Ogenes
In “Photography is Not an Art,” Shutter Humbug argues that…
In “Photography is Not an Art,” Shutter
Humbug argues that photography should not
be considered an art. Humbug claims that
anyone can take a photograph, that the form
contains no risks, and content is limited.
However, Humbug is mistaken.
Shutter Humbug writes that the subject “of
photographs is only ever one of two things –
something depressing or something ‘cheesy'”.
They fail to consider the vast array of
photography subjects in the world. For
example, when Beyoncé released a photograph
of herself in the classic pose of a Renaissance
Madonna, it was neither cheesy nor depressing,
but it was artful in the way it evoked thatearlier imagery. Though Humbug claims to be
open-minded, given these examples, it is
doubtful he has enough experience with
contemporary photography to make these
sweeping generalizations.
Humbug does make an interesting point
when they write that modern technology
makes it possible for ‘anyone’ to take a good
photograph. This has certainly been true in my
life – I take many more photographs now that I
have a smart phone and my skill has improved
with experience. However, though my skill may
have improved, and I think this has led me to a
greater appreciation of photography in its
composition and subject matter, this does not
invalidate the far greater skill that professional
photographers achieve in their work.
Perhaps Humbug’s most confusing
argument is that photography is inherently
without risk. Though Humbug could not, ofcourse, know enough about the relationship
between the photographer and subject to
authoritatively claim emotional safety in
making the pictures described in the essay –
whose wrinkled face is it? – if Humbug were
strictly making claims about photographers’
physical well-being, they have completely
ignored genres like the photographic
documentation of war zones. Photographers
have been hurt and even killed in these
circumstances which seems like the very
definition of risk.
Humbug has made the error that many of
us make: he confuses rarity and value.
Photography is certainly more accessible and
more available to everyone. But just as the
invention of the printing press did not spell the
end of good writing, the era of the smart phone
is not going to destroy the art of the
photograph.
I want to write a Body Paragraph to the above essay, disagreeing with any idea
of the points made in the prompt
