It would be wrong to say that
photography is an art form no more or no less diverse than any other. All those
that endeavour to express themselves via the photographic medium have a vast
array of opportunities to do so, especially with the myriad of add-ons, plug-ins,
filters other manipulations that one can undertake in different photoshop
programmes.
At either end of the scale
are those that stick rigidly to their ways of doing things. There is the
photographer that seems to think that every image should be totally made “in
camera”, and more importantly with no help from any of the automatic facilities
that even the most basic camera affords. These puritans of the photographic
world are few and far between but hold dear to their beliefs and delight in
telling everyone, usually with a hint of smugness. Whether their images have
any artistic merit is usually of secondary importance to them.
On the other side is the
practitioner that uses every opportunity to engage all the paraphernalia that
has been bought at great expense, to end up with an image that usually bears
little comparison to the scene that was originally in front of the camera when
the button was pressed. Let’s call these photographers the Cavaliers.
I stand a little to the right
of centre if the Puritans are on the left and the Cavaliers on the right. I’m
of the mind to use something if it gets me what I want. Whether it satisfies
others is immaterial to me.
In the past I suppose when
the available basic equipment forced you down the Puritan route and you
accepted the fact that focusing and taking light readings with a meter was the
norm you were no more or no less ‘creative’ than today.
I always tell the story of
George, who was a club member of no particular distinction other that the fact
that he stubbornly resisted any advance in photography. George would insist on
prime lenses, only use a Weston meter, always focus manually, mix all his own
special developers for film and darkroom development and I’m sure he would have
coated his film and paper with his own special brand of emulsion if he could.
He used to rant and rave at the monthly judges assessment of his work, which to
my eye was usually pretty boring, by saying, “If he only knew how long it took
me to make that print and the work that has gone in to it!”. So George had the
feeling that the only good picture was one that was hard to make. I always
expected to see dear George at the next meeting with a heavily bandaged ear.
So, photography is what you
make it, what engages you in its many facets and what pleases you at the end of
the day.
