Nowadays everyone is a photographer, a digital one. They buy the fancy SLR‘s and act like the next Ansell Adams. And the photo’s they are not bad at all.
The cameras do the job; the photos are in focus, they have good lighting among other things. Just looking through the Flickr, the quality of some of the photos is astounding.
There is nothing wrong with people taking photos; the problem is with the claim of being or becoming an artist. The fact is that photography is no different from music or any other form of art. Amateurs will become self appointed professionals. Trying to become an artist becomes cliché.
The art itself is mostly cliché. The artist is cliché.
I am no expert, I don’t even own a digital camera but I know a good photo when I see one. I might not know why you want to slow down the shutter speed when taking still photography; but I know composition and 2 dimensional design & the theories.
The fact remains that a cliché doesn’t necessarily mean negative, it just means that when you are dealing with cliché, you have to be careful.
If you are taking a portrait photo of your very cute one your old nephew trying to walk, the photo will be cute but far from art, even bad art.
I go through photos online, I subscribe to a few photoblogs, go through Flickr and read many African and black blogs. As a designer roughly 15% of my work entails going through royalty free photography for use in the collaterals I design.
I love African, Rastafarian imagery, but its cliché. Anything relating to calling Africa will have a safari look, with earth toned yellows tint. Lions, giraffes, zebras are among the favorites. Long ago I designed a calling card to Africa, it was requested that I stay consistent with the theme.
Anything sociopolitical Ethiopia is going to have the red yellow and green. Over the past two three years it’s also been very popular to use make the background subject matter in black and white and the foreground bandira in color; as seen here. They even try to make it cute by adding little kids in the picture.
I was going through photos this morning as I stumbled upon an amazing royalty free photo. It’s red, yellow and green and it’s superb that I wanted to use it for as a desktop background. Then I thought I should share with you guys. I have made it available for download.
Just because its clichéd subject matter doesn’t mean it not nice. Red Yellow and Green is beautiful when it used tastefully as in bernos own Roots Tee. This is not a shameless plug.
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Published by November 26th, 2007 in African.Send this post to a friend
Arenguadew limlame, biCHaw selam siyasay, qeyu demo le’nat hegerachin andinet’na netsanet yefesesewn yabatochachinin dem yasayal…..so said my teacher from long long time ago….
I miss the national anthem we used to sing everyday before starting class while raising the flag..
betam yaseqal the propoganda
“I am no expert, I don’t even own a digital camera but I know a good photo when I see one.”
AMEN TO THIS..!!!
i have a problem with people who try to give this title to themseleves(I AM a musican, I AM a painter, I AM a photographer etc..) but no evidence..!! or the evidence isn’t equal the name!!
Well said and I also like the picture! Eventually cliché will start to admire the artist and the art. In addition I don’t have a problem when people say they are artist or musician. After all we all say we are into some profession and we say we are professionals. If they say the are artist and we dont like their art that still is ok. Probably we didn’t undertand thier work.
My problem is there is too much choice to even compare arts and works.
Nolawi,
Interesting observation! Recently, I found a blog (i’m assuming it runs by an ethiopian)and there’s a photograph section in the blog since, there’s no explanation about he/she artistic ability or profile in that area, i asked myself that what it takes to be a good photgrapher these days? Don’t get me wrong, it was good pictures, though. But, I could have taken it without making any effort. I do have pretty good camera and i’m sure it does a miracle if i utilized it fully (i’d say if the manual reading is completed) but that doesn’t make me a “photographer”. Or, does it? O.K folks! Grand Ma photography studio is coming soon near you
Nolawi:
Justme:
WHAT IS ART? Excerpts. This Q was FIRST asked in the 19th century by Tolstoy. I guess the question still remains unanswered.
Who decides good art from bad? What is the criteria? More specifically, who is a true artist? (There is no accreditation/certification per say for this.) According to Tolstoy, the most important thing of any work is SINCERITY. True work of art conveys “original thought”. So does it matter who focuses the lens (auto or manual) as long as what is captured is original?
In fact, some may argue becoming a “professional artist” diminishes the WORK. The arguments basically is, if one must earn a living by “producing” art then the end product is insincere i.e. main goal is money not pure art. So when an amateur claims to be an Artist, they are actually lowering their standards.
Just my 3¢…
[quote comment="102092"]Nolawi,
[/quote]
Interesting observation! Recently, I found a blog (i’m assuming it runs by an ethiopian)and there’s a photograph section in the blog since, there’s no explanation about he/she artistic ability or profile in that area, i asked myself that what it takes to be a good photgrapher these days? Don’t get me wrong, it was good pictures, though. But, I could have taken it without making any effort. I do have pretty good camera and i’m sure it does a miracle if i utilized it fully (i’d say if the manual reading is completed) but that doesn’t make me a “photographer”. Or, does it? O.K folks! Grand Ma photography studio is coming soon near you
Shit, by the new standards.. you are ready to display at MoMa
Nolawi,
Aha!i knew i could count on you. Thanks for the link. I guess, it all comes down to “beauty in the eye of beholder”. I read about Martin Puryear’s profile in the New yorker magazine last week and his art is odd, very complex. In the contrary he looks such a “normal” guy. Emmm..what’s normal looking anyway? I meant to say emmm…
“I am no expert, I don’t even own a digital camera but I know a good photo when I see one.”
I’m definitely not an expert but I can’t say that I do know a good photo when I see it. I do know what I like, and what triggers the happy place in my brain but I think that’s the beauty of art – that it’s so subjective.
anyone who has gone through photography classes would know the work that goes behind those dark rooms. the anxiety of getting the perfect frame, tone, depth and essence to make the image stand out, tell a story and eventually get mounted on a frame for display. photographers go through tons of rolls of films before getting the perfect image.
Anyhow, glad you brought this up, great observation
and with all this digital photos, photography is going to become one of those authentic art, i feel like everytime i see a black and white picture (that’s not digital) as classic b/c you don’t see those everyday.
I have taken one of those….. classes and the first project was to make a camera. This is in art school.
That was all they said. Make a camera and bring it to Class next week and we left.
They ask us for weird things like drop an egg from the roof of the second floor without breaking it… So i made a parachute for an egg and a sponge padding at the bottom and it didn’t break…
so back to camera…. everyone goes and does research on how to build a camera… then I found out the you make a camera by making a whole in box… and letting light get in for seconds while it exposes the picture…
sorry what is art again? enlighten me
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