# 3663-67 ~ no thinking required

July 19, 2020

GIVEN THE MEDIUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND ITS APPARATUS' intrinsic / inherent relationship with the real world as its primary defining characteristic which distinguishes it from the the other visual arts, it is my considered opinion that, in the digital picture making domain, the medium has moved beyond the creation of images which depict the real world in a "realistic" manner to that of the creation of images which are more hyper-real than real.

That written, and lest anyone think that I believe that the medium and its apparatus has gone to hell in hand basket, I am referring to that segment of the picture making world-camera makers and picture makers-for whom there is never enough rich color / saturation, micro detail, resolution, sharpness and brilliance. All of which are employed in the making of pictures which appear, to my eye and sensibilities, to be more real than real (my apologies to the Tyrell Corporation).

Of course, it would be wrong to suggest that this proclivity is solely the product of the digital picture making world inasmuch as, back in the good ol' analog days, one could choose color film / paper products which were designed to exaggerate / distort the real world. Fujichrome Velvia film and Cibachrome color paper come immediately to mind.

In either case, analog or digital, I just don't understand the desire to subvert the medium's primary characteristic. However, I might suggest that those who go down that road seem to lack the imagination / creativity to make good pictures within the "constraints" of adhering to the real as opposed to slathering the real with a cheap-trick veneer of art sauce.