I spend a fair bit of time on Twitter. I follow lots of different people; I’ve got varied interests. I follow quite a few political types; some bookish folk; friends, of course; a smattering of guilty-pleasure celebs; and of course I follow some people who take photographs. I used to follow a lot of the same people I’m friends with or an acquaintance of from Flickr, but over the last few months I’ve gradually taken them off my list. Now I tend to only follow those who have an added bonus, for example, photographers who are also politically minded, or people I’ve become particularly fond of and who make me laugh. There are two reasons I’ve cut my list down: firstly, it’s difficult to keep track of people when your timeline is clogged with the tweets of 300+ people; and secondly, I’m increasingly disillusioned with the Flickr/amateur photographer ‘scene’, and that disillusion leads to bitter cynicism and angry outbursts – something I try to reserve for the bastards that really deserve it (read: the Tories).
It isn’t amateur photography, and amateur photographers, in general that I’m bitter about disillusioned with, but the ‘look at me I’m an artist don’t you know’ bollocks that accompanies much of it. Like the endless re-tweeting of quotations from photography’s great and good.
There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs. – Ansel Adams
Ugh. What are you trying to prove when you quote that? That you share Adams’ insight? That you’re super creative? “Wow man, that’s like, just, like, so profound man.” And of course, some names inspire blind faith.
A photograph is not an accident – it is a concept. – Ansel Adams
What utter bollocks. A photograph is a photograph. You can attach concepts to it, it can be representative of something depending on the context, but it, the photograph, is just a photograph. Of course, it’s heresy to say that, because Adams wasn’t just a man, he was a genius, a higher species, a god.
I’d much rather someone quote, if they must, this:
It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment. – Ansel Adams
But how rarely do people with such awesome depth of artistic vision </bitter sarcasm> comment on something that is of real importance.
Part of my strong reaction against this (and I mean, they’re only quotations, innocuous and harmless) comes from a wider hatred of the ‘quotation culture’ of Twitter, something I’m happy to admit is likely irrational and probably ridiculous. Nevertheless, it’s a hatred I have, and one that’s exacerbated by a more general dislike for the pretensions of the Flickr/amateur scene. Everyone’s a creative genius, producing their ‘art’, their artist statements, crafting a paragraph or two on their ‘vision’ in obscure, flowery language that, quite frankly, does more to make me think they’re a dullard nobhead pseud than if they were to quote Ansel Adams every day.
I make no claims to be an authority on what art is, or on what makes a good photograph, not least because I simply don’t care. I used to. I was an idiot. I understand that people attach a narrative to what they do, either to justify it, or to position themselves as this type of person or that. It’s impossible to be objective about why you do anything creative, in fact about why you do anything at all, and I’m no different. I’ll tell you I take photos because I like carrying a camera, framing a shot, and pressing the button. I’ll say I take photos because I can’t draw or paint, and at least if I take a photo I’ve got a decent chance of it turning out looking reasonably pleasant. I’ll explain my photos aren’t about anything, that I just like making something that looks pretty, that I take photos because I can, and because it’s something to do, because everyone needs a hobby. And I’ve already told you I think artistic posturing is bollocks, and that those who do it are just trying to make themselves feel like they’re worth something, and are a part of something. But of course, when I tell you that I’m posturing myself, claiming I’m better than them because I don’t need to pretend I’m an artist. The only real difference I can see is that I’m honest about being full of shit (<-- that is posturing as well).
Here's a pretty picture that means jack shit (<-- more posturing):
© catherine buca 2010
