this is the America i know- industrialized, capitalist, and polluted, self-righteously wearing a halo as the savior of the world. it's a little crooked and exudes a fantasy: the so-called "American dream." i've studied it a thousand times over, and i don't buy into it anymore.
this is photo#1 of my "Parsons Challenge," my strictly-Parsons supplement for my portfolio. it's been post-processed, and the more i learn the ins and outs of editing digital photos, the more i become convinced that without doing so, a photograph is merely a snapshot that anyone can luck upon.
such is an idea that i'm not happy with- that anyone can be a photographer. just because you have fancy equipment doesn't make you a photographer. brooks institute of photography in santa barbara requires no portfolio; you pay a fee, and you're in. it pisses me off how many people out there bastardize the term "photography." up the contrast of a landscape snapshot, and BAM- you're an artist. sorry, but that's now how it works, and that's not how it should work.
by no means do i consider myself an artist, or even a photographer. i am currently just someone who appreciates the art form and aspires to be something more. i try to use those valuable terms sparingly, because there are too many bastardizations of words these days. jerry rubin says that the only word in the english language that hasn't lost its impact is "FUCK."
i don't think you can be an artist without academic merit, without knowing what came before you and the movements that stemmed from each time period. i don't think you can justify your work without technical prowess. once again, i don't think an image is a photograph until it's been worked.
photography isn't about the equipment or tools you use; it's about having a vision and how the equipment and programs available can help you communicate that vision.
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