Willard Clay Photography NEWSLETTER #21--Photography As An Art Form, Part XVII Potpourri #2 Just when I think we can move on the next topic I want to address some of you send me such good "stuff" I feel compelled to share it, so here is Part XVII, potpourri #2. 1) Photography ethics: We have talked about the power of a photograph and with that power goes a responsibility of ethics that I feel is incumbent on photographers to honor that responsibility with ethical behavior. If you are making a photograph strictly for your own use there are no rules of ethics, at least relative to manipulation. Invading a person's personal privacy is another matter of course. However, it the photograph is for publication then ethics should apply. Remember alluding to the photographer that "enhanced" the flaming eyes of a wolf that made the cover of a famous wildlife magazine? Unethical! It was unethical because he did not divulge what he had done....because "I wasn't asked"! Here is a link to a discussion of photographer Paolo Pellegrin who was honored for a photograph that turns out is a fraud; a violation of ethics over the top. Here is a quote from the article: "The misidentification and plagiarism associated with Pellegrin’s photo series is a terrible thing to have to write about. At a time of turbulence in the world and a weakened press, the importance of the photojournalist — in the eyes of citizens, the media, the alltoo-trusting award programs and particularly, in the admiring gaze of those who aspire to report with a camera — cannot be overstated." 2) Art- all you need is the right app!: For those of you who were familiar with my old blog, I quoted David duChemin on occasion. Here is a link to a great article entitled Automatic Art, A Rant. This is worth the time it will take you to read the article. http://davidduchemin.com/2013/09/automatic-art-a-rant/ An app or a printer that will convert your photograph into a work of art? Are they serious? Here is quote from the beginning of his blog: “FotoSketcher is a 100% free program which can help you convert your digital photos into art, automatically. Never mind the absurdity of a product that’s 100% free, saving us from more expensive products that are, what, only a little bit free? The idea of automatic art, art that’s easy, makes me numb, as does the assumption that my work is not art until I’ve run it through a software program that will 'improve' it."----David duChemin Here is the concluding quote from the blog:

"It is not remotely important to me that we define art; it is supremely important that we experience it. We will never experience it when it comes so easily as at the push of a button or the fitting of a frame, without the struggle or the joy with which art has been made for millennia.----David duChemin

3) Experience- the great teacher: To follow up on the experience quote from duChemin, here is a quote from Conversations With God by Neale Donald Walsch, God tells Neale, "Of all the great teachers in Life, none is more powerful than your own experiences, and of all the teachers available to you, this is the one that most of you place little value in!" Oh my, how painfully true that is. And then one of you sent me this blog, The Photography Teacher Nobody Wants by Cheri Frost which was very appropriate.

http://petapixel.com/2013/09/12/photography-teacher-nobody-wants/ Someone asked me once what I really want to teach those who come to learn what I have to give. My answer was, "I can teach the tools of photography, any reasonably good instructor can do that, but what I want is for their work to reflect how they view their subject matter photographically and rely upon their experiences, which come from within, as a guide". Cheri had this to say: "Experience delights in teaching photographers lessons. She kind of gets off on it. Her methods have been around since the beginning of time. She charges nothing to teach you, but that doesn’t mean she’s free. Oh, no. In fact, just the opposite. She’s rather expensive, and most of the time you don’t learn what she has to teach until you’ve spent money and time and tears and sprouted gray hairs. Time is actually part of her lesson plan which is why most no longer want her around."----Cheri Frost 4) Large Cameras: As all of you are aware of, I built my career using a view camera. Ever wonder what that was like lugging that big camera around. Here is a link to an article that pretty much lays out what I went through. Tough to back-pack with a camera of that size. :>) Seriously, as you read the article, watch the video as well. http://fstoppers.com/the-worlds-largest-film-camera-redefines-mobile-photography 5) Now for some music. One of my favorite bands is (was) Pink Floyd. Here they perform Wish You Were Here with David Gilmour singing the lead. The song is powerful because it is about Syd Barrett, one of the original band members that was a tragic story and they were wishing he were there. Knowing the story behind the music, this is an emotional work of art: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eraVXLPgD4

Notes & Quotes: I am off to the Upper Peninsula to photograph and for the two people who will accompany me, at Mary Lou's request, I will share my "hidey-holes", such as the attached image (Upper Peninsula). Thanks soooo much for being there for me!

Quote: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is though everything is a miracle"----Albert Einstein Quote: "Life is like a camera. Just focus on what's important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't work out, just take another shot."---not sure where I got this one, but I like it. Quote: See the attachment "WINE" for the quote.

Blessed Be, Will