urban ku # 109 ~ 'painting' with light

Road signs and newspaper box • click to embiggenWe have a newcomer, Michelle C. Parent, over in the Guest Photographer Forum as well as a new Cinemascape and very good commentary from Aaron re: fleeting v. lingering (obvious v.ambiguous) content in pictures. You should check out both.

Aaron pretty much sums the topic up in manner that I agree with, but, let me throw two quotes, one from Edward Weston, one from Susan Sontag, into the pot for good measure:

People who wouldn't think of taking a sieve to the well to draw water fail to see the folly in taking a camera to make a painting. - Edward Weston

While a painting, even one that meets photographic standards of resemblance, is never more than the stating of an interpretation, a photograph is never less than the registering of an emanation (light waves reflected by objects)-- a material vestigate of its subject in a way that no painting can be... Having a photograph of Shakespeare would be like having a nail from the True Cross. - Susan Sontag

Both quotes are about medium specificity, something that few photographers seems to grasp as they go about trying to make paintings.

Perhaps the reason for this is simple - they have started to believe the disingenuous adage that photographers 'paint' with light. That's pure BS (unless, of course. they are 'night' photographers waving a flashlight around in the dark). Only god/nature paints with light, photographers just record the result and most aren't content to leave well enough alone.