Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/05/03

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Subject: Re: [Leica] AF, a FAD? Jeeze...It's not that hard...
From: "dan states" <dstate1@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 03 May 1999 14:19:11 PDT

What you refer to is the refinement of the art that I also mentioned in the 
original post.  It is this advancement of technique that is ignored by the 
technophile.  Technology has made photographers afraid to go behond the 
decisions their equipment has made for them.

When I say that the CONCEPT is simple, I do not infer that producing ART 
with that concept is also simple.  It is not.  But the actual act of 
producing images on film is a function of some basic actions that don't need 
to be thought out by advanced microprocessors.

Good photography, and in particular great 35mm photography is more a product 
of artistic vision than technical perfection.  The photographer who is a 
slave to his own equipment can ONLY point and shoot.  All other relevant 
control is lost.


Imagine a painter with brushes that tell him what color to paint...

Dan

By the way Eric, I enjoyed your new web page.  The shot of the rider putting 
away his lasso is truly a clasic.




>
>At 10:52 AM 5/3/99 -0700, you wrote:
>>We look past the reality that the concept of  PHOTOGRAPHY IS SIMPLE.
>
>It most certainly is not. Photography on the hack level might be easy, but 
>there isn't a camera that can make perfect exposures in any possible 
>situation. So someone who wants to get beyond the snapshot (in the simple 
>meaning of the term, not the genre that the art world has conjured up) has 
>to work at it. They have to understand how light/film/processing works to 
>progress to any level of competence. They also need to have a vision of 
>something to say with their photography.
>
>Knowing how to get a good exposure and focus the camera is like buying 
>canvas, brushes and paint. Unless you have the talent and knowledge and 
>practice to actually apply the paint to the canvas in some non-random 
>manner, it means nothing.
>
>Unless the art critics decide to make you their darling for some random 
>purpose, of course.
>
>;-)
>
>
>
>Eric Welch
>St. Joseph, MO
>http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch
>
>We are born naked, wet and hungry. Then things get worse.


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