Original Material

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  In appreciation of the ordinary

  While working on this picture I remembered this diatribe by Red De Leon putting forth that there is more than just plastique beauty when appreciating photography.

  “Why do pictures have to be “crazy” or “beautiful” to be good? Part of my struggle with photography has to do with the narrow appreciation people have for it. Quite often, photography is measured only by its novelty or beauty (in some cases, both), neglecting any of the other functions, such as the expression of opinion, or in some cases just simple “thought.” People often don’t know what to make of images that are neither particularly shocking nor beautiful, resulting in their dismissal and assessment as simply being uninteresting. They compulsively seek some kind of “wow” factor, and in its absence they find little value in the work. Apart from novelty and beauty (perhaps also technical perfection, or “amazing detail”, which is a form of novelty), all other criteria generally seems unimportant or non-existent, which I believe forces some photographers to involuntarily apply a layer of “wow” to their work just to make it more palatable. Unfortunately, this risks consuming the entire work, as it pushes everything else to the side. Trying to figure out where to draw the line is difficult. And when paired with a daily bombardment of all things beautiful for beauty’s sake, it inevitably gives me nausea. So, I have to say I really enjoy it when I see work that finds a nice balance (or even just approaches it). It’s like drinking a nice glass of water after drinking Diet Coke all day.”

  1 year ago