RE: [Leica] Snap Happy

[Jeffrey Hausner <Buzz@marianmanor.org>]

	If I may revert to the vernacular of my youth, "Right on!"

		Buzz Hausner

> I'm a bit surprised at the apparent ambiguity of the term 'happy snaps'.
> 
> As far as I understand and use the term, it is the output from the
> 'average'
> camera, which, so I've heard, has less than 3 rolls a year pass through
> it,
> and produces mainly eye level pictures of occasions - beach, sportsday,
> wedding, leaving do, christmas tree. There's a foreground which is organic
> - known humans, family,  friends or workmates smiling, and a background
> which is inorganic  - mona lisa, costa del sol, a room, church or bar. It
> is
> a tradition of popular portraiture that is of its time and can sometimes
> be
> revealing or interesting. There's also a lot of it - a quarter of all the
> silver produced goes into photography.
> 
> These images are an automatic rendition of concensus reality, as much as
> the
> forced and formal pictures of pioneer aviators (whilst the young Jacques
> Henri Lartigue was running alongside the planes trying to put the power of
> the moment in his wooden box). Happy snaps are images which have no
> subjective intent, no awareness of composition or moment, they are of life
> frozen, rather  than sampled, tasted or felt. 
> 
> I know people who make amazing images of the same subjects - parties,
> friends, kids and pets. Images filled with life, irony, texture and
> enthusiasm. They are not necessarily photographers, they may use a disc
> camera or a small futuristic jobbie they bought at an airport, but they
> have
> visual style, they enjoy looking at the world and trying to bring out the
> best in what they see. 
> 
> Maybe this second type of picture should be called The Snapshot, said in
> an
> arty tone, omitting the sneering use of 'happy'. These images give a lot
> of
> pleasure, are visually articulate and encapsulate feelings and memories in
> a
> powerful way. The most valuable images I've ever made are probably the few
> that will make it through to being heirlooms, maybe a shitty little
> wedding
> I hated photographing on a rainy Saturday in 1984. 
> 
> Content or price can rarely say much about the value of an image. Judging
> the value of other peoples' work by the subjects that they photograph is a
> dull device, and has nothing to do with this group, which is largely
> populated by maniacs, experts and obsessives who are hardly likely to take
> stupid cliched pictures with the heads chopped off using all that swanky
> gear.
> 
> Alex the snapper
> 
> 
>