[Leica] was a picture a day!...forget it!!!

[tedgrant@islandnet.com (Ted Grant)]

Several have written deep thought questions: Alan Ball was first. So this
is an attempt to answer the "too many deep thought" questions about this
simple idea to motivate and give reason to take pictures with a theme..

>It is a good point that Alan Ball brought up on Mon, 04 Jan 1999
>07:24:16 +0100. A couple of questions he posed: what is the reason of
>existence of our pictures? And if it should be 'meaningful', what is the
>definition of that word agreed upon around here ?>>>>>>

1/ <<<<< what is the reason of  existence of our pictures? >>>>>>

To put in your photo album, hang on the wall, throw away or whatever your
pleasure at the end of year 1999. Primarily to illustrate what your year
'99 was like! They are meant to satisfy your whims and whimsies for taking
pictures because you own a camera. And maybe to motivate those who thought
it might be fun to try it!

2/ <<<<< And if it should be 'meaningful', what is the definition of that
word agreed upon around here>>>>>>

I really thought this was a simple no brainer suggestion to make some
interesting for "oneself, pictures "not the damn world," of pictures of
this ___THE LAST YEAR OF THE MILLENNIUM!______  Surely this is a  KISS
idea....like "keep it simple stupid.""......However it does seem some
people can't figure out what a "meaningful picture is for themselves."

3/  <<<<< what is the definition of that word agreed upon around here>>>>>>

There isn't any "definition committee" around here to agree on anything
(they couldn't anyway! :) Simply because you should be taking these images
to satisfy yourself and to hell with what anyone else thinks. After all
this IS your year, isn't it?

It seems this was much too difficult for some to comprehend and I suggest
you just do whatever it is you do with your cameras and forget the whole
thing!!!

People appear to be looking for a heavenly body meaning instead of just
going out and shooting a picture or series during the last year of the
millennium, as I find it hard to believe any of us will get a second chance
to shoot the last year of the next one!

Actually I don't give a flying hoop if anyone does anything about it or
not. It appears some of you would have great difficulty working on a
newspaper when you are given the "Enterprise picture of the day"
assignment.

The enterprise assignment at a newspaper is "loved or hated" by staff
photographers simply because, those with not too much gray matter can't do
a shot without every tiddly little thing spelled out for them,  much like
we see here.  Where other photographers love it for the freedom to shoot
what they want as they have the eyes to see "meaningful things" and come
back with a picture that makes front page or back page! But these are the
ones who see meaningful things to satisfy themselves without asking the
reason, "Why an what is this for?"

I have another thought here....because it does appear to be creating a
great deal of concern for some ......"forget it, the whole thing and just
do your own thing ! "

>>>>>>>>I'd like to say that I took this Project '99 to be a fun thing. I
>interpreted the "picture a day" to be any moment in that day that
>catches my fancy ... like a visual journal.>>>>>>>

Hot damn and that's what it is supposed to be, "FUN IN CAPITAL LETTERS!" So
just keep doing your journal. Actually this brings up a good point.....Do
people  have to ask what a "meaningful comment"  is when they  write in
their personal daily journals?  I write what I please, as I'm the only one
the journal has to satisfy! The picture thing is the same.

Either take this one a day picture thing in this context or forget it! It's
not meant to be a deep thought project!

ted

Ted Grant
This is Our Work. The Legacy of Sir William Osler.
http://www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant