Thoughts on Photography

Photographic Angst

angst:

Pronunciation:

      \ˈäŋ(k)st, ˈaŋ(k)st\

Function: noun

a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity

I had an interesting exchange with a fellow Pbaser a couple weeks back.  She is a PAD'er as well as a sometime visitor to another community I'm involved with over at lost in focus.  I won't go into the details, but she made an interesting insight about this "lost in focus" group I am a part of.  The group was born out of a desire to have a more legitimate community of photographers willing to provide honest feedback to each other versus the shallow (my words) community predominant on the Pbase website.  This is well trodden ground, so I won't go over it again here. 

Anyway, she made a comment to me about that gave me pause.  Here is what she said:

"... I get the feeling that you and the others in your group think that you need to be "on" all the time; producing exceptional work at every press of the shutter. Conversely, I think that the age we live in and the internet in particular has made it possible for new photographers to think that every work they make should be significant. This is a visual culture and we photographers feel like we own it... or, should own it...."

Anyway, I don't want to go off on a philosophical discussion about whether or not she is right (I happen to think she is).  But it does cause me to consider my own motivations and the lack of joy I seem to have been getting from my photography over the last couple of years.  Could it be that my self-imposed need to create "significant" work has had the effect of sucking the last bit of enjoyment (and maybe even the  creativity) out of my photography?  Should my hobby cause me angst? 

 

Great Photography and Common Critiques

For about a year now, I've been part of a community of artistic-minded photographers who share a common desire of receiving honest feedback and critiques of our images.  Recently, two images were posted that caused me to recognize something I've always known but never really put into words.  Here are the two images:

Image by Adam Banister

Image by Lawrence Ripsher

Suddenly it struck me...when viewing a truly great photograph, common critiques about composition, lighting, processing and such are completely irrelevant.   The lesson for me here is that the very best images transcend "technical flaws" in such a powerful way as to no longer be seen as something that needs improved or perfected.