Creating to please

Photographers are often a unique bunch of people. Since we have the technology and ability to effectively record people, objects, and scenes almost as they exist in reality some believe that a photograph must always reflect reality, at least their concept of reality. Anything short of their version of reality is not photography. As a result, many begin to create to please the views of the reality photographers rather than their own vision.

If we visit an art museum or art gallery and view paintings and sculptures we often see that those artists create their vision rather than attempt to recreate people, things, and scenes as they exist in reality. They create what they see in their mind and express their emotions, ideas, and concepts. Photography is often not viewed as real art because of the very nature that it captures a scene, person, or object as it exists requiring little to no talent by the photographer. Often other visual artists believe photography is just pushing a button. When other visual artists comment that photography isn’t really art often photographers get offended yet they are the very ones who perpetuate this mindset because everything has to be a photocopy of reality rather than an artist’s interpretation.

More so than ever we photographers have within our grasp to easily create an artist’s interpretation of a person, object, or scene through software. When photographs had to be developed in the darkroom with the use of chemicals it was much more complex and often beyond the reach of many who lacked the ability to have a dedicated darkroom.

If we, as photographers, want to truly advance photography to become more accepted as art should we not open our minds and attitudes towards becoming more creative rather than focusing on photocopying the world around us. Should we stop creating to please other reality photographers and create to please our own need to be artists?