Originality
posted by Fotofill on 16 Aug 11 09:21 Add Comment
I'm often told being original and creating something unique is the key to success in the world. Doing something different, offering a new perspective that nobody else can provide to enrich a collective opinion on a subject matter.
I'm starting to wonder how far being original can really get you in the world of photography, in it's current form. Judging a photograph is a very subjective task, often relying ultimately (after technical "correctness" has been assessed) on a person's personal opinion to gauge whether a photograph is good or bad.
What if people begin to reject an original piece of photographic art work, because it does not converge with current stylistic trends happening in the world of photography today - or even worse, what if your audience fails completely to understand what you have tried to achieve in your photography, because it cannot be quickly consumed.
Taking an impartial view, as often a good photographer should try and do, you'd have to consider that what you thought was an masterpiece example of shiny originality is nothing more than scrap paper, however equally perhaps you have to consider that nobody understand your intentions within the photograph, perhaps you did not communicate well enough within the medium for it to be understood; however there is also a third considering, that the people who see your work are unwilling, and/or perhaps unable to interpret your art as you yourself would do - Perhaps you've over estimated your audience.
Consider an audience who over the period of their life's have been trained, passively or directly, through one medium or another (i.e. television, adverts, magazines) of what constitutes a good photograph, if the standards have always been that of technically excellent pictures, unblemished and imperfection free, when they try and directly consume the medium, this is what they're going to expect, easy to digest, obvious (perhaps cliche?) pictures, the audience may not have necessarily been trained to think about a photograph, or deduce a deeper meaning, if a message cannot be communicated in under 10 seconds, what would be the point of a photograph? would the photograph have failed in it's own right? Is it correct of us to dismiss everything that has to be more slowly digested? Is a photograph even worthy of lengthy attention?
The point I'm so inelegant wading towards (and I should get to it soon, as I've began asking rhetorical questions) if a certain style and standard of photography is expected, and if everybody is looking for that style, is it worth trying to be original and different, would truly original works of art be completely ignore in todays modern world? Perhaps it's best to join the fold and start creating cliche images, but try and become the very best at it, becoming technically excellent at a single subject.
Perhaps you could become the very best at taking pictures of jetty perched on the side of lakes on a misty morning, or become excellent at taking pictures of birds sitting on electricity cables or even become professional at taking pictures ethnic minorities in far away lands (you know who you are, you do it because you think it's moody and arty and helping the people, when really it's patronising and condescending, promoting a misguided image) The world of cliches is at your very fingertips.
When your faced with photo sharing website after another, full of pictures, all looking exceptional beautiful, but all with incredible dull, uninspired subject matter, where else do you go? I believe the skill in photography is that you can make something exceptional ugly, or awkward, into something genuinely interesting and attractive with no further aids apart from that of your camera. Picture that man who lives down the street, he may have a rudder for a nose, and his girlfriend has had her face chewed off by a dog, but you can make them pretty, you can find what makes them tick with a simple click of a shutter and show the world what goes on beyond the superficial outer shell. How about that rubbish pile at the opposite end of the street, a rubbish pile can be genuinely interesting to look at, bits of old rubbish with writing on, or just junk in general, find something that interests you, no matter how ugly society perceives it too be, and make it sing.
With talk of inner beauty, and looking beyond the ordinary scope of originality it's clear I may be entering the realms of irony, I shall leave you with my thoughts. I shall probably also leave you with the impression my spelling & grammar checking systems should really be turned on.