Monday, January 14, 2013

Photography As Art?

Let me begin by first making it clear that I do think photography is art, and that some photographers are incredibly talented.  But, as someone once said, one of the problems with most people seeing photography as art is the fact that everyone has a camera and takes photos.  Most of us can't draw or paint or sculpt, and so we see the things that we can't do and understand the gift of art, but almost all of us have a camera and we can push a button and that seems to make a major difference in how people view the medium.

But I do have to say, and this is the point of this post, that some photographers do not do themselves any help in this matter.  After every football game you see the coaches and the players go into the middle to greet each other, and amongst them will be professional photographers taking photos.  But not just any photos, they are holding their cameras up over their heads just snapping away.  Every time I see that I know there are people thinking "Hey, I can hold a camera over my head and snap photos, maybe that's what I should do with my life," and the art of photography takes 10 steps backwards.

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