re-start

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7thAve_Brooklyn_02, originally uploaded by seanjustice.

i'm not sure photography as a word has much currency any more. i used to be a photographer and that made sense. but what does it mean today? thousands of photos per minute; billions. we're all taking photos; everybody is a photographer. i don't disagree. in fact, this how i begin every class i teach: we're here to explore and become more of the photographer you already are. but that means i don't teach something called photography; i encourage picture-making. if any single word can be applied to everyone, everywhere, then that word, necessarily, loses significance -- it doesn't mean anything because it means everything. what is photography? it's not what you think. who isn't a photographer?

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