Re: [Leica] Photos and Art

[ted grant <75501.3002@compuserve.com>]

Jim Brick wrote:

<<<<<<If it makes the person happy, to take a camera and point it at
something and push the button and then call it art, well as long as he/she
doesn't expect anyone else to like it, we cannot fault that person.>>>>>>>

Jim, 

the problem I have with some of this "art" stuff is it really is nothing
more than a technically perfect rock or fern or peeling paint as static as
a dead mouse picture!

And the money paid for this "eloquent photographic crap art" begets the
"artist great gobs of money that could be spent for real photography art!

I had at one time the most utter disdain for the perpetrators of the "fine
art photography scam" that went on in Canada during the late 60' early 70's
when at that time the National Film Board pissed their pants with
excitement over some of the most atrocious garbage you can imagine.

We working photographers were getting cut off and the documentary work of
recording the Canadian way of life was being turfed aside for this drivel
of prints made from frames made as the camera was loaded while blindly
aimed into the trunk of the car.

Big dollars into the thousands went to purchase this kind of stuff and the
documentation of the rapidly changing way of Canada and the ethnic mosaic
are lost forever because of the collection being amassed of crap material
instead of doing intelligent photojournalism. Which in turn up to this
point produced beautiful art photgraphy.

Now in the ensuing years I have to come to appreciate "true art
photography" as there are people who use the medium of photography to
create some spectacular "art photographs" whether they use Leicas or not. 
But they are few and far between as much of it still fits into what I refer
to as the "rock and fern and peeling paint non breathing category of a very
fine technician who has evoked the feeling of "See me make very technically
correct print!" They are zoned systemed to death and the whites are creamy
beautiful with nice rich blacks,.  But it's still just peeling paint! :)

Do I sound bias? :)

ted