Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/07/08

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Today's Great Photographers {was Photo whores}
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Wed, 08 Jul 1998 19:03:32 -0500

At 07:42 AM 7/8/98 -0700, you wrote:

>bringing this into thread, it seems (as a consumer) that there is little
>commercial photography that it taken with a unique perspective, especially
>in the context of the number of photographs we are bombarded with daily.
>it may well be that this dull blandness is the fault of the art directors ?

No, it's much simpler. Art directors don't handle photojournalism very much
(thus the horrible news from LIFE that it's been turned over to them, what
do they know? Not much!)

The real reason is money. They don't want to pay for the time it takes to
make great photos. They don't want to pay highly qualified photographers
when there are hacks just waiting to shoot what the editor wants without
the temperamental desire for high ethical standards (which requires more
time to get real pictures and avoid faking pictures).

They want to be "artsy" and appeal to the lowest common denominator. Thus
kill any character that would give a magazine "zing." It would offend too
many potential ad readers.

It boils down to this. Lack of regard for quality, and communication of
important things, for the increase in returns for investors.

Greed.
- -- 

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO
http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Ted Kennedy