I have been folllowing this thread so full of passion, high temperatures, and even the forgotten plumber from the past US elections was brought back, alongside some drops of healthy humor by FrankS.
But all these for what exactly ?
It reminded me by contrast analogy about another thread, many may remeber, of a RFF member that went either to China or Mongolia and displayed beautifull images done with a Yashica Electro.
At that thread the spirits ran quite positive, sorry, highly positive, we all showing our admiration, and I think it was our fine member Barret, who signs as Amateriat, the one who expressed a sarcastic and humouristic Barret-like sigh, wondering about all the money he spent on gear...
The difference between then and now is not about the old vs the new times. It was that then, at that thread no one spoke about "Art", who is an Artist, money, and all those entrenched frustrations so much intercalated in our life.
However upon seeing those beautifull images from the far Orient we all felt inspired, full of joy, and admiration because indeed, despite or because they were made with a $50 camera, they were so appealing.
I will not enter now the trap of the false contraposition of "Art vs gear", nor what is Art and who deserves that medal, not even about the stinking paradox of selling Art.
The absence of the "Art" word at that Electro thread was rather related to the fact that they were not displayed as "Art". Although I cannot avoid skipping the fact that after seeing the work of some friends that at this heated thread went to dress themselves with the Artists' uniform - well ... better I shout my mouth. Who knows.
But what in my opinion does deserve all the passion displayed in this ongoing thread, are the basic human questions between us amateurs, photography-lovers, and Photography.
Just yesterday I saw on TV a recent movie with William Defoe called "Anamorphosis". The film is cruelly shocking about a serial murder and Defoe, the police investigator. After seeing it for second time, I was deeply impressed by the acting, and specially the facial expressions of Defoe who is quite aging, and seems to perform now better than ever.
This phenomena of artists of every sort becoming better and better the more they age, is not exclusive to William Defoe in the field of cinema. We see it at other popular fields like for example with Leonard Cohen, who in contrast to Defoe is broadly reckognized as top singer.
But I choose here to take William Defoe case, precisely because within the cinema industry, to my perception, he seems to be held at much lower value, than the performance he gives at that film testifyies for. Of course he has his relative good status, but to my opinion much lower than the one he deserves.
So many folks around may think of him accordingly as a "looser" - a concept that keeps me thinking about all the time for it embracing 99% of the human race.
I will say it bluntly as usual. What worries me most, or rather interests me most about my photography, is how I will be able to flourish by it along aging. Aging and flourishing.
I do not need to be paid for that, nor even get more reckognition than a few true flickr fans, since I do not belong anymore to that world. I can instead try to be happy with less, without labels and even happy if the lack of labels indeed represent my small piece of talent. Being humble will only add originality and depht to my small talent. I wish myself this will power in a true life & death fight against the worst within man.
And apropo flickr I would like to give a true example. One of my contacts there is an Argentinian young girl, who shoots with a little Powershot the world around her, her boyfriend, her other friends, her life around. Many of her pictures are technically disastrous. But she has a strong sense of originality, which overpowers the poor showing. Simple life, great originality - isn't it an achievement ?
All this greediness, frustration, pushing each one, etc so well displayed at this thread, so much distilled, it is my worst enemy for aging and flourishing. It is the poison fountain I wish to ripp of myself from as much as possible. Be it clear I am not above it, I don't belong to an upper strata of thinkers, or whatever. But it is a counscious fight to manage with a clear cut enemy within myself.
To get rid of all this poison. To cultivate my good human sides, to harvest the best feelings - it is only this way I will ever be able to age and flourish at the same time, and input it all in my pictures.
Cheers,
Ruben
