Fotografia
"it is strangely validating to my peculiar predilection...that of broken and rusting. i find it a bit obtuse to find so much beauty floating and molding and decaying away all around and so few seem to appreciate it. there is a japanese word I once learned from my roommate [Makito] but no longer remember. he said it meant the flaw of a thing that makes it unique, of value, living in some way. at least that is the way i've remembered it for so long. something in me loves the object with history or something "real". i'm sometimes repulsed by plastic for its redundant perfection, it seems a fake thing, a replacement for something real, like wood or clay or glass or brass, something no longer created. isn't is strange what catches our "eye" and feel compelled to shoot?"
I'm hoping he won't mind that I've pasted part of his oh-so-perfectly-and-eloquently-worded email. You see, it's exactly that quality, makito, which I too find so fascinating. Some guy criticized one of my photos the other day. I realize in offering yourself up to the good you allow the negative to seep into the cracks...and I'm okay with that. In fact, it helps sometimes. But he was under the impression that all photography exists for some artistic purpose. To aspire to adorn the institutional walls of galleries and museums. I'm not of the same mind. I don't simply take pictures of the natural "art" of the world. Art is relative. Rather, I snap photo, upon photo, upon photo, ad nauseum, of that which catches my eye. Of a moment worth remembering in print form. There is some truth to a "Kodak moment." The best aspect of photography - fifty people may look at the same shot and not realize what it means to me, as the person who experienced an emotional reaction so strong to one seemingly abstract, inconsequential, nanosecond of life, that aiming my lens wasn't an option. I don't care if you love them, they're not for you. Fantastic if you find something which resonates within yourself, but I don't dabble in the professionalism of photograhy. I don't hire subjects, adjust the lighting, wait for the moment...I'm out there capturing the moments that almost plea to be immortalized in megapixels. So let it be known...criticism does not effect me. For it is all mere personal interpretation. I'm not about to do it for you.
I'm hoping he won't mind that I've pasted part of his oh-so-perfectly-and-eloquently-worded email. You see, it's exactly that quality, makito, which I too find so fascinating. Some guy criticized one of my photos the other day. I realize in offering yourself up to the good you allow the negative to seep into the cracks...and I'm okay with that. In fact, it helps sometimes. But he was under the impression that all photography exists for some artistic purpose. To aspire to adorn the institutional walls of galleries and museums. I'm not of the same mind. I don't simply take pictures of the natural "art" of the world. Art is relative. Rather, I snap photo, upon photo, upon photo, ad nauseum, of that which catches my eye. Of a moment worth remembering in print form. There is some truth to a "Kodak moment." The best aspect of photography - fifty people may look at the same shot and not realize what it means to me, as the person who experienced an emotional reaction so strong to one seemingly abstract, inconsequential, nanosecond of life, that aiming my lens wasn't an option. I don't care if you love them, they're not for you. Fantastic if you find something which resonates within yourself, but I don't dabble in the professionalism of photograhy. I don't hire subjects, adjust the lighting, wait for the moment...I'm out there capturing the moments that almost plea to be immortalized in megapixels. So let it be known...criticism does not effect me. For it is all mere personal interpretation. I'm not about to do it for you.
posted by Chishiki Lauren at 8:30 PM
4 Comments:
You tell 'em!
I think I subscribe to the same line of thought on art and photography as you. I guess when I perused your photographs, as well as others on that hosting site, I wasn't measuring each up to some preconceived artistic standard. What the hell would that be anyway? The basis was, "That's a cool picture!" or "I would have liked to have seen that image in person".
What consitutes art is hotly debated in my house, and having grown up in rural Iowa, I have to admit that the things hanging on my walls tend to be like this:
- Chickens in the kitchen
- flowers in the family room
- an eclectic blend of religious oils, more flowers, and impressionist oils of landscapes in the dining and living rooms
hmmmm, I can't imagine criticizing photography though. There are alot of pictures I don't like or don't appreciate, but I don't interpret picture posting sites as art galleries either. I wouldn't look through someone's photo albumn and advise them to remove the picture of granny with the hem of her dress stuck in her drawers either.
When I went to the National Art Gallery last year, there were some rooms I spent more time in than others. I even sat down and carefully studied some of the works, even though I don't consider myself a connoisseur of anything, leastly art.
So while I know yours and other's photographs are done for keepsakes, I appreciate the fact that you're willing to share those moments in time that you thought were worth capturing on magnetic media.
My opinion might be different, but I think creating things and honestly trying is what matters. You learn as you go along and creating art is the important thing. There are a lot of things out there I don't particularly like, but I'm glad people are doing it. It's the fact that they try that I appreciate.
If it's the comment I'm thinking of, you were far more polite than I would have been. I personally had in mind a number of colourful Anglo-saxon epithets. I suppose that just makes you a better person ...
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