Contemporary Art Photography
Contemporary art photography is obviously a part of the history of photography. The contemporary art photographer doesn't always accept that fact and wants to rewrite the history of photography. Even in contemporary photography the history is neglected.
No problem...
What strikes me is the contemporary photographer's lack of knowledge of the history of photography. Does he need to know? Should a contemporary photographer know the history to to create his own images? Yes and now, in my opinion. Yes, because he needs to be aware of his place in the history of photography. No, not necessarily, the contemporary photographer has the freedom to ignore history and re-invent the photographic language.
Who is the contemporary photographer? First of all, he is contemporary and should be aware of it. Secondly he is a photographer, but not necessarily a "professional" photographer. Most contemporary photographers I know and work with aren't professionals. They are creative people or artists who use the medium photography. The are aware of the possibilities and limitations of the medium and use it consequently.
Digital photography is more than a new technique. Like Polaroid, digital photography opens new perspectives in the photographic language.
Digital manipulation
opens the door to a new and fresh language. Imagine what a pictorialist
photographer (like Léonard Misonne or Jules Lejeune) would have done having
Photoshop at his disposal...
Using digital photography for "normal" or "straight" photography is a waste of
time and effort....
One of the main concerns of digital photography is the print quality. A photographic image should not only be of mint quality it should also survive time. Digital prints don't last... therefore you won't find many digital prints in the collection.
You can discover the following contemporary photographers:
- Paul Cava
- Gabrielle De Montmollin
- Thomas Karsten
- Christoph Bruneel
- Dominique Houyet
- Verf!
- Fine Art Photography
