Photography has always been controversial in terms of whether it can be considered an art form such as painting. Nowadays we can safely say that it has become more accepted as such.
Yet we now have photographers worried that AI will take over and that the skill of a photographer is no longer required. Historically, this is nothing new. In 1924, various members of the Bauhaus were writing that painting would die because of photography! And if we think about what the famous painters were producing back then, Picasso was in his prime and painters simply became more creative, moving away from the rigid structure of purely representational scenes to more abstract and engaging work.
It is now the same for photographers; we also must adapt and embrace our creativity.
With an estimated 5 billion photographs being taken daily around the world, I would say that photography is more alive than ever! It doesn't matter which medium we choose to embrace, whether it is film or digital - what's important is to develop your own unique visual language. It is our own voice which is making a statement. A student recently asked me which I prefer, film or digital? The answer to this particular question would have to be a very long blog post! In short, I enjoy shooting both film and digital equally. There is currently a lot of snobbery, even elitist views from the analogue purists. Film is having a resurgence, which is great. However, we must recall why digital photography took over, and that is ultimately because image quality is much, much better. Yes of course it's arguable that film simply has that nostalgic and very pleasing aesthetic. There are various processes which allow us to experiment with film in the darkroom, but we can do much more with digital and post-processing. We can develop our own unique aesthetic. We shouldn't undermine digital as a creative process. There is as much care and attention, and subtlety, that goes into any digital image, as there would be with analogue, perhaps more given the limitations of film. The entire print process of digital opens up an expansive array of paper types, each giving a unique look. I myself spend many, many hours experimenting with papers and making delicate changes in post-processing which eventually allow me to finely hone the style of each project.
And this brings me back to the image we see here. A blurred Mt Fuji. Why? Because at present I am unsure of the aesthetic that I'd like for my most recent images from Japan. Seeing Fuji-san up close for the first time is a profound experience. No photograph can really portray the scale of this most venerable mountain. I want the photographs I made here to at least attempt to capture the mysterious power of the mountain, and I'm simply not sure at this stage where I'd like to go with these images. They may even end up being mixed media. All of my projects require at least a few months' gestation period in which they are viewed, contemplated, and then put aside again for awhile.
Whatever medium we choose, the overiding objective should be to produce work which authentically evokes our emotional connection with the subject. When we feel a deep connection and belief in our work, more often than not, it resonate with others.
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Also see Thoughts on Photography #01
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