The seeing eye

[Michael A. Smith]

Posted: 05 May 2004 13:39Post subject:
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Donald, see http://www.czarnykwadrat.republika.pl/ for more of those portraits.

From bjorke, "Michael (Smith), I reluctantly must advocate the occasional picture made for the sake of commercial value. Use the money to buy film. Use the exposure to expand your audience. Wasn't it Duchamp who said that part of an artist's job was to get the work out into the public, that one owed it to one's art? "

An artist's job is to be true to himself/herself. If you want to make an occasional photograph for the sake of commercial value, by all means do so. I cannot anticipate ever doing so. All it would be then is just a job--something just to make money. If Making money were my interest I would do something else. There are a lot better and sure-fire ways to make money than making fine-art photographs.

[Ed Sukach]

The photographs with "soul" that we all try to achieve can only come, in my opinion, when we leave the technical behind. Our minds get too caught in technical perfection to allow us to be free to collect the magic around us. We need to free our minds and let things come to us.

I agree with this - but I think it is a tad too intense.

When the "technicals" become secondary - faded to nearly obscurity - they are most useful. Man is a finite creature - we only have so much energy to expend at any given moment. If the greater apart of that energy is directed toward gaining some sort of "technical perfection" we have far less to devote to our "intuition".

GO out and "DO". No one is perfectly efficient - occasionally a photograph is ruined due to technical "misses", but that is FAR more desirable than to miss the intuitive content in the first place.

Sometimes we succeed; sometimes we don't. Sometimes we succeed and we don't quite realize it at the time.

This is a slippery, sometimes frustrating, game where many things happen that we will never understand. So is life.

All we can do is keep on ... and to me, that is enough. More than enough.

[Donald Miller]

"Those who say do not know. Those who know do not say".

[Aggie]

"Those who say do not know. Those who know do not say".

I take exception to this quote. How would knowledge ever be shared if no one ever spoke. To say that those that speak do not know is trite. Seems it would be better to learn from debates. Heated they may become, but they give many a chance to see differing view points. What is sad is this medium does not give face to face contact of the person posting and what is truly in their mind at the time. I may not agree with things that are said, but I watch most often and see how the debate unfolds. When clarification needs to be made, hopefully it would be done in a civil manner. Too many are and I am no exception are fast to lash back.

Benjamin Franklin had it right. He said, "Fart proudly!" (there is even a book out titled that with a compilation of his early writings) It is worse to restrain ourselves from speech than to voice and understand what the other thinks. My step Daughter sent me a cartoon a couple of days ago that adds to this notion. the punch line under the man in agony was, "Go ahead and fart. If you don't it travels up the spine to the brain where the shitty ideas come from." (excuse the bad word) So let the debates rage, just keep it civil. Ask questions if you need clarification. If you have no questions or nothing to contribute, just read or skip the whole thread.

[Ed Sukach]

Aggie, you have just HAVE to learn to be more direct. Mincing words is not a good trait. :roll:

If you do, let me know. This I've GOTTA see!!

[happysnapper]

Aggie,

Very well said indeed!!!

Surprise!

[Donald Miller]

"Those who say do not know. Those who know do not say".

I take exception to this quote. How would knowledge ever be shared if no one ever spoke. To say that those that speak do not know is trite. Seems it would be better to learn from debates. Heated they may become, but they give many a chance to see differing view points. What is sad is this medium does not give face to face contact of the person posting and what is truly in their mind at the time. I may not agree with things that are said, but I watch most often and see how the debate unfolds. When clarification needs to be made, hopefully it would be done in a civil manner. Too many are and I am no exception are fast to lash back.

Benjamin Franklin had it right. He said, "Fart proudly!" (there is even a book out titled that with a compilation of his early writings) It is worse to restrain ourselves from speech than to voice and understand what the other thinks. My step Daughter sent me a cartoon a couple of days ago that adds to this notion. the punch line under the man in agony was, "Go ahead and fart. If you don't it travels up the spine to the brain where the shitty ideas come from." (excuse the bad word) So let the debates rage, just keep it civil. Ask questions if you need clarification. If you have no questions or nothing to contribute, just read or skip the whole thread.

Aggie,
You are entitled to your viewpoint...crudely expressed nontheless. I stand by my quote. I guess this is just the latest of our continuing history of disagreements.

[Ed Sukach]

Benjamin Franklin had it right. He said, "Fart proudly!" (there is even a book out titled that with a compilation of his early writings) It is worse to restrain ourselves from speech than to voice and understand what the other thinks.

I think Mark Twain wrote a book on the same subject -- "1609"??? was the title??

"It PROVES that God has a sense of humor ... S/He gave man the capability to fart."

I've thought of that as an excuse for avoiding jury duty...:

"Your Honor - I'd love to serve, but ... this is embarrassing ... I don't think the jury would want me to be sequestered with them. I suffer from uncontrollable flatulence ...." and let go with one.

If one could keep a straight face -- it just might work...

[bjorke]

"Those who say do not know. Those who know do not say".

And those who say they don't know.... ?

This is just Epimenides's Paradox, reframed.

[d880640]

Great courses in photography and "Seeing" http://www.mdhallarts.org/catalog-fa...andadults.html
classes are on Zone system; vision (seeing); large format lf; black and white (b&w) Advanced and beginning; Digital Photography from $100 - 55 in Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts 801 Chase Street, Annapolis, Maryland 21401 Local: 410/263-5544 Baltimore: 410/269-1087 Washington: 301/261-1553 Fax: 410/263-5114 Contact: info@mdhallarts.org
I am a part time student at the above. Dick Bond is a wonderful teacher there. dave