greatness - was Re: [Leica] Photo whores {was Life magazine}

["Bryan Willman" <bryanwi@seanet.com>]

Great photos are like great music,
great writing, or great software.
Most people don't really try.
A few make attempts.
A very few make great items.

If the mechanics of doing something
are "easy", the effort to rise above average
to greatness will be even harder.

And it always seems that great results
involve a great deal of work, even if the
act itself is short.

bmw

- -----Original Message-----
From: Mark <mark@steinberg.net>
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Date: Tuesday, July 07, 1998 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Photo whores {was Life magazine}


>Eric Welch wrote:
>>
>> At 12:17 PM 7/7/98 -0400, you wrote:
>>
>> >Eric, it does not sound like the photographing is the tough part.  It
sounds
>> >like the peripheral issues can be tough.  I guess it is with most
>> >professions.
>>
>> No, only non-pros think that. Making great pictures good enough for
>> publication is very, very difficult for all but a few at the very top of
>> the business. Even they have to work at it.
>
>LOL !!! hands up the number of people on this list who think taking great
>photos is easy !!! point and shoot isn't it ?? my gandmother could do it...
>
>....all this stemmed from a discussion about how awful Life has become,
>and it is awful (i agree) and further, i would say that a vast amount of
>professional photography that is published, and portraits too, are also
>awful. they are simply chronic, with less to offer of interest than a
>simple sunset. it's one thing to be in the right place at the right time,
>but quite another to take a great photograph.
>
>the proximity of "a great photograph" is pretty much equidistant to
>professionals and amateurs alike. all too often we mistake being in
>the right place for "professionalism".
>
>how many photographers were at wimbledon ? how many truly great photographs
>were taken ? i'll wager two or three....given the number of actual shots
>taken my granny probably *could* do better !! :-)
>
>mark
>