Where Photography Go?

After all that “manipulators” have left photography and turned other way, and quarreling around internet what is photography, I feel that photography is picking up and stream there where it belongs. Many predictions of demise of photography proved wrong, many restructuring are done as the result of leaving mass production, and back to “normal”. I think that real danger to photography was not digital illustrations and commercial advertising business sake, but that “mass produced guys” that actually never was interested in photography. If we look back why and when photography is invented, who started it, the way it passed up to today, and when it just got over saturated that digi* illustration came to clear the air. I also think that there was no better way for photography.
Future of photography, as I see, is B&W high quality commercial work and art.

What you think where photography go. Or to avoid a crystal ball, what is photography that you target in future (e.g. personal photography, art photography, macro work, B&W/Color,…).

www.Leica-R.com

Daniel_OB said:

After all that “manipulators” have left photography and turned other way, and quarreling around internet what is photography, I feel that photography is picking up and stream there where it belongs. Many predictions of demise of photography proved wrong, many restructuring are done as the result of leaving mass production, and back to “normal”. I think that real danger to photography was not digital illustrations and commercial advertising business sake, but that “mass produced guys” that actually never was interested in photography. If we look back why and when photography is invented, who started it, the way it passed up to today, and when it just got over saturated that digi* illustration came to clear the air. I also think that there was no better way for photography.
Future of photography, as I see, is B&W high quality commercial work and art.

What you think where photography go. Or to avoid a crystal ball, what is photography that you target in future (e.g. personal photography, art photography, macro work, B&W/Color,…).

www.Leica-R.com

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I'm not sure where you're going with this, but to me photography means a lot of things so I will not quit. I've come to a point where I just don't care about what other people do or say about photography in general.

By the way, quite frankly, I think the "mass-produced" guys are in every business where the potential money is. For example, in Japan, 5,6 years after seeing the miserable failure of the privatized public school system in the U.S. that was the Edison School, we've got the exact same copied model, the same stinky animal over here now. The head of the company is from a corporate food-chain business, and I doubt he knows anything about education. I don't think anyone does believe he does, but he's "interested" in education and the current educational reforms. I don't think I have to explain more.

Anyway, yesterday, I walked into a camera store and saw some nicely low-priced used professional film cameras in there. Maybe they used to be owned by pros, or some "mass-produced" guys, I don't know, but I'll probably come back to the store soon and buy what I really need.

That was after seeing a film about Henri Cartier-Bresson in a small and empty art film theater; I sat with one other person in the audience for the entire screening. I wasn't surprised by that, though. But the film after the one we saw, which was some trendy twenty-something digi-movie stuff that I didn't even care, had many people waiting in line at the door. That was a little shocking.

Well, what I'm trying to say is that I know what exactly I want despite the current fashion and/or trend out there. Techinically I could only hand-produce my photos, which takes a lot of time. If I hurry up and do that to get a volume in quantity, I'll screw up badly. If I switch to the current digi stuff, I'll never be as happy, and that's for sure.

My dad had a camera when I was a kid and it was a big thing (mid 60's). He gave me one when I was a little older and I promptly left it in the rain and ruined the camera and pissed off my folks.
25 years later my girl at the time bought me a little nikon and it was back on.

I do it because I can.
I like looking at it because It makes me want to do it more.
It is art.

Life is a good thing when you can do things that are hard because they are fun...

Daniel_OB, I can't manage to make sense of most of your post?

But "B&W high quality commercial work and art" is what I aim for myself - I take (and make) pictures primarily for my own satisfaction. If somebody calls it "art" and is willing to pay for it, then I'm really satisfied.

I don't know if this is where Daniel is going, but all the posts so far have mirrored my thoughts on continuing my (humble) film image efforts. I'm SO involved I'm not willing to spend the time/money to aquire the digital knowledge/equipment to adequately post those efforts here. "One track" Jo!

Daniel_OB said:

After all that “manipulators” have left photography and turned other way, and quarreling around internet what is photography, I feel that photography is picking up and stream there where it belongs. Many predictions of demise of photography proved wrong, many restructuring are done as the result of leaving mass production, and back to “normal”. I think that real danger to photography was not digital illustrations and commercial advertising business sake, but that “mass produced guys” that actually never was interested in photography. If we look back why and when photography is invented, who started it, the way it passed up to today, and when it just got over saturated that digi* illustration came to clear the air. I also think that there was no better way for photography.
Future of photography, as I see, is B&W high quality commercial work and art.

What you think where photography go. Or to avoid a crystal ball, what is photography that you target in future (e.g. personal photography, art photography, macro work, B&W/Color,…).

www.Leica-R.com

Click to expand...

what??

Where is my photography moving? Don't know, it's been moving in the wrong directions for some time and right now its almost nonexicting. What I hope for is that I do get to build that Darkroom in the shed we are going to extend.
I have decided to get me a 5X7" camera and since my 35mm gear don't get used that much (shooting 6X7 instead) it seems Im moving up in format.
I started in 35mm colorslides ->35mm B&W->6X6 B&W and now Im shooting 6X7 B&W and color negs. It's kind of silly, I think, that I still shoots B&W when Im without a Darkroom but I can't help it. I also feel like shooting some 6X7 Slides. Again I don't really know why cause I don't have neither a projector nor a scanner so I can't see the results on screen or paper. We have finally got infected with a Dcam in the house and the darned thing is really annoying maybe that will make me shoot my Nikons some more (instant action when pressing the shutter). Im getting more and more interested in LF, both B&W and Color and I like the slow process when Im shooting my 6X7 so I can't wait moving up format once more. Subject vice I have moved from color Macro/closeups (35mm) to landscapes in B&W(6X7) and people (6X7,35mm), or erh that is, my son. The plan with the 5X7" was to do some contacts, POP and maybe some argyrotype. I have done some figurestudies in B&W a subject that Id like to take up again. What I find disturbing is that it seems Im abandoning 35mm whether its because Im moving upformat or because.......... I don't know.
I still love photographing film and I will continue as long as its possible even though the d***thing would be easier and give results which film, apart from the color rushprints, doesn't under the curent circumstances.
Strange and against all odds
Cheers
Søren

Don't worry about "photography"

Make your own pictures.. Successfully anticipating trends simply means your work will be received as mainstream and bland. No one ever made memorable art by examining demographics in advance.

Ignore "photography." Stop reading photo rags (most of which are really just monthly catalogs for manufacturers, with minimal photo content). Look at your pictures. Look at the world. Think about what makes each interesting. Make more pictures. Remind yourself that the best pictures are yet to be made. Remind yourself that such a promise is only true if you work at it.

"photography" will work it own self out

Photography is merely self expression with a camera.

Where will it go?

It'll go where you take it.

Don't overthink it, just do it.

As bjorke says, "it'll look after itself.


Michael

bjorke
All you said is correct. But this is not started to pick up some advice what is me (or anyone) to shoot. It is like coffee talk, what is your photography all about and what you are thinking about your future photography, or what is it you would like to do with your photography. E.g. I like to come close to the subject and examine its the most important details, and I like to have (most of the time) nice blur too included into my photographs... it is one part where I target my photography, it is where it go for me, as I think today...
www.Leica-R.com

I do it for the women.

Well why didn't you just say so instead of all this talk about the "demise" of photography and "mass production."

I am working on verbs. Nouns are easy. Verbs are hard. Especially if you are trying to avoid closed-form narrative. I prefer photos that are open-ended, more poems than stories.That, and the chicks.

It follows a path much like ours....

Remember when just a decent "snap" was a thrill? Then you got into the "artsy" shots. Then you got this idea in your head that this could be more than mere recording of events or literal representations of the world around you.

"Yup, that looks like an old car sittin' in a field all right." Or some such response. For a while, we're happy with that reaction.

Yet we keep looking and soon begin to see. Then we get off in the weeds for a while with the technical side. Oh, how we agonize over the 1/10th stop accuracy of our light meters. The precise measurement of our chemicals. We wonder how we can ever get the perfect tilt, swing and/or rise.

And then, we end the struggle with our technique and begin to visualize. We begin to process what we see through our own emotions and experiences. And soon, we find ourselves painting with light.

And before too long, we realize that because we've begun to feel a powerful and intimate connection to the images we create, so do others. We then realize that it isn't just art, it is communication at one of the deepest levels.

Although I mentally title most of my photographs, I generally don't label them. I let the viewer have their own experience with the image. Sometimes they share it with me. Other times they don't. But when they do, it's rarely the perception or feeling that I had. It's always personal and far more interesting than mine.

Wayne

I think film photography will level out at some point and find it's place in the world again. There will always be film and those that love this format..I am not a die hard about anything in photography. I shoot film still but then I scan it. I think we can all agree that digital photography is the future of imaging. That is where the money and new developments are at. When movies went from silent to sound there was a lot of commotion over that. But there is no holding back the times.

nolanr66 said:

I think film photography will level out at some point and find it's place in the world again. [...]

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I would tend to agree. Even Vinyl records - the closest analogy to the current film situation I have found - shrank, stabilized and is now growing again (albeit it won't be as big as it was before - and some of the best turntables ever done are available now, actually)

Vinyl records, ah another of my weaknesses. The trouble is that most people have never heard a well looked after record played through a real HiFi system and so have no idea just how good they are compared to CD. Likewise, most people have never seen their photographs at their best and so don't know how good film is. I used to teach photography and it used to frustrate me that so many of the students would buy expensive cameras and lenses and then get tatty col neg consumer film and have it printed by the cheapest available local mini lab. That said, most people probably don't care. If aunty Mary is recognisable in their snaps, or they can hear the tune on their ipod, they're happy.

David.

Well the mass geekness factor in digital photography has really, I mean really taking over for now. A lot of monkeying around around for less than excetional photos in the end. Once the fad is over, the art expression will come back.

Gonzo all the way, digital is the new dumb.

Cheers,

Chris

radiantdarkroom said:

Well the mass geekness factor in digital photography has really, I mean really taking over for now. A lot of monkeying around around for less than excetional photos in the end. Once the fad is over, the art expression will come back.

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In my opinion if D689%^85L offered superior pictures, really, then my attitude would be "it's a fair cop." But so far, it hasn't done anything but win on the convenience factor.