Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/15

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Subject: Re: [Leica] image quality has nothing to do with art but photography isn't necessarily art
From: "Steve LeHuray" <icommag@toad.net>
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 11:22:58 -0500

> Hello, Kyle :)
> 
>> while photography _can_ be art, it can also not be art. and from a purely
>> technical POV image quality can be quantified along the lines of correct
>> exposure, printing, clarity, resolution, etc.
>
> yes, but this is Leica Users Group, not Leica Testers Group :)
>
>> in fact, most photographs are
>> decidedly not art and never presumed to be so. there are also a large
>> number of photographs which were intended to be art and are only very bad
>> art.
>
> There is also a lot of photographs assumed being an art, but not being art.
>
> IF photography is a way to communicate / show personal point of view /
whatever,
> then quality does not matter as long as ideas can be communicated. Even a bad
> quality photograph can be a good photography, if only enough number of
> viewers can understand information behind it. but IF photography is
> a way to DESCRIBE / store information about world, as complete as it could,
> then yes, quality does matter a lot, and every technical fault grabs
> away a significant portion of data...

I would much rather have one of my photographs have several technical
imperfections, but still convey some sort of image that is interesting for
the viewer to look at. And this is what drives me crazy about Leica users
(at least on the LUG) with the over obsession with lenses and their supposed
perfection.

> CONCLUDING: Leica users call themselves artists, but are nitpicky when
> it comes to the quality. Is this shizo behaviour? Or trying to make
> Perfect Art? You decide.. :)

Interestingly (at least to me) I have never called myself an 'artist' and
for that matter called myself a photographer. Photography is just something
that I do. I am very much interested in people with all their moods and
circumstances, so taking their picture (Street Photography) is an eternal
joy for me.

> Best :)
> -----
>                                 St.
>                      (Stanislaw B.A. Stawowy)
>
sl