Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]That's because everyone is a "photographer;" virtually every home has at least one camera in it, and anyone can pick up that camera, depress the shutter release, and "be a photographer." ;-) B. D. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Steve Barbour Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 7:21 AM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: Re: [Leica] Snapshots vs 'art' yes absolutely Rich...yet at the same time, people trivialize photos, and take them for granted, often assuming that everyone can be a "photographer"....Steve > Hi Clive, > > Photos are one of things people value most. In a fire, it's what they > try to save first and miss most. And it seems the further removed by > time, the greater the value. > > Cheers, > > Rich Lahrson > Berkeley, California > tripspud@transbay.net > > Clive Moss wrote: > > > So, tell us what you really think :-) > > Is this the kind of snapshot you mean? > > http://www.fotolog.net/chmoss/?photo_id=219449 > > (beware -- Canon G3 picture -- purists need not look) > > -- > > Clive > > http://clive.moss.net > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > > > [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of > > > Dante Stella > > > Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 9:56 PM > > > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > > > Subject: Re: [Leica] Snapshots vs 'art' > > > > > > > > > Snapshots have a lot of potential to have meaning to the subject > > > and even to other viewers. They are unposed, unarranged, poorly > > > lit, ragged, wrinkled, and sometimes even tired, but they capture > > > the moment. > > > > > > What does not capture the moment or have any affective potential > > > is 99.99% of what calls itself "fine-art" photography or > > > "professional photography." I am always amazed at how people who > > > photograph for a living bill themselves. It seems that the more > > > mediocre the photography, the worse the hyperbole (hope I'm not > > > appropriating any real trademarks, but you get the idea): > > > > > > "Captured beauty" > > > > > > "Intimate moments" > > > > > > "Stopped time." > > > > > > Blah blah blah bullsh*t. It's like reading Robert Frost. > > > > > > What's worse, the worse the photographer, the more extravagant the > > > title. Has anyone ever noticed that the world's most famous > > > paintings carry titles which are simple, elegant, and descriptive? > > > Or has the world of professional photography gotten so bad that > > > it believes that Platonic nominalism can bail it out? > > > > > > What's the excuse? People pay you (if you are good enough to sell > > > stuff), you write the equipment off your taxes, you charge the > > > materials to the customers, and if you have the cajones, you can > > > make them do any type of portrait YOU want. So what explains the > > > complete lack of creativity? Is it that you are not really an > > > artist? Are you a technician? > > > > > > If you want overproduced portraits that are technically perfect > > > and emotionally absent, check into some Baroque painting sometime. > > > > > > If you want to see people as they are, as they look and as they > > > feel, look in some amateur's photo album. Sure, the pages are > > > that sticky kind, and there is that nasty cellophane that > > > supposedly interferes with viewing. Maybe some of the little > > > square 126 prints are already turning red. But it is much, much > > > more genuine than the Olan-Mills-style pablum coming out of most > > > studios. Housepainters, mostly. > > > > > > NO ARCHIVE > > > > > > ____________ > > > Dante Stella > > > http://www.dantestella.com > > > > > > -- > > > To unsubscribe, see > > > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-> users/unsub.html > > > > > > > -- > > To unsubscribe, see > > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > -- > To unsubscribe, see > http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html