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With davin getting closer to signing off on the site design for AdrianTaverner.ca I’ve been motoring through the huge backlog of frames that has been haunting my dreams for months (compounding daily). Despite the rush it’s been good to go back and see where I’ve been and how far I’ve come even in the past year. By the time the site is ready for launch I should have my goal of a hundred portfolio shots all set. Hopefully the launch isn’t far off. Summer is looming and I’d like to spend some of it making money doing what I love. And yes I need models.
The above is a mirror composite inspired by the work of John Paul Caponigro, a photographer/ artist who isn’t afraid to blur the lines between authentic imagery and art.
There are purists out there who say that messing around in Photoshop destroys the integrity of a photograph. They say that by manipulating the pixels of a digital image you are making it less authentic.
There are also purists who say a real dj doesn’t use cds or computers.
To all these people I say that there were once purists who adamantly declared that an electric guitar isn’t real music. This same mind-set also holds that the Earth is flat, Ra sails across the sky everyday in his sun-chariot, and you must die if you don’t worship the same god the same way I do.
As far as I’m concerned art is by its nature mutable. A fluid concept that is rendered useless and concrete by any attempt to apply rules. There is nothing institutional about expression. An image or a sound may not be to your personal liking but who are you to say it isn’t valid?
I guess I could easily go on about tiny little closed minds for days (and I believe I have in this here blog). I don’t think I need to preach to the choir. I like throwing images through Photoshop. Sometimes all I do is tweak the contrast a bit to make smiles a little brighter. Sometimes I settle in and go experimental. What I don’t do is tell myself or anyone else what does and does not constitute the venerable art form of photography.
Mischiff…it was great to see you Saturday night. I think your photos are amazing….photoshop and all! and I thought I was going to model for you….lets make a date???????
*hugs*
COMMENT:
Fuckin A. Digital tools are just that, tools. I have found that people who claim that digitally altered images are no longer photographs have usually never set foot in the darkroom. The entire darkroom process allows an artist to maniputlate the final image, via multiple exposures, burning/dodging and all the other nifty little tricks you can pull off w/ access to one. Photoshop is simply the next logical extension of the existing tools -> It allows us to perform all of the darkroom tricks and more, quickly, cleanly, and with unlimited undos. That being said, opening an image and throwing a filter @ it does not an artist make. Bad photoshop art is still just bad art, no better or worse than what came before it.
On a quasi-related note, I think that the one of the real influences that digital imaging/photography is having on society is the devaluing of the photograph as art. A million bloggers w/ a million cameras snapping a million pictures are sure to capture some beautiful images. The law of averages is operating in their favour. So, as usual, we come back to the discussion of what is art? Is an aesthetically appealing picture automatically art, or do we need more. Does a work need to speak to the viewer, or will pretty reflections sufice (This is always my crutch).As more and more pretty pictures are flowing from the cameras connected to the internet, it becomes easier to lose sight of the shots that truly inspire. The feeling, the emotion, and the passion is being lost in a sea of Jessica Simpson images (pretty, but lacking depth).
paige – done and done. I will find us some time. do you have any days that are generally easier than others?
dave – both points very well said. I find a picture becomes art in my mind if it’s worth a second look. Holiday snapshots are just pretty, if that. I want an image to look like there was some thought involved, either in the shooting or the post-production. If there’s a message of some kind there all the better.
Weekends are best for me….I don’t know if that works for you. OR maybe a weeknight…except mondays…(baseball) Let me know when you are available. I look forward to it.
Be gentle with my Nurse!
those who have a problem with digital images being manipulated must always shoot in full manual mode, for auto-mode twists and manipulates and adjusts out the ying-yang in less than a second, much more than most do in photoshop. ps: usually my camera does a so-so job on contrast so i find myself adjusting that to get more oomph out of a photo. plus i have been known to mess with saturation and lab colors. eheheh. and everything really. but it is obvious sometimes, other times not so obvious. mostly it needs to be recognized that it is another art in and of itself — and when well done, respected.