The most valuable thing you'll get from photography
5 Comments Published by taffer on Tuesday, September 19, 2006 at 10:28 PM.
And maybe you wonder, what it is ?
Well I couldn't put it more simply, it's not fame, it's not money either, it's not a passport to a kind of heaven full of fast cars, glamour shooting sessions and top models.
The most valuable thing you'll ever get from photography is, plain and simply, friendship, in the shape of all the wonderful people you'll know on your walk along the creative path.
So, from here, I can say I'm honored to have met thanks to photography, either personally or 'just' virtually, such great people as Dave & Sue, Tony, Francisco, Joe, Tom(s), Beni, Luis, Jordan, Lynn, Gene, Mia, Roman & Nicole, Robin & Diana, Andrew, Don, Ray, Kris, and several dozens more that escape from my mind just now but that I hope will forgive me.
It is my opinion that no matter how much information you can gather as for new cameras, lenses or film, processes, chemicals or paper or even photographic projects. None of it will ever, ever enrich your mind and your creative soul as much as sharing part of your lifetime and your ideas with those friends.
So, let me add here a shameless plug for one of those friends, in fact the one which is 50% responsible of my entry into wet printing. Tony (P O'Dell) has IMHO achieved success in what is for me the most difficult part in any art making project, that is, he has completed it, and lauched it to the world. A never easy fight with oneself (ain't we our own worst enemy?) to successfully translate his inner vision into what he wanted, in the way he wanted.
And that way is, ladies and gentlemen, his just published new photography book, Middle Finger:
Take one artistic photographer, on an artistic high who has episodes of depression, from Totnes; one beautiful and talented model from Torquay; let them loose in the diverse landscape of Torbay and South Devon with two Holga plastic toy cameras; and you have the recipe for this book. In a world obsessed with glossy magazines and top of the range cameras, this book is unashamedly toy camera arthouse. The photographer has applied, and embellished, the techniques that the modern world appears to consider as the voyeuristic techniques of the street photographer. Structured very much like a silent play with 60 black and white pictures (printed single sided), the story unfolds picture by picture.
So, before going to order a copy of the book myself, let me just add, congrats Tony ! ;)
Oh and btw, don't forget to pay a visit to his wonderful site, In the eye of a Holga, which you'll find on the links section of this blog's home page !
Very well put Oscar.
Not only are you printing better than me. But you're a better writer too. LOL
I too wish all the best to our friend Tony, the reluctant Holga shooter. :)
Very well put Oscar. Not only are printing better than me. You're a better writer too. LOL
I watched Tony's book come to it's final page. He has really put himself into the work.I wish him all the best.
LOL, thanks Dave. Hope our little pages add even more success to Tony's new child ;)
Btw I had to activate the comment moderation... too much spammer around lately !
Thanks, Oscar. Getting aquainted with you, and with Singlecoated, has been MY pleasure, and yes: it's the people, and the unique way each friend inspires, that makes this "photography lark" - as someone I know calls it - so rewarding.
I wish you were coming to the meetup in Amsterdam this weekend!
Thanks to you Lynn ! (and sorry for the comment submitting trouble btw). And of course, have a great weekend at the Euro photoblog meeting !! Looking forward to your reports on two-muses ;)
Oscar