Kopp replies:
My absolute statement was a response to another absolute statement, that
great photographers talk about light.
Obviously you didn't get it.
Galen Rowell was a fine photographer. He may even have been considered
"great" by "most people" -- but if so, "most people" don't understand the
meaning of the word "great", or they are using it -- as most people use
language today (there's another almost-absolute statement) -- in a degraded
way.
Greatness in photography means something transcendent about the images.
For all their beauty and depth of feeling about nature, Galen Rowell's
pictures are not considered "great" by people who judge photography
according to principles of artistic merit -- most of which have nothing to
do with light.
This is not to downplay the importance of light to good pictures or great
images.
But light, like all the other variables with which the photographer works,
is totally secondary to content, meaning and expression.
By these criteria, Galen Rowell was not a "great" photographer, and will
not be remembered as such by photographic history.
Hope this helps in the "absolute statements" department.
--
Cheers from Godzone,
Michael Kopp
Wellington, New Zealand
I am confused by what you mean by "principles of artistic merit",
especially since the main goal of art in the last 50 years has been
to remove content and meaning. It has long been considered to be old
fashioned to have them in a painting. But it may be changing.
My impression is that the art community has no understanding of
photography at all. That is why they were able to make Susan
Sontag's book on photography a reference work. Few photographers
have any respect for it or her opinions.
Galen Rowell aside, I think few would argue with the "artistic
merit", "transcendence" or greatness of the body of work by Ansel
Adams and he mainly talked about light.
--
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California
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