P3D "Contemporary photography"

[Michael Watters <mwatters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Competition assignment: "Contemporary".  The PSA definition states:
>"Contemporary photography may be defined as the concept that
>stimulates the mind of the viewer to interpret the message
>conveyed through the creative use of line, form, and color.
>The definition specifically includes computer generated/
>manipulated images."

>IMO, except for the last sentence, this is a totally worthless
>definition.  A form of photography is the "concept" that
>"stimulates the mind" to "interpret the message"???  WHAT DOES
>THAT MEAN???  I am sure no one asked an engineer or a practical
>person to review this...  "Creative use of line, form, and
>color"...  How is that different from ordinary photography?

Well, it doesn't.  The defination is clearly crap.   More appropriatly, the term chosen to define the  
category doesn't really make sense.  I think what they are getting at is more along the lines of  
"Abstract".  Kinda follows the artworld's use of terms relating to TIME to define styles though.   
"Modern" art etc etc.  It's led them into a bit of a trap though since we now have "Post-Modern"  
and a bunch of other terms which mean essentially the same thing.  In terms of the English  
language the term "Post-Modern" would by defination mean "in the future" which doesn't make a  
wit of sense.  There isn't a single piece of art today that was made "in the future" or even in the  
"style of the future" since nobody can say what that's gonna be.

On the other hand...  asking engineers to define styles of ART???  no thanks!  :)

>All it means, IMO, is an excuse to do computer work and present 

>it as photography without the risk of being penalized by some 

>judge who thinks that what you are doing is not photography.

I'm personally of the opinion that computer GENERATED images aren't photography.  Images  
that have been computer manipulated however are another matter.  It's just a matter of where  
one draws the line.  Clearly the folks writing up the rules for the category above have decided to  
include computer generated/manipulated images.  It's a matter of opinion.

mike
watters


------------------------------