, J. (2013). Appearances. In Berger, J. (Ed.), Understanding a photograph (1982). New York: Aperture.Google Scholar
Bernat, E., Patrick, C. J., Benning, S. D., & Tellegen, A. (2006). Effects of picture content and intensity on affective physiological response. Psychophysiology, 43, 93–103.Google Scholar
Brogowski, L. (1989). Idioms: A silent face of photography. Leonardo, 22(2), 159–163.Google Scholar
Bruner, J. S. (1962). The conditions of creativity. In Gruber, H. E., Terrell, G., & Wertheimer, M. (Eds.), Contemporary approaches to creative thinking: A symposium held at the University of Colorado. The Atherton Press behavioral science series. New York, NY: Atherton Press.Google Scholar
Burke, P. A., & Dollinger, S. J. (2005). “A picture’s worth a thousand words”: Language use in the autophotographic essay. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31, 536–548.Google Scholar
Carroll, H. (2014). Read this if you want to take great photographs. London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd.Google Scholar
Cartier-Bresson, H. (1999). The mind’s eye writings on photography and photographers. Millerton, N.Y: Aperture.Google Scholar
Casey, P. F., & Dollinger, S. J. (2007). College students’ alcohol-related problems: An autophotographic approach. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 51(2), 8–25.Google Scholar
Chatterjee, A. (2013). The aesthetic brain: How we evolved to desire beauty and enjoy art 1st edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Christofides, E., Muise, A., Desmarais, S. (2009). Information disclosure and control on Facebook: Are they two sides of the same coin or two different processes? Cyberpsychol Behavior 12(3):341–345.Google Scholar
Cleveland, P. (2005). How much visual power can a magazine take? Design Studies, 26, 271–317.Google Scholar
Combs, J. M., & Ziller, R. C. (1977). Photographic self-concept of counselees. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34, 452–455.Google Scholar
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). Implications of a systems perspective for the study of creativity. In Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.), Handbook of creativity. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Cyr, D. J. (1968). Photography: An interactive process. Art Education, 21(7), 40–43.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (1996). Autophotographic identities of young adults: With special reference to alcohol, athletics, achievement, religion and work. Journal of Personality Assessment, 67, 384–398.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (2001). Religious identity: An autophotographic study. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 11, 71–92.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (2003). Need for uniqueness, need for cognition, and creativity. Journal of Creative Behavior, 37, 99–116.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (2006). Autophotographic individuality predicts creativity: A seven-year follow-up. Journal of Creative Behavior, 40, 111–124.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (2007). Creativity and conservatism. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 1025–1035.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (2011). “Standardized minds” or individuality? Admissions tests and creativity revisited. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 5, 329–341.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (2016). “You are as you read”: Do students’ reading interests contribute to their individuality? Reading Psychology, 37, 1–26.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J. (2017). Much more than selfies: Autophotography, individuality, and creativity. In Feist, G. J., Reiter-Palmon, R., and Kaufman, J. C. (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of creativity and personality research (pp. 323–354). New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., Burke, P. A., & Gump, N. (2007). Creativity and values. Creativity Research Journal, 19, 91–103.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., & Clancy, S. M. (1993). Identity, self, and personality. II: Glimpses through the autophotographic eye. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 1064–1071.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., & Dollinger, S. M. C. (1997). Individuality and identity exploration: An autophotographic study. Journal of Research in Personality, 31, 337–354.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., & Dollinger, S. M. C. (2003). Individuality in young and middle adulthood: An autophotographic study. Journal of Adult Development, 10, 227–236.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., Preston, L. A., O’Brien, S. P., & DiLalla, D. L. (1996). Individuality and relatedness of the self: An autophotographic study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1268–1278.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., Robinson, N. M., & Ross, V. J. (1999). Photographic individuality, breadth of perspective, and creativity. Journal of Personality, 67, 623–644.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., Ross, V. J., & Preston, L. A. (2002). Intellect and individuality. Creativity Research Journal, 14, 213–226.Google Scholar
Dollinger, S. J., Urban, K.K., & James, T. A. (2004). Creativity and openness: Further validation of two creative product measures. Creativity Research Journal, 16, 35–47.Google Scholar
Domino, G., & Giuliani, I. (2007). Creativity in three samples of photographers: A validation of the Adjective Check List Creativity scale. Creativity Research Journal, 10, 193–200.Google Scholar
Ekman, P. (1965). Differential communication of affect by head and body cues. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2, 726–735.Google Scholar
Endsley, M. R. (2006). Expertise and situation awareness. In Ericsson, K. A., Charness, N., Feltovich, P. J., & Hoffman, R. R. (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Fayena-Tawil, F., Kozbelt, A., & Sitaras, L. (2011). Think global, act local: A protocol analysis comparison of artists’ and nonartists’ cognitions, metacognitions, and evaluations while drawing. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 5, 135–145.Google Scholar
Feltovich, P. J., Prietula, M. J., Ericsson, K. A. (2006). Studies of expertise from psychological perspectives. In Ericsson, K. A., Charness, N., Feltovich, P. J., & Hoffman, R.R. (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of expertise and expert performance (pp. 41–67). New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Fleenor, J. W., & Taylor, S. (2004). The assessment of creativity. In Hersen, M. (Ed.), Comprehensive handbook of psychological assessment (pp. 75–84). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Focal Power (2009). The Photo Quotes Archive. Retrieved on August 10, 2009, from www.focalpower.com/app/quote/subjects/Google Scholar
Gampat, C. (2014, December 23). How to pick one photo out of several thousand: An inside look at how we judge photo contests. Retrieved on May 3, 2015, from www.thephoblographer.com/2014/12/23/pick-one-photo-several-thousand-inside-look-judge-photo-contests/#.VUaFB5MYPe5Google Scholar
Garry, M., & Wade, K. A. (2005). Actually, a picture is worth less than 45 words: Narratives produce more false memories than photographs do. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12(2), 359–366.Google Scholar
Getzels, J. W., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1976). The creative vision: A longitudinal study of problem finding in art. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Ginicola, M. M., Smith, C., & Trzaska, J. (2012). Counseling through images: Using photography to guide the counseling process and achieve treatment goals. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 7, 310–329.Google Scholar
Glăveanu, V. P. (2010). Principles for a cultural psychology of creativity. Culture Psychology, 16(2), 147–163.Google Scholar
Gosling, S.D., Augustine, A.A., Vazire, S., Holtzman, N., and Gaddis, S. (2011). Manifestations of personality in Online Social Networks: Self-reported Facebook-related behaviors and observable profile information. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, & Social Networking, 14(9), 483–488.Google Scholar
Halsman, P. (1961). Halsman of the creation of photographic ideas. New York: Ziff-Davis.Google Scholar
Hattersley, R. (1962). A handy kit for do-it-yourself critics. In Traub, C. H., Heller, S., and Bell, A. B. (Eds.), The education of a photographer (pp. 194–198). New York, NY: Allsworth Press.Google Scholar
Hawkins (undated). Elements of a merit image. Retrieved on May 3, 2015, from www.ppa.com/article.cfm?ItemNumber=1901.Google Scholar
Henry, W. P., & Solano, C. H. (1983). Photographic style and personality: Developing a coding system for photographs. Journal of Psychology, 115, 79–87.Google Scholar
Hekkert, P., & Van Wieringen, P. C. W. (1996). Beauty in the eye of expert and nonexpert beholders: A study in the appraisal of art. American Journal of Psychology, 109, 389–407.Google Scholar
Herpertz, S. C., Kunert, H. J. Schwenger, U. B., & Sass, H. (1999). Affective responsiveness in borderline personality disorder: A psychophysiological approach. American Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 1550–1556.Google Scholar
Hurn, D., & Jay, B. (2008). On being a photographer: a practical guide. Anacortes, WA: LensWork Publishing.Google Scholar
Ivcevic, Z., & Ambady, N. (2013). Face to (face)book: The two faces of social behavior? Journal of Personality, 81(3), 290–301.Google Scholar
Jaeger, AC. (2007). Image makers, image takers: Interviews with today’s leading curators, editors and photographers. New York: NY: Thames & Hudson.Google Scholar
Karl, K., Peluchette, J., & Schlaegel, C. (2010). Who’s posting Facebook faux pas? A cross-cultural examination of personality differences. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 18(2), 174–186.Google Scholar
Kaslow, F. W., & Friedman, J. (1977). Utilization of family photos and movies in family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 3, 19–25.Google Scholar
Kozbelt, A. (2006). Dynamic evaluation of Matisse’s 1935 “Large Reclining Nude.” Empirical Studies of the Arts, 24, 119–137.Google Scholar
Kozbelt, A. (2008). Longitudinal hit ratios of classical composers: Reconciling Darwinian and expertise acquisition perspectives on lifespan creativity. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2, 221–235.Google Scholar
Kozbelt, A., & Serafin, J. (2009). Dynamic evaluation of high- and low-creativity drawings by artist and non-artist raters. Creativity Research Journal, 21, 349–360.Google Scholar
Kulich, R. J., & Goldberg, R.W. (1978). Differences in the production of photographs: A potential assessment technique. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 47(1), 223–229.Google Scholar
Lavretiev, A. (1994). Inventions from photography: Light, shadow and optical transformations. Leonardo, 27(5), 383–386.Google Scholar
Mahaffey, A. L., Bryan, A., & Hutchison, K. E. (2005). Using startle eye blink to measure the affective component of anti-gay bias. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 27, 37–45.Google Scholar
Marcus, B., Machilek, F., Schütz, A. (2006). Personality in cyberspace: Personal web sites as media for personality expressions and impressions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(6), 1014–1031.Google Scholar
Martindale, C. (1994). How can we measure a society’s creativity? In Boden, M. A. (Ed.), Dimensions of creativity (pp. 159–198). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Mayer, R. E. (1999). Fifty years of creativity research. In Sternberg, R. J. (Ed.), Handbook of creativity (pp. 449–460). Cambridge: Cambridge University.Google Scholar
McManus, I. C., Zhou, F. A., I’Anson, S., Waterfield, L., Stover, K., & Cook, R. (2011). The psychometrics of photographing cropping: The influence of colour, meaning, and expertise. Perception, 40, 332–357.Google Scholar
Milgram, S. (1977). The image freezing machine. In Milgram, S. (Ed.), The individual in a social world: Essays and experiments (pp. 339–350). Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.Google Scholar
Navab, A. D. (2001). Re-picturing of photography: A language in the making. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 35(1), 69–84.Google Scholar
Nuhn (2011, April 25). Five factors that judges consider in reviewing photo contest entries. National Wildlife. Retrieved on May 3, 2015, from www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/photozone/archives/2011/5-photo-judging-factors.aspxGoogle Scholar
Pennebaker, J. W., Francis, M. E., & Booth, R. J. (2001). Linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC): LIWC2001 [Computer software and manual]. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Perlson, H. (2015, April 10). “Spying” artist wins privacy case. Artnet News. Retrieved on July 13, 2015, from https://news.artnet.com/art-world/arne-svenson-neighbors-photographs-supreme-court-286916.Google Scholar
PhotoWings (undated). Interview: Sandra Phillips, senior curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved on August 23, 2015, from http://photowings.org/interview-sandra-phillips-senior-curator-of-photography-at-the-san-francisco-museum-of-modern-art/.Google Scholar
Quinn, S. (2015, Jan 27). Eyetracking photojournalism: New research explores what makes a photograph memorable, shareable, and worth publishing. NPPA The Voice of Visual Journalists. Retrieved on August 23, 2015, from https://nppa.org/news/eyetracking-photojournalism-new-research-explores-what-makes-photograph-memorable-shareable-and.Google Scholar
Read, S. (2013). Exhibiting photography: A practical guide to displaying your work, second edition., Burlington, MA: Focal Press.Google Scholar
Risch, C. (2014, February 7). MoMA’s new chief photo Curator turns to studio photography for first show. Retrieved on August 23, 2015, from http://www.pdnonline.com/features/MoMAs-New-Chief-Pho-10291.shtml.Google Scholar
Rodden, K. & Wood, K. R. (2003). How do people manage their digital photographs? In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, (pp. 409–416), New York, NY: ACM.Google Scholar
Sawyer, R. K. (2006). Explaining creativity. The science of human innovation. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Schacter, D. L., Koutstaal, W., Johnson, M. K., Gross, M. S., & Angell, K. E. (1997). False recollection induced by photographs: A comparison of older and younger adults. Psychology and Aging, 12, 203–215.Google Scholar
Serafin, J. (2013). Expertise in artistic photography. Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 74(6-B)(E), 2013. Accession number: 2013–99241–028.Google Scholar
Shore, S. (2007). The nature of photographs (2nd edn.). London: Phaidon Press Limited.Google Scholar
Simonton, D. K. (1997). Creative productivity: A predictive and explanatory model of career landmarks and trajectories. Psychological Review, 104, 66–89.Google Scholar
Simonton, D. K. (2011). Creativity and discovery as blind variation and selective retention: Multiple-variant definitions and blind-sighted integration. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 5(3), 222–228.Google Scholar
Simonton, D. K. (2012). Quantifying creativity: Can measures span the spectrum? Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 14(1), 100–104.Google Scholar
Solso, R. L. (2001). Brain activities in a skilled versus a novice artist: An fMRI study. Leonardo, 34, 31–34.Google Scholar
Sontag, S. (1977). On photography. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.Google Scholar
Szarkowski, J. (1973). Looking at photographs: 100 pictures from the Museum of Modern Art. New York: The Museum of Modern Art.Google Scholar
The Coming World of Photography (1944). Popular photography. Retrieved on July 10, 2015, from https://people.rit.edu/andpph/giants/POP-PHOTO-future-1944.html.Google Scholar
Thein, M. (2012a). What makes an outstanding image? Retrieved on July 10, 2015, from http://blog.mingthein.com/2012/10/06/outstanding-1/.Google Scholar
Thein, M. (2012b). The process of editing. Retrieved on July 10, 2015, from http://blog.mingthein.com/2012/04/20/the-process-of-editing/.Google Scholar
Tinio, P. P. L., & Leder, H. (2013). The means to art’s end: Styles, creative devices, and the challenge of art. In Bristol, A. S., Kaufman, J. C., & Vartanian, O. (Eds.), The neuroscience of creativity. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Tinio, P. P. L., Leder, H., & Strasser, M., (2011). Image quality and the aesthetic judgment of photographs: Contrast, sharpness, and grain teased apart and put together. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 5(2), 165–176.Google Scholar
Tinio, P. P. L., & Leder, H. (2009). Natural scenes are indeed preferred, but image quality might have the last word. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 3, 52–56.Google Scholar
Vidulich, R. N., & Krevanick, F. W. (1966). Racial attitudes and emotional response to visual representations of the Negro. Journal of Social Psychology, 68, 85–93.Google Scholar
Walker, J. L. (1991). Photograph as lifeline – Facing mortality. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 45, 124–128.Google Scholar
Wallas, G. (1926). Art of thought. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company.Google Scholar
Wignall (2009, October 12). National Geographic’s Jim Richardson: How I judge photo contests. Retrieved on May 3, 2015, from http://rising.blackstar.com/national-geographics-jim-richardson-how-i-judge-photo-contests.html.Google Scholar
Yu, C. (2004). Aesthetics of photography: Combining the viewer’s and the artist’s standpoints. Art Criticism, 19(1), 63–74.Google Scholar
Zago, M., McIntyre, J., Senot, P., & Lacquaniti, F. (2009). Visuo-motor coordination and internal models for object interception. Experimental Brain Research, 192(4), 571–604.Google Scholar
Zehr (2009). Creating the “other” in research, photography, justice. Retrieved on July 10, 2015, from http://emu.edu/now/restorative-justice/2009/09/30/creating-the-other-in-research-photography-justice.Google Scholar
Zebrowitz, L. A., Hall, J. A., Murphy, N. A., & Rhodes, G. (2002). Looking smart and looking good: Facial cues to intelligence and their origins. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28, 238–249.Google Scholar
Ziller, R. C. (1977). A phenomenological utilization of photographs. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 7, 172–182.Google Scholar
Ziller, R. C., & Lewis, D. C. (1981). Orientations: Self, social, and environmental percepts through auto-photography. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, 7, 338–343.Google Scholar
Ziller, R. C., & Rorer, B. A. (1985). Shyness-environment interaction: A view from the shy side through auto-photography. Journal of Personality, 53, 626–639.Google Scholar
Ziller, R. C. (1990/2000). Photographing the self. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Zillmann, D., Gibson, R., & Sargent, S. L. (1999). Effects of photographs in news-magazine reports on issue perception. Media Psychology, 1, 207–228.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×