As an artist there are those that you look up to and those that you look at to see what they are doing. We draw inspiration from others. I do so and see a lot of photographers that have been awarded prizes or titles for their work. I applaud their success and admire them more because our piers think their work deserved to be recognized. So I said to myself (again) I should enter some contest and see if I can start racking up a few for my site and talent. I started searching and finding several of them, looked at the winners and what was submitted and I find work that I would put in the trash bin if I worked at a photo processing center. There are so many images of War and killing and I think to myself “Why are theses images of such terrible parts of Human life, receiving awards?” I don’t understand how such horrible acts of the Human Race could get the thumbs up from a panel of judges. It boogles my mind!!
After seeing a few photos like this awarded, I leave the hunt for a contest to enter. I don’t really want to associate myself with an organization that awards such imagery. I think these awards should go to images that show the greatness of Humankind. And I complete think that the photographer shouldn’t profit from the images as well. It’s just sad. I know that the award is going to the photographer for their work but crap, anyone can walk out into an area that is getting destroyed and snap some photos. I feel the same way with high shutter speeds on cameras today. Oh, you got lucky a few photos out of a thousand because you held down the shutter and filled up a memory card. I don’t think it takes real talent to capture images like that with the equipment that we have today. I think it’s abused by everyone now and that’s how we ended up with cameras on cell phones.
I may have started shooting with a digital camera but I’m a traditionalist. If it isn’t a setting on a camera that you could buy before the digital revolution, then I don’t use it. Like 25,000 ISO, ummm NO! Oscar Wilde said “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.”, I find that more true now than the day he penned it. Technology is making it easier for more people to accomplish more with less effort. I know that’s what it’s supposed to do but it sure is devaluing life and art.
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