“We have reached a point where photography is so sophisticated, we separate the instruction on camera operation, software, and photography. We worry so much about hardware and software we have little time left for the aesthetics of photography.”
This is from a blog post in 2020. When I was creating the October edition of the Journal this last paragraph raised (at the time) an unspoken question. The question is this; “How are we getting our aesthetic grounding in photography?” Today’s beginning photographers rely on social media and forums where images get thumbs up or thumbs down or a number of stars. There is little room for an in-depth evaluation and critique of the image, only an anonymous quantitative evaluation by people whose sole qualification to pass judgement on an images is a log on id and password.
In the past, aesthetic education was gained by studying the images made by the Masters. We looked at and pored over the images that have passed the test of time and have continued to inspire and educate aspiring photographers for decades. Now, we look for a thumbs up and sweep right (or left) and what have we learned from this poor excuse for education?
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