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December 26, 2008
An interesting post in the Daylight Magazine blog by Matthew Siber that talks about his transition from a technical emphasis to an expressive one. Along the way he touches on the insecurities of photographers vis-a-vis the art institution. Siber says:
It was this shift from a technical emphasis to an expressive one, paired with a couple of classes in Photoshop, that began the loosening of my adherence to the photographic medium. With the expression of ideas first and foremost in my mind, what did it matter what medium I chose for a specific project? Photography is great at some things but terrible at others. Each medium has it's strengths and weaknesses so why not take advantage of the strengths of those mediums that are not photography?
Why not indeed. Because we don't have the desktop skills and are not trained in professional design. Acquiring the desktop skills and becoming familiar with the design software is a step learning curve if not initially trained in it. I personally find the 'do it yourself ' pathway hard going.
Siber adds that
More and more, I have been encouraging my students to learn more programs, to think beyond photography, to watch films, keep up on painting trends and look for work done in new media. This is a controversial issue, as many are reluctant to give up their label as an integral part of their identity as painter, photographer, sculptor, etc.. I have been called pretentious to my face by former photography professors for referring to myself as an artist rather than a photographer.
He goes on to note that technology has been a great equalizer for many artists:
Learning a few creative programs opens up whole worlds of possibilities that were only accessible to highly trained professionals in the field a few decades ago. Many of these programs work with similar formats making learning new programs that much easier. A great many of my friends and colleagues in the photo field also work in video with programs like Final Cut and even iMovie. Graphic design and 3D design has been made more accessible through programs like Illustrator, Sketchup, Rhino and Maya.
And so we have a multimedia digital environment in which we creative folk now work, exploring its possibilities.
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I have to admit, the first few years were hard going, but Matthew is right eventually the patterns can be seen, and remembered making progress quicker and easier.
Creatively I always had a duality, and new tools and technologies allow me to foster each, but I guess these days, the left side of my brain does more driving than my right side.