Are you a photographer? What does it mean to be recognized as a photographer?
I remember a time when the term was applied to select groups of 'professionals.' These included those that had brick & mortar portrait studios, worked for newspapers, covered weddings, or were in advertising, architecture, or printed media. Those of us that were hobbyists were clumsily termed "shutterbugs."
Some time ago, I began to recognize that calling oneself a photographer without the acknowledgment and validation of the greater public, local cultural mavens and other 'photographers' was perceived as being pompous and pretentious. It was not about the cost of one's gear or technical acumen--but rather whether others accepted and valued your work.
Being tied for a time to academia and kinds of archival work, I have seen instances when at the death of someone a collection of their works was donated to a university department archive or a local library. If the person was a recognized and card-carrying member of the right kind of society--people fell all over themselves documenting, archiving, and setting up public expositions of that collection.
In others, I saw a lifetime of creation unceremoniously tossed in dumpsters, picked through by interested parties, or donated to thrift outlets. In a case or two, it was long after the fact that it was recognized that a terrible mistake was made. Unseen, unknown, unworthy?
I think of a dear friend, now deceased, that carried his Olympus everywhere. He was always taking photographs, and because he did specialized work for an educational institute--I knew that he was technically excellent at that sort of work. But of his stuff out in the world? I only saw three of them that he had shot years before in Vietnam as a young soldier. I suspect that all of his worldly things were dumped as the estate post his death was quickly settled...
Most of us know the case of Vivien Maier. At least she was "discovered." Does our ephemeral activity online actually make us photographers, or is there really any such thing? I am seeing the new term "Creators." Hmmm.
I just saw this opinion piece, and it has me thinking. What do you think--are we photographers and/or creators without the formal hoopla of cliques and social media? Or just itinerant shutterbugs headed for the spotty world of ephemera?
I remember a time when the term was applied to select groups of 'professionals.' These included those that had brick & mortar portrait studios, worked for newspapers, covered weddings, or were in advertising, architecture, or printed media. Those of us that were hobbyists were clumsily termed "shutterbugs."
Some time ago, I began to recognize that calling oneself a photographer without the acknowledgment and validation of the greater public, local cultural mavens and other 'photographers' was perceived as being pompous and pretentious. It was not about the cost of one's gear or technical acumen--but rather whether others accepted and valued your work.
Being tied for a time to academia and kinds of archival work, I have seen instances when at the death of someone a collection of their works was donated to a university department archive or a local library. If the person was a recognized and card-carrying member of the right kind of society--people fell all over themselves documenting, archiving, and setting up public expositions of that collection.
In others, I saw a lifetime of creation unceremoniously tossed in dumpsters, picked through by interested parties, or donated to thrift outlets. In a case or two, it was long after the fact that it was recognized that a terrible mistake was made. Unseen, unknown, unworthy?
I think of a dear friend, now deceased, that carried his Olympus everywhere. He was always taking photographs, and because he did specialized work for an educational institute--I knew that he was technically excellent at that sort of work. But of his stuff out in the world? I only saw three of them that he had shot years before in Vietnam as a young soldier. I suspect that all of his worldly things were dumped as the estate post his death was quickly settled...
Most of us know the case of Vivien Maier. At least she was "discovered." Does our ephemeral activity online actually make us photographers, or is there really any such thing? I am seeing the new term "Creators." Hmmm.
I just saw this opinion piece, and it has me thinking. What do you think--are we photographers and/or creators without the formal hoopla of cliques and social media? Or just itinerant shutterbugs headed for the spotty world of ephemera?
