When did mediocrity become an acceptable standard for creative work? It seems that many practitioners of the craft of photography are almost afraid to achieve any degree of accomplishment in their work.
Admittedly, that rhetoric is a harsh way to begin a blog post about photography and the creative experience. Furthermore, in making statements like that, I realize that I'm opening myself up to strong critique of my own work. I mean, who am I to say what is good or bad in the field of creative imaging?
This diatribe came about after watching a YouTube video about "Deadpan Photography." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W1dmfG699w&t=12s Up until I watched that video, I had never heard of deadpan photography. I had no idea that it existed as a genre or style in the craft. Now that I'm aware that a style name has been given to boring low contrast images made with flat lighting and questionable composition, I will try that much harder to eschew that style in my own photography. For myself, I like images that pop with a richness of colour or strong monochromatic contrast. Let the image be strong enough to tell a story, evoke a mood or trigger an emotional response.
How do you become better at photography? The answer is simple. Strive to create powerful and / or interesting images at a standard greater than the level you currently occupy. Nothing more, nothing less.
But please don't try to make flat, boring images visually successful by simply applying a term like "deadpan photography." Ultimately, you're not fooling anyone.
... more later
