Monday, April 29, 2013

Fad? Trend? Or Just a Mess.

"Waiting for You" - photograph by Terry Rowe
--> Someone recently had a comment about photography that gave me a nudge. They said, in reference to photography, "textures are a fad." They could have easily been referring to bell-bottoms or hybrid cars. Bell-bottom pants are a fad; fads come and go--sometimes in favor, sometimes not. Hybrid cars, I believe, started out as a fad that became a trend--more and more people are recognizing the economic value, as well as the environmental value, in choosing and driving a hybrid vehicle.

Photography, since it's inception as an art form (and some may still argue it's not art), has had controversies.

Some people will argue that photographs should be pure, untouched from capture to print. Ansel Adams is often touted as a prime example of a "pure" photographer--and yet, he spent hours in the darkroom, adding and subtracting light and dark, processing his photographs to his vision.

The very act of photographing anything changes it from the "real."

There are some people who claim that black and white photography is just a "trick," and that all photographs should be in color.

High dynamic range, HDR, has alternately been praised and blasted. HDR images can more accurately represent the range of colors and light in an image, but it can also be intense. The intensity of HDR images is what some people love and what others say is "unreal."

Adding textures to images in post-processing is another technique being embraced by photographers, many like the added dimensions; others decry varied texture processing techniques as a "fad" or a "trick." Sound familiar?

Many photographers are artists - taking the photograph, capturing the image, has become only half of the process of creating art. The second half of the art making is in the processing of the photograph--this can take hours of work, decisions, trial and error. The ultimate goal is a full expression of the artistic vision that began with the initial photographic image.

Maybe photographer-artists need a new name, something akin to painter or potter or sculptor. For now, I am an artist who uses photography and digital processing to create my art.

The picture above, "Waiting for You," is black and white, with texture added.




4 comments:

  1. Some very interesting questions. Like most photographers (even in the black and white film era) I love to play with the image I captured and try to make it mine. Kodak went out of its way to make everyone believe all they had to do was buy their product and point and shoot.

    When digital came along everyone thought they could be a professional photographer. Before I ever entered a photograph in a show I sat around art fairs with my paintings and listened to photographers and their analysis of the digital era. I have seen such abuse of the digital technology. And after being encouraged to enter a photograph in a show and winning 2nd place I got the abuse from my artist friends.

    "If I had your camera I could make tons of money with my photographs," I have heard so many times I am thrilled my camera isn't a gun.

    I do not care what your media is. You have to have an eye. And you have to have talent. And you have to have soul. All that you list above are just tools to allow you to show others what is in your soul. They are fads if you have no soul.

    I have been to enough exhibits so see photographers with their one trick pony. That pony does not always entertain. Be hit HDR or Texture or B&W if it does not advance and already good image it is just a one trick pony. A true artist has that great initial image and advances it by talented application of the tools at hand.

    At the moment I am very tired of HDR. Only seen one or two photos where I thought it was an asset. Textures are being used rather heavy-handedly. They can be extremely over done.

    Bottomline is the initial image. And if it sucks anything you do with it sucks. That said I have been experimenting with what can be rescued and what cannot.

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    Replies
    1. Well said, especially the "one trick pony" analogy. Tools are to be used, I think if the tool used is obvious, and as you said, doesn't advance the art - then the tool is being used to hide rather than uplift.

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    2. See you took a bunch less words than I did.

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  2. It only matters to those who consider it matters.
    I like some photos, I am ambivalent to others, can't say that I actually dislike any. I save that emotion for people :)

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