civilized ku # 460 ~ I don't want no stinkin' norms
Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 01:31PM 
River park ~ in the NE Adirondack PARK - Au Sable Forks, NY • click to embiggenMost likely because of my ongoing crusade, re: the ubiquitous pretty / petty picture, if I have heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times - why do you want everyone to make pictures just like yours?
At times, the question comes with a bit more verbiage, like, say, from the Old & Gnarly Guy ....
Once they saw the light (no pun intended), they’d change their ways in a hurry! Then, instead of people posting all those pointless, iconic photographs that they do now, they’d be posting all kinds of different looks at twigs and trash and all that other interesting stuff. All that “real” stuff. We could all spend hours just admiring each other’s ”Art”.
Oh, but wait. If we all did that, wouldn’t we just be trading one set of pretty pictures for another? If everyone had the same way of looking at things, wouldn’t that become the new norm, the new standard?
"If everyone had the same way of looking at things..." What a crock of shit.
Has anyone out there ever heard/read me advocating for "everyone having the same way of looking at things"? Or, for that mater, has anyone out there ever heard/read me advocating that anyone (but me) should be out there picturing "twigs and trash"? Is there anyone out there that thinks all I picture are "twigs and trash"?
All I have ever advocated is for throwing off the yoke and chains of making pictures that look like what you have been told are good pictures (and, ultimately, looking like everyone else's "good" pictures). And, in the process, figure out, by and for yourself, not only what to picture but also discovering and fostering one's own way of seeing. In other words, making pictures that are uniquely "you".
Unless one is living the life of an irreparable and unrepentant spo'ta - what I spo'ta do, massa?, chances are reasonably decent that, by making an effort to "free your mind", one can start making pictures that are not representative of "the same way of looking at things" as everyone else.
I found the following - by someone somewhere on the web - which I think states it rather well:
People who know the work of great photographers can see their touches everywhere – in the choice of subject matter, in the way they approach/get to know/relate to their subject matter, in the way they shoot, in the way they edit, in the way they realize their images, in the way they put everything together.
About the only thing I would add to that is ... anyone who thinks clearly and acts honestly for themselves, picture making wise, ain't gonna be making no pitchers that conform to any standard or norm.
gravitas et nugalis
Featured Comment: Tom Frost (no link) wrote: "my last name is Frost, without any "quotes" as you added in your last defensive reply to a comment I made on this site, which was purely a question.
my response: Tom, this being the internet, I always try to check out the source of comments / info on the entry maker. I receive comments using web aliases all the time and, before I respond, I like to know a little bit about the comment maker (if that is possible).
In your case, I noticed that the email address left with your comment did not contain the name "Tom Frost" of "Tom" or "Frost" or any combination or abbreviation thereof. The email address contained what appeared to be an entirely different name.
Consequently, with no malice, sarcasm, or putdown of any kind intended or inferred, I put the name in quotes. Your clarification on the matter is appreciated.
re: my "defensive response" to your question* on ku # 698 - you did, indeed, make a request and I thought that I had responded it in a direct and informative manner. I would be interested in knowing what it was you thought I needed to "defensive" about inasmuch as I thought the request was a good / interesting one and I thoroughly enjoyed thinking about it and writing my answer.
I must confess that anytime anyone wishes to suggest a comparison between my pictures and those of Porter and Ketchum, I am much more apt to be flattered and appreciative than I am to be annoyed or defensive.
*your question - "I'd be interested in comparisons you might make with the picture you posted here with Robert Glenn Ketchum's "Order from Chaos" series, or almost any of Eliot Porter's nature pictures ...."
Reader Comments (1)
Yes, my last name is Frost, without any "quotes" as you added in your last defensive reply to a comment I made on this site, which was purely a question. Here's a survey you can host: pictures of twigs and trash. The only caveat is that they must be unique in point of view, content, or whatever parameter deemed significant. Pick a panel of experts or you be the arbiter.