Re: [Leica] Today's Great Photographers {was Photo whores}

[Mark <mark@steinberg.net>]

AJSymi@aol.com wrote:

> Mark,
> 
> In what genre is photgraphy so weak? 

i cast about me looking for "commercial photographs" and came across
the catalogs that are thrust through our door daily, magazines like
newsweek, billboards & hoardings, and tangentially TV.

>  Reportage?  If so, could it be the
> stability of times?  Compared to the 30's, 40's and 60's, nothing is really
> polarizing this country (USA).  A good economy?  Not terribly interesting!
> Wars, civil rights movements, arms race, etc., those days are gone for
> America. 

i think that is a really excellent point. i was looking through the
Requiem photos on the site that ted recommended and it struck me that
the photographers had access to incredible misery and suffering. the
power of the photography lies not only in their skills as photographers,
but in their incredibly grim surroundings (?).

> Perhaps photojournalists are bored?  If I recall correctly, the best
> picture awards over the last few years have been shot in places other than the
> US.  Maybe there are too many PJ's at home and too few abroad (or
> editors'/readers' lack of interest in foreign matters) !

yes, perhaps they are. and perhaps a whole heap of the blame for
the "demise of life" must lay at the door of the customers ? i haven't
seen any mention of them, but it's them who keep life in business (or not).
however crappy it may be.

the "power of photography" keeps getting mentioned, honored, exulted,
yet i guess that power is not very compelling to people with $$$s in their
pockets, if circulations go down and art directors get fired ?

i've seen the "bean counters" get castigated, yet those bean counters
are simply counting beans ? if people don't buy the magazine something 
needs to be changed ? if people do then the bean counters are kept busy 
with piles of beans ?

the site that ted recommended is a nice illustration of how people
can self publish these days. perhaps that's one of the changes that
the bean counters are having to accomodate (with time).

mark