Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/05

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Subject: Re: Weltanschauung
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Mon, 06 Oct 1997 00:50:06 -0500

At 08:10 PM 10/5/97 -0400, you wrote:
>I assume that is ArtSpeak for "you are too stupid to understand the more
>complex photographs."  As far as I'm concerned, photography is meaningless
>unless it communicates something to me.  I know everyone on the list has
>seen photographs like the ones I am describing.  Please either confirm my
>feelings or explain to me how blind I am being!  How can intelligent gallery
>owners fall for such pretension?  TIA for your opinions. 

If the masses understood it, it wouldn't be "elite." Like the guy who cans
his feces for $10,000 a can, and then tells people who buy it that it's
just a gimmick doesn't stop the buyers from buying canned crap. (On 60
Minutes years ago). 

The strength of photography, in my opinion is it's connection to reality.
In that sense, documentary and photojournalism are the two practices in
photography that get to the heart of the medium's strength. Thus some of
the best "art" photography is done with a Leica, or Canon or Nikon. Slices
of life, the fleeting moments. Not with some navel gazing Diana camera that
can't even focus.

=============
Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO

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