P3D Is it Art? [was Re: Holga vs. Hassy, for instance! ]

[Andy Beals <bandy@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Moving this back beyond the beginning, I'm sure that some folks were thinking 
"It is the poor craftsman who blames his tools."  Our Calvanistic society 
certainly fosters that attitude.  However, have those people truely 
experienced poor tools unsuited for the job at hand versus first-quality tools 
designed for the task?  As a woodworker, there are a large number of ways I 
can think of to force people to stop quoting that old saw, and they all 
involve giving them poor tools to do a job and a project to do.  When was the 
last time you tried to remove a stripped Philips head screw?  With a butter 
knife?  Having the right tool for the job makes it easier, more enjoyable and 
safer [when danger is involved].

Full-auto cameras?  Sure, why not.  APS?  What the hey.  Full-autos are great 
for snapshots, even if the auto focus delay prevents me from taking really 
good candids - for that, I can't beat my old Canon AL-1 [aperture-priority!] 
and a 28mm lens.  I also like my manual cameras, from the ultra-cute Retinas 
to my ultra-heavyweight Ansco automatic reflex to my stereo gear.  If cameras 
get so smart that no-one ever again gives me a fuzzy party picture, I'd shout 
"Hallelujah!" and jump for joy.

Why does Kodak's FAQ list concentrate so hard on "I didn't get any pictures 
when I developed my roll of film?"  Why do photos on the net constantly 
violate Rule #1?  Do people not know where the sun is?

More in line with the thread, there are snapshots and there is art.  Actually 
a lot more than that -- are photos taken of Haute Couture Art?  What about the 
slides made of models wearing dungarees for the J. C. Penney catalog?  If 
Ansel Adams [bow, scrape] had sold his pictures to travel agents for use in 
advertising, would we hold him in the same high regard?

Frankly, art is not why I take pictures.  I've taken some nice "art-y" shots, 
but what I really want is an aid in memory, so I can remember my life.  I also 
want to leave a record of what happened for my daughter so she can know where 
she came from.  It's nice to be able to look at pictures of people I remember, 
and it's nice to be able to share them.  I'm very thankful that both sets of 
my grandparents were shutterbugs, and that my parents took a number of photos 
when I was small and they were together.  There was nothing more comforting to 
me than to look at a picture of my mother's father a year ago and finally 
coming to the understanding of why I'm not some skinny little guy.

On Sat, 07 Aug 1999 08:46:33 -0600, John W Roberts <roberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
wrote:
> 
> >Date: Fri, 6 Aug 1999 19:06:16 -0600
> >From: "David W. Kesner" <drdave@xxxxxxxxxx>

> Further exploration of the philosophical implications of equipment
> quality:

> >My "definition" of art is when an image is created by a person 
> >through their own means. My definition of "photography" is when an 
> >image is simply captured by a piece of equipment. Art is an 
> >interpretation of the image and a photograph is a recording of the 
> >image.

The camera+film+processing+papers is simply a means whereby I create an image.

> >As I stated in previous posts, this line can be blurred when a 
> >photograph is manipulated by hand such as the Polaroid print that 
> >is scratched while it is in the process of being developed.
> 
> If you pose your cousin Seymour in a Nathaniel Hawthorne costume in front
> of Mt. Rushmore, and use a fill flash with red cellophane in front, and
> a star filter on the camera lens, and deliberately tilt the camera 17
> degrees clockwise, then what parts of this process are the art, 
> and what parts are the photography? (In other words, to what extent
> is this a useful distinction?)

Photography is exposing the film through getting a viewable result [chrome or 
print].

Art is in the eye of the beholder.  The creator may be trying to make Art, but 
without context, someone may view it as the result of a broken lens and poor 
processing, in additon to a photographer who has a severe handicap.


You can't force people to consider something Art.  You can, however, make them 
consider for themselves whether or not something is Art merely by labeling it 
as such.

> I suspect that unless the subject is something like passport photos, it's
> very hard to isolate the art from the photography.

Exactament!


Go out and enjoy yourself.

	andy "I once knew an artist" beals



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