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Re: [OM] TOPE categories, now philosophy of photography or some such

Subject: Re: [OM] TOPE categories, now philosophy of photography or some such
From: James Royall <james@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 11:48:14 +0000
I was thinking of replying to Brian's message that he was making a good point. I have the same urge now with yours Bill. Guess we need a bit of both. I think in some ways the more constrained themes might make for a more interesting exhibition, as part of the subject is more narrowly defined, making for a more unified whole (Doro's manhole pics work better as a set than individually to my mind). There is still plenty of latitude for inclusion of secondary subject matter, etc, so the theme does not need to be a technically led challenge.

James


On 21 Nov 2003, at 11:23, NSURIT@xxxxxxx wrote:

In a message dated 11/21/2003 2:27:55 AM Central Standard Time, bj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
If we had a few TOPEs with subjects such as Manhole covers (Doro !!),
fences, gates, doors, beaches, puddles, hands, outdoor markets, sunsets, and bark of trees, we would have themed exhibitions with a unity that might
encourage even more development of technique to make each image stand
out from the crowd..

It's fun as well to have TOPEs that are capable of wide interpretation, but I for
one would appreciate a few tightly defined topics
In my opinion, photography is somewhat like a two-way mirror.  It reflects an image which the photographer felt was interesting or important to capture.  It also allows the viewer to look back through the lens and see part of the soul or essence of the person who captured the image. 
 
Assuming there is some truth in my assessment of photography (and it is certainly that for me) then I say that the broader the latitude for interpretation of the category the more likely we are to see the essence of the person behind the lens.  I like that.
 
One of the categories I had suggested was "Places of Worship".  There are many beautiful buildings built for that purpose and the photographs made of them often are ones that many will immediately connect with on a visceral level.  Although I happen to be a regular church attender, my interpretation would likely not be that of some man made structure which was designed to be used for worship.  It would more likely be a photograph which captures the beauty in the Universe and with which I find myself more connected with spirit. This being an example of interpretation of a somewhat broad theme.    
 
In my opinion, the tighter the category, the more likely you may see technique and the less of the soul of the image maker.  That is not to say technique is not important, as it is, however I would rather my photographs say, "This is who I am" rather than "This is what I did".  Generally, I like for technique to be transparent. 
 
So count my vote as one for broader topics although I wouldn't want us to not have topics that are tighter.  I get more excited about "reflections" (which can be interpreted in many ways, more than one of which could be included in one's image) than perhaps a topic such as "manhole covers". 
 
My 2 cents and then some.  Bill Barber     


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