Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/12/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bob, I wouldn't exactly call that polaroid packing snap shooter a photographer either. --Bill Atchison - ------------------------------------------------------------ Bill, Technically, he is a photographer. He was also making a contribution to society by serving the fair goers, memorializing their lives at that moment. Of course, he was not a portraitist in the fine art sense of the term. His were not definitive interpretations a trained and experienced photographic artist would attain. He did not print. He used no subtle lighting. He didn't get to know his subjects well. He was more a casual companion than a creative personality. Yet he was true to photography. He was there. He had a film camera. He used it with some competence. And he had a pleased public. As I observed him, he didn't merely press a shutter release. He used very good equipment. He tried within the limitations of the prevailing environment and his own knowhow to get the best possible results with his materials for his clients. They understood that. He and I understood that. In those little folders, those prints were taken home to become memories made tangible, to grow ever more valuable with time. Even when photography canters, it covers hallowed ground. We, here on PhotoForum, talk about it as it soars. But let's not forget the foot soldiers. Bob