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 p.1 #4 · What Photographers Make | |
Because it's a job of work, a labour. And unskilled labour at that. Photography never made it to the professions, was pioneered mostly by women and seen as a women’s hobby ~ now whilst the west don’t consider women second class people and haven’t for hundreds of years, they are still not taken too seriously, so despite women losing interest in the commercial photography segment, it’s origins were [and still are] not taken too seriously.
As it was seen as a women’s issue it could not gain credence with the ruling male clubs and photography was also shrouded in mystery as one initially had to be married to a rich husband and then consort with the devil [chemistry] and capture [craven] images which an increasingly enlightening public still thought was witchcraft.
Circa 1972, showing some of my classmates a print developing earned me the title ‘wizard’ which stuck until graduation. Even though the process had been explained in detail … seeing the image develop does look magical, devilish or spooky.
Photography never made it to the professions or even the trades, and is classed as unskilled labour. Individual photographers can become iconic, Adams, Rowell, Leibovitz, Bailey, Lichfield, Breson, Rosenthal and some become wealthy from the fruits of their labours in print sales and workshops, it’s still probably fair to say that most people don’t appreciate the photographer.
We might love his photograph as an artist his painting, but we’re less inclined to commission him, it’s his camera that makes the image, the photographer cannot create the image ~ what’s in front of the photographer’s camera is anybody’s to trip the shutter. Even on some large studios it's the apprentice who actually takes the photo ~ a stylist will dress the set, costume the models, make-up the beauty and a graphic designer the look, unless the photographer is all these things, and some are, most aren’t, then what is there left for the photographer to do? The fantastic artwork gracing our magazine and posters may have no resemblance to what the photographer submitted out of this camera. His/her name may only ever appear on the cheque.
It’s very difficult for a photographer to be creative, anyone can take a picture as good as his whereas the artist’s paint brushes won’t paint anything by themselves, an English artist, Hockney, stunned the world with a fantastic photographic exhibition ~ after the accolades, he spilled the beans, his masterpieces were taken by a donkey with a Minolta camera strapped to it’s side, the NEW autofocus system and electronic metering made the ‘art’ of photography dead and OPEN to the masses.
Edited on May 12, 2008 at 02:27 PM
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How long have you been rewritng history?