PHOTOGRAPHY PURISTS BEWARE!

It seems every field has its purists and the photography world is not without them. It's funny how we tend to argue the tech more than the art itself, it seems. Film is better than digital and vice versa. I'm a gear-head and love the tech, but I love it for the tech and what new kinds of tools it allows you use to create. I couldn't care less which one is better and which one makes me a "real photographer" or a real artist. The fact that I create and challenge myself to express makes me an artist. The mere tools don't make it so. Let me explain.

©Austin James Photo

In this digital world we care constantly bombarded with new ways to capture images, better ways to capture images, better resolution, insane lowlight capabilities and so on and so on ad infinitum. It's so easy to get caught up in that and make that the focus. I do it all the time. But more and more I'm discovering people that have pushed beyond those restricting ways of thinking and really creating some incredible work with what they have at hand. They have no care as to whether or not they are shooting with a $3,000 Nikon or Canon or the iPhone they just upgraded to for $99. What's important are the stories they are telling. And that's the name of the game. The story. Whatever medium you decide to use to create, just tell a friggin' compelling story.

Ian Ruhter's work

Ian Ruhter creates amazingly haunting work on gigantic plates of metal that run him somewhere around $500 a pop. You can see his work here www.ianruhter.com. He happens to be one of my favorite artists. Then on the other hand I stumbled up Lu Gen's work while reading an article on FStoppers this morning. The link to brief article is here [Fstoppers]. I was captivated and inspired when looking at his work. You can see it here VSCO Grid. And it's costing him nothing to create. Just the cost of the phone and whatever apps he uses.

Lu Gen's work taken with an iPhone

It's not the tools or the cost of those tools that makes the artist. Don't rely on some object to define or validate you as an artist. Let your work make it so. Screw the tech, but love it at the same time. I strive to achieve this level of artistry shown by both artists mentioned here.