Finding Style: the dilemma of photography
Posted by Dean Bradshaw | Filed under Thoughts and Theory
I came across this fascinating insight by Chuck Close whilst watching a documentary on the history of the photographic medium. It has led me down and interesting path of thought, one that I have been pondering in the back of my mind for a while, which has now been forced to the forefront of my imagination – the notion of photographic Style.
Here’s the dilemma and the strength of photography.
Its the easiest medium in which to be competent, but it’s the hardest medium in which to have personal vision which is readily identifiable. There is no physicality to a photograph…there is nothing you can point to and say “this is the work of that artists hands”.
So then…how do you make a photograph that somebody immediately knows as the work of a particular artist?
Well that is a very difficult and complicated thing to come up with – and when someone really ends up nailing down a particular kind of vision to such an extent that they own that vision – you know they’ve really done something.
- Chuck Close (American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist.)
I’m going to consider photographic style over a few more posts, as it can take one very far down the rabbit hole…
What are your thoughts on the matter?
Tags: Art, creativity, Philosophy, Style
One Response to “Finding Style: the dilemma of photography”
-
Janne A. Says:
December 17th, 2008 at 9:55 amThis is a subject that I’ve really been pondering upon as well.. I’ve also noticed that there are loads of great photographers but the distinction between great and significant is rarely a case of skill but rather a matter of style. I’ve been banging my head to the wall thinking about this and I hope that someday somebody will look at my photo and they’ll be able to say I took it because of something unique that is translated into each photograph.
