On 7/24/05, Cotty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Unless one read into the background of how these photographers worked, it > would be quite possible to assume the vice versa. > > Which comes back to my point that a single photograph must stand on its > own merits. And hence, cannot be judged as a snapshot (or not) at all. > > Only the photographer will truly know if a photo he/she has taken, is a > snapshot. > > > >
I think that what distinguishes snapshots from other types of photos spontaneity. That term's been sort of touched upon (especially when Bob talked about the difference between Doisneau's The Kiss and anything by, for instance, HCB). The results don't tell the difference, but the process does. That's not to say that a snapshot isn't planned to some extent, and that's not to say that the photographer can't have some input or influence as to how the subjects may (or may not) act (or react). I think that much of what I shoot (for better or worse) could be considered to be snapshots. When I go out shooting (unless it's for a planned event such as a concert or the like), I have no idea what I'll come across, or what I'll choose to shoot. But, that's not to say that I don't plan ahead (a redundant term, I know: planning implies "planning ahead"). I choose a certain camera, lens and film, I may choose where I'll go, I may know ahead of time that I'm likely come across a certain event or group of people. I may ~hope~ to see or photograph a certain thing(s) or person(s), not knowing for certain if that will come to pass. As I walk down the street (or wherever I am), my camera will be set a certain way, held a certain way, and I'll be looking at the world in a different way than I would if I were out for a casual stroll. All of that is planned and deliberate. It's what I see and photograph that's beyond my ability to plan. Of course, the irony is that the typical "family snapshot" actually isn't one at all, is it? "Edith, Horatio, you stand in the back, Inez, Pierre, Moragh, you get in the front, now all of you move to the left, so I can get the Space Needle in the frame... Okay, say cheese!" That's not a snapshot, is it? It's staged by the photographer, so how could it be a snapshot? Bottom line, a good photo is a good photo, no matter how acquired. cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
