Grab a seat. Let’s chat.
Recently, BP tweeted an article written by Joshua Dunlop about how Hipstamatic, Instagram and filters were ruining photography. While I agreed with the majority of the statements made, it got me thinking about why I write what I do for Juxt. I thought I would take the first school house of 2013 to talk about why I feel strongly about composition and why I think it is important if mobile photography is going to be taken seriously by the art world. We all want to take better photos right? Better photos start with strong compositions. Strong composition comes from knowing how to shoot a scene dynamically. Whether that means using the rule of thirds, utilizing dramatic light, or taking advantage of texture they all lead to stronger compositions. Make no mistake, filters can’t hide poor placement, lighting, or slanted picture planes, we know that, yet sometimes we try anyway. Our goal in the one screen school house is to make the original photo as strong as it can be and only relying on editing for fine tuning.
Do I think that sharing platforms are killing photography? No. If it is doing anything, it is bringing art to the masses and making it more accessible. Now granted much of the time the masses are a tad lazy when it comes to traditional photography methods and I can see why that would rub some artists the wrong way. But those that are lazy wouldn’t necessarily say they are photographers. In my mind, there are a few different sets of people sharing photographs across social platforms. There are those that use actual cameras and smart phones to capture photographs in a meaningful way and with intent and those that use cameras and smart phones without intent. The ones in the latter category are sharing to share, not to hone their craft and can be removed from the argument altogether. Then it comes down to traditional camera users and those that shoot mobile and the ever present argument of whether smart phone users can be photographers. In the traditional sense of photography, no I don’t think we can. But then in the traditional sense, digital cameras cannot be placed in that category either. That is the beauty of art, you see. It is always changing, expanding, and folding back on itself. That’s what makes it so interesting. Art is always redefining it’s borders. We are all innately creative whether it be painting, photography, or pottery. We all have a niche somewhere in the vast world of art and there is more than enough room for all of us. Why would any one want to put a cap on creativity? To say, yes you can create because I am comfortable with your medium but no, you over there, you can’t because I don’t approve of the size brush you are using. What sense does that make? Creativity is creativity is creativity. Mobile photography is new, a baby even, in the art world and yes we are still finding our footing but that doesn’t make us any less creative or our craft any less sound.
But. I digress. It happens. I don’t sleep much these days.
Back to the masses I spoke about earlier.
There are plenty of people using smart phones to document their lives in a meaningful way that have never gone to art school or cracked a photography book. But they love it and guess what? They are good at it. They have what you would call “an eye” for photography. The school house enables them to have the language to speak about their art and other’s work in a way they couldn’t before. When they are out shooting they can recognize leading lines or negative space and utilize those within their photograph. They are creating relevant, dynamic work and can use what they have learned to improve upon their craft even more.
More than anything, I want to arm this beautiful body of artists with the tools and the language to speak about and be confident in their work.
In 2013, I want to see more mobile shows and I want to hear more people say “oh wow, you took that on your phone?” I want us to take pride in our craft and grow it.
That’s not too much to ask, is it?
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Who cared what paint brush is used in a painting. It’s a painting. I feel the same with photography. The statement is made with the image. Give me any gear and I can rely my message and getting my message out of my head is what drives me. iPhone, Holga, my. View Camera. All just brushes to capture reflected light of your mind.
Not sure I finished my thought haha. Bottom line we choose to shoot a mobile device because we enjoy the freedom it offers. It’s our fav brush or at least one of our fav brushes. Judge me image if you like not my gear. If I was to have a show I would not even let it be known what gear I used. It just does not matter in the end. It comes down to the image.
I love this conversation!!! (in part because it lends itself to so many others.) The arrival of the daguerreotype allegedly prompted the painter Delaroche to declare the death of painting, and so here we are again, this time declaring the death of photography in the digital age. Surely similar conversations were had in the middle of the century with the arrival of Kodak and Polaroid cameras in every middle class household in America. How precious can something be if ANYONE can do it? But then there goes Chuck Close, shooting portraits on an enormous Polaroid, and translating them into paintings, and it’s all as precious and new as ever again http://www.polaroidland.net/2012/04/07/cindy-sherman-instantly/
Beyond the conversations about photography as a discrete discipline, there is also something so fascinating to me about mobile photography as a conceptual medium. Scrolling through images in a feed speaks to the temporal nature of a photosharing community, each image passing through time the way melodies come and go within a piece of music. Also, as much as I love to see one of my photo squares printed and framed, for me there is something interesting about posting images which most likely will never be commodified, or held, or sold.
That being said, I wholeheartedly would love to see more mobile shows 😉 Thanks for a compelling read Anna!
I love this conversation too! I wouldn’t even think about calling myself a photographer but have a decent eye. I do call myself a photo editor or digital artist (in the making). I’ve always wanted to paint or color light – and yes, my artist friends laugh at me (and I along with them). But the digital camera and now my phone and editing via photoshop and now apps has taught me to see, see more, better, differently. This medium allows us to be artists in some small way and to develop our creativity in ways never imagined!
Keep going you got it!! I love your confidence!
I want to do it all. From personal shots with no artistic merit, to carefully staged pieces. From posting straight from the native camera to hours of careful editing on a myriad of apps. People would say that Mobile Photography is many things to many people, but I’d say further that it’s many things to me.
I’m no artist – most certainly not a photographer – but Instagram and Hipstamatic are the walking frame that helps us (well, certainly me) take a few tentative steps down the path to “art”. They are certainly not the downfall of photography. And if all that comes from it is that I can take a family photo and think about lines and lighting, then it’s a win.
.. but who knows.. maybe the hidden artist in me will come out.. 2013 is a new year 🙂
Most enjoyable read, Anna.
Hidden artist. Passhhhhhhha. I are you. You are right there!!
Thank you again, Anna! I do believe that we are all in this for a different reason and whatever the reason is, it brings everyone together – whether on the same level or not. I’m not a pro, have never taken a class but I have noticed an improvement from my initial days on IG. That being said, it comes from within and if one is passionate about it it will show. At least that’s my opinion.
Can’t wait to see what you bring on this year with this and the critique section. xo
Cool post, Anna. And your distinction of the casual sharing from what might be considered art is an important one. I know art when I see it, because it’s my own subjective perception – whether that’s a casual Instagram snapshot or a carefully-orchestrated traditional photo shoot.
I suppose the argument all depends on whether we feel the need to define or qualify “photography.” I don’t see how anything is killing it if more and more people are taking pictures. I love taking pictures with my iPhone and being able to sometimes use filters and editing tools to improve them and share them with people through my blog or other social media. I’m told I have a “good eye,” whatever that means. I think it’s fun and I think that shows in the images I capture. Thanks for sharing this thought-provoking conversation!