Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/03/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]While it may be somewhat like saying "?mediocre art is diluting art." (and I do believe that is also true) Some major differences exist. 1) I'm speaking of a specific genre within photography. 2) It takes some significant effort to paint even a mediocre painting; or sculpt even a mediocre sculpture; or perform even a mediocre guitar piece. Snapping "street photographs" and "publishing" them on the web today under the guise of being a "street photographer" takes virtually no effort whatsoever. (I fully recognize that some continue to do this work serious diligence - I'm not referring to these) I totally agree that lack of serious editors and serious criticism only adds to the ocean of mediocrity. Regards, George Lottermoser george at imagist.com http://www.imagist.com http://www.imagist.com/blog http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist On Mar 30, 2010, at 12:53 PM, Vince Passaro wrote: > George that's like saying mediocre art is diluting art. But there's > always > been mediocre art and plenty of it. What's unusual about our own > time is the > coincidence of two developments: the end of real criticism; and the > opening > of venues with no 'gatekeepers' -- editors, curators, etc -- who > are the > arbiters, for good or ill, of what qualifies as first rate at any > given > time. > > Without both these things the mediocre stands there mutely but somehow > relentlessly declaring itself fine; and with no one to winnow out the > mediocre (through criticism or outright exclusion) the fine is lost. > > Vince > > On Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 1:43 PM, George Lottermoser > <imagist3 at mac.com>wrote: > >> For me the "best" street photography goes beyond >> simply photographing anything and everything >> which happens in the streets. >> >> It seems to me that "street photography" >> has become diluted with hundreds of thousands snapshots >> which do not "go beyond." >> >> Regards, >> George Lottermoser >> george at imagist.com >> http://www.imagist.com >> http://www.imagist.com/blog >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist >> >> >> On Mar 28, 2010, at 6:52 PM, Jeffery Smith wrote: >> >> I sense that there are fewer fans of street photography, but I >> cannot say >>> why. The Street Photography forum seemed to go from B&W film to >>> color >>> digital about 7-8 years ago (when digital became completely >>> usable), and the >>> division between street photography and other genres seems to >>> have become >>> fuzzy as a result. Lluis's photos seem to still be squarely in >>> the genre of >>> street photography. And I see less of this every day. Some of the >>> street >>> photography adherents on the LUG seem to have drifted away, and >>> some have >>> died. Steve LeHuray really lived and breathed street photography >>> with a >>> Leica M that made Garry Winogrand's M4 seem "minty" (ebay term) by >>> comparison. Maybe the SPers are a dying breed. After last week's >>> heated >>> discussion of about 100 posts on SP, I hope nobody was scared off. >>> >>> I want to get back into Lluis mode soon. >>> >>> Jeffery >>> >>> >>> On Mar 28, 2010, at 6:35 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote: >>> >>> Is street photography dying? I just returned from a major NY >>> area photo >>>> show >>>> in a community rife with advertising, commercial and TV >>>> photographers. >>>> There >>>> were 60 exhibitors, many of them successful photo professionals. >>>> Only one >>>> offered what could be called a street photo. There were just three >>>> pictures >>>> of people, one in the street photo and the other two reasonably >>>> formal >>>> portraits. The rest were carefully arranged landscapes, flowers, >>>> and >>>> travel >>>> scenes with studied attention to the rules of composition. There >>>> was >>>> little >>>> spontaneity and no apparent joy. It looked like the final exam >>>> in a photo >>>> school composition class. Everyone was trying to be an ARTIST. >>>> How boring >>>> compared to the LUG. Fortunately the wine and cheese were good. >>>> >>>> Larry Z >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Leica Users Group. >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more >>>> information >>>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information