What is the Point of Photography ?

helen.HH

helen.HH

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What is the point of Photography?

Is it that 'Magic Moment' when undeniable history and art are brought together by, the photographer, who somehow senses that moment and snaps it into place – an image that is immortal!
Or the Beauty of a photo of the Family, a beloved, a pet, a friend, a stranger that evokes pure memory of a moment in time.

The Photographers reward is his focus; he learns to focus in on whatever is going on, or at least the feeling in the moment. One makes a snap judgment. When I have a camera in hand and am in pursuit of a photo, the World looks entirely different, sometimes black & white, sometimes color but always symbolic.

Just like we can tell the difference between John Coltrane and Miles Davis we can recognize Elliott Erwitt from Bill Brandt. Thus every photograph is a study in anthropology and psychology and Light. It is Van Gogh the man that fascinates us, the cutting off of an ear, the fumbled and no doubt painful suicide. We have the paintings to remind us of that history. One has a distinct signature, which is written in life. Your Life and the way You see...
Eric always said photography was pure magic !

What are your Thoughts ?
 
I want to make something beautiful and so engage with the spontaneity of light and space and time to take part in its creation. The manifestation of this experience is different depending on the camera, the type of subject, etc. But for me, it is always about beauty and its pursuit.
 
I have no idea what the point of photography is.

But this Wikipedia entry on the parable of the blind men and the elephant is likely a mirror on what photographers “think” the point of photography is:

“The parable of the Blind Men and an Elephant originated in the ancient Indian subcontinent, from where it has been widely diffused. It is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and conceptualize what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the elephant's body, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then describe the elephant based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true.”
 
Long answer - to document what is there. I prefer to document things of beauty, be it buildings, flowers or cars or scenery (or whatever will of the wisp I'm pursuing), but for me the most important thing is that it is wie es eigentlich gewesen. A lifelong study of history, its uses and misuses combined with a real appreciation of the writings of George Orwell lead me in my own trivial way to wish not to misrepresent for any purpose, let alone artistic.

Short answer, because I like doing it and find pleasure in the tactile sensations of handling and operating cameras!
 
Very Cool Perspectives, Vision... Thank YOU !

To LCTSmith
what more is there than be Drunk on Beauty, Light

To Larry
Make no difference for thereby cometh Pain...
the Beauty in truly listening & sharing

To Charles
Documentation in all it's forms... funny You mention Orwell, I am now reading
"Down and out in Paris and London"
 
If by the question you mean, what is its purpose FOR ME, I ponder that more and more. The thread of meaning seems to be unraveling as I age.

John
 
My 10c worth. To focus my mind on an aspect of time and reality, albeit fleeting, and wait for that perfect moment when order emerges from chaos, and then to capture it frozen forever.
 
I'm simple, I want to create images that I like to look at. Images that invoke an emotional response, capture a sense of place, time, possibly drama. Images that get the imagination going.

Not sure it has any greater meaning for me.

Best,
-Tim
 
I take photos since when I was very young, my Dad was a passionate amateur photographer...

I think it is a combination of two main reasons, one is to stop a special (to me) moment in life and the other is the attempt to creat my own world, a place between memories, dreams (nightmares sometimes), fairy tales...in one word my emotions.
 
Photography is but one aspect for the search for meaning. For some it may be construction or building, for others its another artistic endeavor such as music of one or more genres. And for others its being of service to others in social work/medical/nursing care, or the Clergy. And for still others it is philanthropy, seeking justice in law, making or revising laws to achieve justice, or simply listening to or helping someone other than oneself.

The list goes on...like Larry's reference above, meaning varies with each individual life and experience. But we all seek it, and hopefully find it.

Physical beauty and happiness come and go. Meaning and sense of purpose are more lasting. For some, photography can bring meaning and purpose. Perhaps a search for images that go beyond mere physical beauty, that serve a greater purpose.
 
The point of photography is that most people are lousy painters!



If you subscribe to the philosophy of time where there are no objects, only events, then the point of photography is a doomed practice of attempting to contain the universe in 2 dimensions. Typical of human hubris of thinking they are separate from, and in control of, something that clearly eludes them. That said, the world is a very wacky place and even wackier chopped into bits known as photographs. This process is great fun and also quite revealing, which makes it very interesting.
 
ellisson said:
Physical beauty and happiness come and go. Meaning and sense of purpose are more lasting. For some, photography can bring meaning and purpose. Perhaps a search for images that go beyond mere physical beauty, that serve a greater purpose.
Click to expand...

To be sure. One must distinguish, of course, between Beauty and mere pulchritude.

Regarding "photography serving a greater purpose", I think that's a noble sentiment. Clearly an entire industry of news images offers this product. And yet, for me, this is to reduce photography to mere documenting. One might as well reduce formal portraiture to mere forensic face sketches. I would also argue that "news" photographs rely on a pretense of fact for their efficacy and meaning. But photographs are only depictions; and all we know about the depicted is the depiction. It has no side or back. A photograph is not a fact, but a fiction -- a fiction, perhaps, which communicates a truth.
 
For me photography has always been about the process, a way to escape, relax, and focus on a creating a moment for me to capture. I'm introverted, and have social anxiety so street photography and capturing the "decisive moment" were always out of the question for me. I gravitated more towards studio portraiture, fashion photography, and conceptual set design where I could relax in a controlled environment. I compare it to working as a sculptor vs hunting in the wilderness.
 
What is the Point of Photography ?

For me it’s all about creating visual poetry. To show other people how I see the world. The point is to share our vision with ourselves and others. Sometimes it’s vain, other times it’s visual pain, love, laughter, curiosity, sadness, mostly it’s just the need to share.

Why did Van Gogh continue to paint when everyone told him his paintings sucked? Why, why, why? Why not?

All the best,
Mike
 
Many purposes act of photography might serve.

Gear reviewers are bad photographers, but they take good photos for technicalities.

Street photography vloggers are often just gear reviewers, but stream of so-so pictures gives some functional description of place and time those photos were taken.

Some gift less photos taken with LF becomes called as art just because it was taken with LF. At least, those with LF are often calling themselves as an artists, just because photos were taken with LF and it has more shades of grey. And if same lousy crap is taken with not LF it is not art. Because here is less shades of grey. So LF photography purpose is to have rights to call yourself as an artist. Even if you just do more technicalities and nothing else.

Photography could be just as description. I forgot already this elite naming convention MOMa has. Something like "coronavascular" photography. Like photos of manufactured goods, results of some technical actions and so on. Pictures of the moon by researches.

Some portraits could be just passport type of photos. Or they could be like Jane Bown portraits with her walking around sitter and waiting for the moment. Or Disfarmer studio setup were he kept people for as long in front of the camera as long they will start to be themselves.

Street or family picture is no difference. You could ask stranger to stay still and glaze like an idiot into the camera and your family photos could be taken same way.
Or you could take candids on the street and at home. Those American lady with 8x10 and huge prints of her large family almost as is, forgot her name.

To me, honestly, photography purpose is often nothing but act of time spending. I like just the process of taking the image. Dealing with it by LR or in DR, not really... It looks like picture still stays in me, even if it was taken and printed. And it looks different in my mind than on the image. Always.
I like different cameras, types and media not because it looks different (sometimes) on pictures, but because act of image taking is also different.
LF is ideal setup for it. You have to spend tremendous amount of time to get lousy snapshot which will looks better if taken withing few seconds by toy camera. But the process of taking the image with LF is fascinating. I already purchased 6x9 to 4x5 film back :).
 
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