Well said, Darren! Several years ago, the owner a local gallery in which I had a number of images hanging, "ordered" (with a smile) me to quit being "so damned artsy and shoot a sunset." Told him I've always considered sunsets a cheap shot and I was beyond cliches. One evening I ran into one that I took the time to shoot. I've always felt it acceptable to sign and hang in a retail display and it's out sold any other picture. It's now the background image for an ale bottled in Northern California. The brewery owner is prepared to buy exclusive rights to that image as well as a couple of others sometime later. It's not all about $$, but, as I stated above, I'm esthetically pleased with the image. In every case it's all about the total setting and lighting.
Jack --- On Fri, 4/1/11, Darren Addy <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Darren Addy <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: Why do you shoot? > To: "Pentax-Discuss Mail List" <[email protected]> > Date: Friday, April 1, 2011, 11:12 AM > I also thank Collin for the > thought-provoking post. I think we know > what you mean by "cliche images" but I disagree with the > concept > entirely. I think what you call "cliche images" might more > readily be > called "obvious beauty". Sunsets, flowers, cute babies, > etc. They are > likely subjects that we all notice and want to capture. > They are > almost empirically beautiful and it may be hard not to be > attracted to > photograph them. > > However, there is a difference between noticing "obvious > beauty" and > capturing it well. Frankly, I think that if we are going to > condemn > artists for capturing obvious beauty, then we probably need > to condemn > Ansel Adams for taking another damn photo of a mountain (or > other > landscape) or stone Georgia O'Keefe for choosing to do a > painting of > yet another damn flower. I think that is silly. You could > spend your > whole life just getting better at photographing one genre > of "obvious > beauty", if you chose to do so. > > Now where I think Collin provides some inspiration and food > for > thought is in challenging us to extend our vision beyond > "obvious" > beauty, or perhaps leaving beauty altogether. One way that > I like to > challenge my eye is to go somewhere without obvious beauty > and then > try to find some by working only with the lines, shapes and > colors > that are there. Collin's theme suggestion is another good > way to > stretch one's eye/vision/execution. > > That would be my "spin" on Collin's word: Take out "cliche > images" and > replace it with "obvious beauty" and allow people to start > there or > stay there, if they so choose - but also consider > growing/expanding > your subjects. > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link > directly above and follow the directions. > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
