The State of Photography

Marsha - Whole Plate Black Glass Ambrotype - July 2012The debate continues (just started for some) about the state of photography. Or maybe I should say the death of photography, depending on your point of view.

Regardless of your opinion, and I know they range from,  “photography is dead” to, “photography’s never been better”, this is an important conversation to have.

Discussing this is a lot like discussing religion or politics. It can get very emotional. This isn’t about who’s right or who’s wrong. It’s not about what’s better or more valuable (at least in this context). This conversation needs to be about sharing ideas and staying away from platitudes. Critical thinking and honesty have to be the rules in this debate. 

As I’ve listened to the arguments over the last few years, I’ve taken these nuggets (at least for me) away from the conversations. Please keep in mind, these are notes collected on paper. Some of them are not fully formulated, but you'll get the idea. There are always more questions than answers, too. 

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In the 19^th Century, the word "mechanical", Baudelaire used it a lot in reference to photography, really meant, “copy”. We use it as a pejortive today. It was used in a different context then.

Is there a difference in photographs made for “the wall” or photographs made for “the page"?

It used to be, photographs not only taught you, or informed you, about the subject matter, but also taught you about photography itself. Is that over?

Do you think photographic sensibilities have changed in the last 20 years? If so, what’s different?

Are we swamped with imagery? Do we have "photography/photographic fatigue"?

Vincent van Gogh died in 1890. Forty years later MoMA opened with the hopes of never missing another van Gogh – they are swamped with imagery - what are they missing trying not to miss something?

What did Weston call himself, an artist or a photographer? Why?

Is tradition dead in photography? Do we care about anything that's older than a few weeks?

Artist or Photographer? Digital or Chemical? Does it matter?

Why do we care about photography?

Do we want continuity or discontinuity in the tradition of photography? Does it matter?

Is it fair to use the analogy of “over fishing (the oceans)” to “over photographing”?

Should we have a moratorium on photography? What could you live without?

Photographic practice: Historic or Contemporary? Does it matter?

What are the relevant ontological questions/relationships?

Nostalgia, nostalgic, elegy prone – are these words at the core of why we want to preserve photography?

Is the future of photography (or is it here now) going to be defined conceptually (only)

Have you read, “Sixty Billion Sunsets” by Julian Stallabrass? The professional, the snapper, the amateur, and the artist.

Are we experiencing the same anxiety we did in the mid-twentieth century switching from black and white to color photography? Or is this something completely different?

If I were to commission my friend, Hynek Martinec, to paint a hyper realistic portrait and put the same portrait next to it, a real photograph, and you were to see them from a distance (or even close up), you would think they were both photographs. Then when I told you the one on the left was a painting, how would that change your expectations or thoughts about the work?

We’re having a crisis around the object.

Photography always alludes to something in its best expression. Do you agree?

Thought experiment: literal versus expressive – what role does photography play for you?

Joel Snyder said , “I’m an unreconstructed modernist”. Is that cool or irrelevant?

There is an inexplicable visceral power in a still image. Does this apply to all images? Which ones?

Have you read. "Criticizing Photographs" by Terry Barrett?

Digital prints versus photographic prints – does it matter?

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What are your thoughts about the state of photography today?