Photographers are being incresingly disconnected from the unpredictable nature of people, & shooting more and more Things. A photo culture based on Things is crucially advantageous to the Photo Marketing Industry, of course — more megapixels, longer zoom lenses, closer macros, these are quantifiable attributes that have come to define “quality” for many photographers of Things, and these are qualities that you can buy. Qualities that can’t be handily quantified, that can’t be made into a feature for the general consumer — are ignored. Thus we still haven’t seen a consumer digicam that is instant-on, or one with a genuine wide-angle lens, or one that can be set manually for quick, close-in shooting where the interaction betyween the photographer and the choatic unpredictable world of unposed and unprepped People is in full force.
An interesting thought at Botzilla.
I disagree. Fifty years ago there was just as much dick-measuring over lens design, body type, handheld meter functions, enlarger make and bulb type, etc.
There have always been idiots who obsess over the numbers and stats, in photography and sports and Oscar trivia.
Nothing has changed.
Yes, photography has always been full of techies. The technological factors that enter the production of a photographic image are so many, that some people get stuck there, arguing endlessly about Zeiss versus Leitz optics, developer formulae or whatever. The photographs they produce are sometimes more seen as a vehicle for showing off the technological skills, rather than trying to depict the world outside of photography.
Still, I think the post at Botzilla contains something interesting. We have yet to see digital cameras with tactile qualities - an interface, if you like - that permit the photographer to work fast and concentrate on the essentials. But hopefully such cameras will come along. Just like Oscar Barnack and some others changed camera technologies back in the 20’s.
Great link. Slowly but not inevitably we have become an object objectified society. Our thoughts, ideas, photos and subliminal impulses seem edited even before they are produced. People are the marrow of life, too bad this commonsensical fact is easily forgotten when viewing most photoblogs. I like your site, I’ll be back.
Cole
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