What we're talking about...
This photo was snapped by my colleague and former student, Luis Paris. Last week after class at ICP we went over to Jerry Vezzuso's opening at the Camera Club of New York, and then got a quick bite at Pongal.
Along the way, walking from ICP to the CCNY, and then briskly from there all the way to Lex and 26th (a long chilly stroll!), we talked about photography and how one knows if the pictures are making sense, if they're working, if anyone likes them, and if it even matters -- or, more precisely, how it matters.
At dinner Luis summed it up with a few thoughts about what he's looking for from the conversation whenever he's showing his work.
From a critique I'm looking for two things: first, whether or not my pictures appear visually similar to other pictures that I might not know about, and, second, if there's an interpretation of my work that I don't want to have anything to do with.
This is perfectly said, in my opinion.
The tricky thing about learning photography is not the gear -- the cameras, lenses, printers; not Photoshop, not Lightroom, not ACR: not any of that stuff.
No, the really important bit comes down to figuring out how to make something meaningful from the practice itself. That is, the how and why of making pictures is rooted in the actual making, the doing, the walking, the talking, and the showing. No matter what tools you use, meaning emerges from the conversation that evolves while making the pictures, showing the pictures, talking about the pictures, listening to what others say about the pictures, and then making more pictures.
I really don't care what camera you use, or even -- truthfully -- if you use the Curves in Photoshop. What I care about is what you're seeing, and what you're saying with what you're seeing. As an artist, photographer and teacher, this is the root of my work.
And yes, as well, snapping from the hip with the Hipstamatic is part of the process too -- there are lots of ways to mark the path as we pass along it.
On that score: you've got to check out Jerry's work from Mexico City, and his zines, at the Camera Club, through April 30.
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