civilized ku # 78 ~ gimme a break
Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 08:11AM 
Lamp light • click to embiggenIn yesterday's entry I opined about how perfect life would be if photographers could write / speak about pictures it a manner that "got beyond the rules of thirds or how much they like the color."
Well, only a few ticks of the clock later, I found myself over at TOP looking at this picture. The picture is one of those that is worth at least a thousand words - sorrow, pain, loss, grief, respect, honor, sacrifice, life, death, war, the cost of war, and, strangely enough (at least for me), beauty to name just a few that immediately come to mind. The picture also brings to mind a painting, Christina's World, by Andrew Wyeth and a photograph, Child in Forest, by Wynn Bullock.
But for one moronic soul, the words that came to mind were "crop" and "black & white" - "... if it were mine, I think I would convert it to black and white. What do you think? And how about the man in the upper-right background? I wouldn't, but would anyone think to crop him out .... I think that producing this print in B&W would make a very significant difference. To me this photo explains what the photographer saw and felt, but in B&W, I believe it would have made us better understand what the woman was feeling.?"
my response to these comments is simply: "Kiss my ass."
The only thing that this person got right about this photograph is "... this photo explains what the photographer saw and felt", which, for some reason, isn't good enough for him. Nope, like so many critique-ers on photo forums, this guy, no matter what the circumstances, just has to indulge in the ever ubiquitous "how I would have done it" when, in fact, the only thing that matters is that the "photo explains what the photographer saw and felt".
If photography is not about "what the photographer saw and felt", what the hell is it about?
Taking/making a picture is not a group endeavour - looking for a hobby that is? maybe you should consider line dancing. What the eventual observers of a picture might have done in the same situation has absolutely nothing to do with it, despite the outright deception that is fostered on photo sites that "what I would have done" or, "what I like (or don't like)" about a picture is part of the learning process.
This is not to say that looking at pictures made by others and thinking about what works or doesn't 'work' for you or, yes, even thinking 'what you would have done' differently in the same situation in order to best express your voice is not a valid / valuable exercise. But, essentially telling a photographer who is expressing what he/she saw and felt to do it your way is not only pointless, it's downright insulting to the artist.
But, maybe I'm just belaboring a point that is just an essential difference between artists who are hobbyists and those who are Artists, between those who are seeking the roar of the crowd and those who are doing it for themselves - which is not say that those who are doing it for themselves don't want 'feedback' (both verbal and monetary). Most do.
That said, and IMO, the last thing they want to hear is 'how I would have done it". Me, personally, I would much rather hear that one of my pictures is a steaming pile of s**t, totally without merit, and makes no connection at all than, if only I had done it differently, it would be great. Why? Because the former opinion is about how my picture makes someone 'feel' and that is what Art is all about.
Reader Comments (5)
I'm with you, Mark. If you want a better/different picture, shoot your own.
Here's one version of the story behind the photo, which I'm sure you all remember: Eliciting Poignancy
Mark,
I am with you all the way here, even if I've been guilty of giving such comments before elsewhere (because they are the norm and expected, IMO) That doesn't mean I really subscribe to that method of critique.
My own work's struggle is still to get an image that I feel evokes some kind of emotion in the viewer. I don't think I've quite reached that point, but the journey is part of it all.
Your examples are some of my favorite images ever. I love Wynn Bullock's photos, especially the one you mention.
You are right on the money as usual Mark. As Michelle said, I think these types of comments are what is expected. However, they are of no value to the photographer that receives them. If I wanted to know how you would have taken a picture of one of my subjects, I would just give you my camera and let you have at it. I realize that this probably comes across strongly but that is honestly how I feel.
You are right on the money as usual Mark. As Michelle said, I think these types of comments are what is expected. However, they are of no value to the photographer that receives them. If I wanted to know how you would have taken a picture of one of my subjects, I would just give you my camera and let you have at it. I realize that this probably comes across strongly but that is honestly how I feel.
Well said twice, Darrell.