[Leica] That's it, I'm throwing my cameras in the river

[phong at doan-ltd.com (Phong)]

B.D.,

That is only partially true, and I suppose
more so for "photographers".  The majority
of the people who take photos are not 
photographers.  They just want a snapshot
of someone, or something that interest
them.  Even I do this sometimes, though
I would never show the result to another 
photographer, especially on the LUG.  :-)

Anyway, your story raises and answers 
the question of why your student takes
that photo.  It does not address why 
she chose that photo to show.  Clearly,
if it does not fit her project, or the story 
she wants to tell, it would not be included,
no matter how great the photo is.  Otherwise
you would flunk her, wouldn't you ?   :-)

- Phong



B. D. Colen wrote:
> 
> About 'our' motivation to photograph.
> 
> This past Saturday, my students were showing roughs of their semester
> projects. One young woman has been shooting at a center for the
> developmentally disabled - aw, hell, the retarded - focusing on an art
> program they have. She showed an image that was a close up of two
> people's hands awkwardly touching - a striking image - and my TA noted
> that this image was a good one for us to think about in terms of
> addressing the question 'when is photo journalism/documentary
> photography, voyeurism?' So we talked about it for a while and then I
> asked the student, 'why did you take this photo?' Her response:
> 
> "I thought it would be a great photo!" No bullshit. No 'I want to help
> people.' No BS about 'understanding.' Just the bottom line - she's a
> photographer, and the image leapt out at her. And that, in my humble
> opinion, is what IT really is all about.
> 
> We may take photos for various economic, personal, political,
> journalistic reasons. But if we really are the beast called
> photographers, it call comes down to "I thought it would be a great
> photo!"