Neil Barnes wrote:I'm not at all sure the comparison with a writer is valid. The fundamental point about the writer is that it is his words which tell the story. Whether they are mediated through a typist is immaterial; the typist may as well be a speech-to-text program and has no input save the mechanical transcription.
On the other hand, a 'photographer' who has the idea but performs none of the physical tasks of realising it? I think the technical term might be better 'director'.
Photography is, like painting, an art in which one might reasonably expect the artist to take a leading role in the creation of the image... "Right, apprentice, use some blue paint and give it some sky. A mountain over there, perhaps, and a tree? Yes, and a girl in a boat - use left-right strokes for that bit, and up-down strokes over there, and perhaps some stippling...'
Neil
Perhaps you're right Neil, maybe the writer analogy doesn't quite fit either, but we're also talking about mediation/ interpretation. Authors are often unhappy with the translation of their work into another language, and so perhaps that is more of relevant comparison...
Neil Barnes wrote:
Can't see it somehow. I really do want my photographers to have not only the vision but also to demonstrate the basic task skills of focus and exposure, and if relevant, lighting.
Neil
I agree, but I guess we're in a changing landscape (no pun intended). In the 1850's you needed to have an interest (or have an assistant) in chemistry, but film (and Kodak) changed all of that, and opened it up to everyone to make images of what they wanted in the way they felt appropriate. Now, as we all know, "~Everyone with a camera is a '
Photographer'"
I recently met Martin Creed, and whether you like him or not, he is a formidable creator - then even more recently, I met the owner of the company that (physically) built his 'Mothers' sculpture. Martin could not have achieved that work without the engineering company, and vice versa, but i'm not sure that makes him any less an Author of the piece? (that may be hugely off topic, but it's early and i'm rambling, but at 7am I do feel it fits in somehow).
Matthew