The Value of Opinion

The value of opinion.

Hello again. Following on from last week’s thoughts, I’m posting another thought-based piece as I make a slow return from the recent gap. During this time it allowed further space for reflection, which has fed into a number of new article proposal, research strands and almost an infinite number of stimulating thoughts which will need supplementary exploration in order to test their validity. That of course, is somewhat a double-edged sword, as combined with all these new ones, I have a number of older posts that weren’t written/edited/posted at that time but I feel if I return to them now they will feel redundant, out of date or inauthentic.

I will leave that dilemma to be addressed in the future. Although part of that thinking leads into the bigger picture of what the purpose of this blog should be and what does it need to be? Originally it was for an academic purpose, a place where I could present (possible) proposals, ideas and further notes on discussion topics, but as current momentum is seemingly moving me away from that area, then I have the opportunity to open this cogitation up to include incidental thoughts, ramblings and not yet fully formed thoughts or processes. Some of these have been floating around and have combined recently, starting quietly then gradually gathering into something much louder.

Unfortunately this noise has been one mainly of despair. Despair at what is seemingly happening to photographies.

This was quite a revelation and one that I couldn’t immediately get my head around. It was then I took a step back, rather than share immediately. The main reason for the concern and why I held off, is what would be the validity in identifying these observations publicly? What would be the value contained in? After all this is just my opinion, and what is (my) opinion worth these days?

As I read that for the 20th time, it still doesn’t quite sit right, and yet it does. I think as explanation I would rather mean it in a healthy and robust manner rather than a “Oh woe is me” manner.

I don’t know.

As ever with life, photographies are full of contradictions, so I will share some of them and it involves interactions around people who are involved in photography yet are not involved in photographies. Recently I’ve had many interactions with people who consume (vast) amount of images in many different forms yet still maintain, quite strongly in some cases, a premise that they don’t understand it at all. Yet their lived experience/empirical evidence in diverse subjects such as how many images they have appeared in, what they have seen, liked and known, would suggest that they do have at least a certain knowledge about it.

So why would they not consider them themselves to have such little knowledge of photographies?

Do these people think the same with words? Seemingly not as the current evidence would suggest that many more people feel much better equipped to pass judgement on words rather than pictures, why is that?

Is this in part due to a larger picture of general confusion in the medium?

If so, and I haven’t had chance to completely test this hypothesis out, then I don’t really blame them, as my current despair is allied to this.

If not them then who to blame?

Can we blame education? There is a lack of arts education never mind photographic education and what is contained is in apparent a dumbing down of the salient points. Is it the prescriptive nature of education, of the importance of doing it the right way? The intense focus on linear trains of thought as being the only way to do an educate? Or is it the fact that it doesn’t cater well to neuro divergence, wherein photography seems to attract that particular facet of humans? Is it the fact that the arts are being cut…oh my this could go on and on…I will have to stop there and expand this into another blog etc. etc.

Let us look elsewhere, can we blame the gatekeepers? In photographies these are many and there are many ideas yet there seem only to be a few keepers of the gate. I realise the contradictory nature of that but isn’t the whole premise of photography built on contradictions, for example, this idea that the camera doesn’t matter, yet it so obviously does? I have also seen some very strange decisions made by these gatekeepers which raise old adages around clothing and people in power.

Moving on before I completely string myself up, can we blame the media with their “look at art int it furnnie…” attitude to anything that doesn’t fit a mould? Giving voice to the moral majority who in the main thumb noses at difference/expression/passion. Or the widespread acceptance of what makes a good picture i.e. it must contain landscape, suffering, animals or pain to be of value?

Speaking of that can we lay any blame at the awards industry who reward incredibly similar prizes, year in, year out? As awards season and yearly round ups are upon us, please keep a lookout for what wins and what features.

I don’t know.

(Please inflect on that the tone that you’d prefer, the more indignant the better…)

That not knowing leads me back to my opening thought, what is the value of my opinion? Answers welcome via the usual channels please as well as any thoughts, feelings, ideas or discursives

Does this blog need an image? Well they all do to some extent, so which one would fit the theme? What is the theme again, is it the value of my opinion or that I don’t know? Well both of course. Ah ok I see, well how about this one freshly made? Yes, I see, no possibly not but then what else do we have? Well there is this? Ah, yes, Much better?

Image description: An image that is better than the first one selected to accompany these words in regards to content and skill placed within the image, yet possibly not as good as the third choice, which was ruled out due to timing and presence.

Image description: An image that is better than the first one selected to accompany these words in regards to content and skill placed within the image, yet possibly not as good as the third choice, which was ruled out due to timing and presence.

Thank you.