Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Bob Frost" <bobfrost@b...> 
wrote:
> Austin,
> 
> Daring to intervene in this 'battle of wits', it occurs to me that 
the
> photographs you are taking are perhaps NOT art. Art is surely 
something that
> is an interpretation of the scene that is in the mind of the 
artist; it is
> not just a record of the scene in front of him/her. Your statements 
seem to
> say that you simply insist on accurately photographically RECORDING 
the
> scene in front of you. That probably makes you a scientist, not an 
artist.
> 
> Bob Frost.


Whoooooah, back the perfect print pony up there Bob!
Art is is purely expression, and whatever means an artists wishes to 
employ to express them selves is purely personal. Some artists 
(photographers in this case) choose to tweak their photos in order to 
obtain what the ellusive "perfect" print, whether in photoshop or in 
the darkroom. Yes my beloved Ansel did it and so does John Sexton, 
and while their prints are gorgeous, they are no more or less art 
than photos taken by people who dont want to be bothered with image 
manipulation. The fault in your logic is that you are putting to much 
emphasis on on print quality, and not the other important aspects 
art, such as form and content.  without these other essential pieces 
of the puzzle, the most beautifully printed photograph in the world 
would be a worthless worthless piece of paper.  do you really think 
that ansels photos would would have stood the test of time based 
solely on how much effort he put into printing them, without his 
remarkable use of natural light, or his breathtaking compositions? 
sure one can add lighting in ps and pass it off, thats fine, but 
theres something about using what nature, or man in austins case, has 
given us in a perfect moment thats, well, zen.

austin you remind me of my photo instructor. he has instilled a 
strong disciplne within himself when it comes to photographing. he 
always uses the entire frame when he shoots, and wont print negatives 
that he has to crop, and while he and i have gone round and round 
about it (jokingly), i completely respect the fact that he does this. 
neither of us are heavy into dodging and burning either, only when 
necessary. one may call us lazy, but i'd call us disinterested. i 
think my print quality is above average for the short aount of time 
ive been in the game, but his darkroom prints are absolutley 
gorgeous, chock full of tonality and tack sharp.

oh and austin, your prints are great. I especially like the child and 
the dock photos, and they are definately, POSITIVELY fine art.

john