Senior Reading Response # 6

The Photographer’s Eye Intro by John Szarkowski

I think it’s hilarious (and fascinating) that as early as 1893 people were complaining that the “ease” of the photographic medium had spawned,

“an army of photographers who run rampant all over the globe, photographing objects of all sorts, sizes and shapes, under almost every condition, without pausing to ask themselves, is this or that artistic?”

This poor guy had no idea what was coming less than a century and a half later.

I also love the idea that Szarkowski presents at the end of the intro: Photography’s history has not been a journey but a growth, “not linear and consecutive but centrifugal.” I definitely feel that in my own work. Looking through my past photos in order to put together my autobiographical presentation, I’ve noticed themes, subjects, aesthetics that have returned in my recent pictures, usually unconsciously and in different iterations, that I used much earlier on. I think that’s part of why I often feel overwhelmed or lost. The medium is vast and I want to explore as much of it as interests me—which is a lot. So I often feel like I lack direction and perspective overall because I’m thinking about my work linearly. But thinking about a photography practice as growth and exploration of potential, instead of a linear movement toward an end, is more comforting and freeing for me. It allows me to sort of justify the variety of subjects and styles I work with, instead of stressing about making work that “looks like mine.”
……………………………...

Update: This is only slightly related to this post, but it's awesome:

<http://www.fastcocreate.com/3021463/how-historical-paintings-would-look-if-their-subjects-had-mobile-devices#1>