Snapshots, photographs and art

I love photography and I'm always impressed at how many people are out taking pictures these days compared to twenty years ago. Digital media has changed the game. But what hasn't changed is that the average person is making "snapshots". The difference is they are now using expensive cameras to make those snapshots and because they have an SLR camera they believe they are making art photographs. Well, maybe. But most likely most of them would get the same results using a point and shoot with a variable length lens. They leave the camera in auto-mode and have no idea what the shutter speeds, aperture and ISO adjustments are for.

I was at a local nature center just yesterday taking picture of a blue heron rookery when this woman approached me and asked if I sell my pictures. My reply "sometimes". She had an entry level Nikon SLR with the 70-300 zoom lens and informed me she is a professional and sells pictures at store near her home. " That's awesome" I responded. Then she looked at my set-up and asked what lens I had and I replied " it's the 300/2.8" at which she said " I don't know what those numbers mean". Wow! You're a professional but don't know lens length and aperture. Interesting. Her camera was in Auto-mode and she was blasting away. By this time the light was getting to high and I recommended an over-ride to her settings. Um, nope, she didn't do it. Ok. So basically she is taking the same shots any point and shoot with a tele-zoom lens would get. Or, snapshots. I didn't ask further but my guess would be she is doctoring them up ion photoshop and she is now a pro. Cool.

Now let me step here and say I do use photoshop to enhance my photographs. But in film days I used the darkroom about the same way. A good dark room technician could improve colors and of course dodge and burn and do all kinds of tricks to enhance the photograph. Ansel Adams was a pro in the black and white darkroom. Many of his negatives were as flat as can be. But through experimentation and a lot of work his photographs became art.

The attached photo is the typical shot I see many people make of the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing. They get positioned where they can get most of the building in the shot and click. Not a bad shot. But is it art?