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This is a continuation of a previous post re: HDR - The new criteria?

Is there a trend toward technique over substance?

Like any language, in order for photography to be a means of communication, it requires a certain amount of structure. That structure needs to be free of superficial acceptance based simply on photographic technique. The word photography suggests that cameras, lenses and light are our foremost tools for delivering the message. The better and more creative we use them, the better the delivery.

In the previous post, I talked about the possiblility of HDR being some kind of new standard for judging photography. I am not condemning High Dynamic Range Photography. HDR is a fantastic tool. It has great potential as a new technique. I am a proponent of the technique for many kinds of imaging. I love the results of good HDR as a process when used properly.  Over cooked HDR is difficult to accept for many photographers. In many cases, the use of HDR can cause way too much emphasis to be placed on the technique. I simply think that we should pay more attention to the communication rather than the process.

In the future, I am sure that we will all take HDR for granted, as it will be the normal capture method for most cameras including 3D, TV and video. Yet, it is not a tool that at least for now, is what anyone would call spontaneous. To be spontaneous, means in part, that the process does not become an obstacle to image capture.

Photography for many of us needs to be spontaneous in order to capture the reality of the world. The images of Brassai or Winogrand would not exist without their lightning response to their subjects caught with a single exposure. HDR would not work for capturing their images or for their working style. In order to see and feel their work, the photographs need to have the tonal scale that they captured.

Spontaneity is the real key to photographic capture. It is the tool of choice amongst those seeking a truthful representation of the world. It is what used to be called the decisive moment that makes images fantastic. It is the magic of photography. Everything else can seem contrived by comparison.

Perhaps at some point in the near future, there will be a single exposure HDR technique that will allow us to produce any level of drama that is required. If so, it should allow any photographer to make the best statement possible based on the individual artists interpretation of his/her subject. For most of us, that also means having the freedom to express the way we need to express our subjects without restriction. It also means knowing when to use our methods and tools to positively reinforce the subject and the message.

HDR or any method should not be the only criteria for judging images. The best that can happen in the future will be that we have options that can be appreciated based on free expression. That kind of creative freedom is what allows self-exploration and real communication. HDR is simply another method that we can use in our communication.

Like words, photographs need  to be read with an open mind. In every photograph there are at least two participants. There is the person who is the creator and there is the person that is the viewer. Both the photographer and the viewer should have an open-minded conversation without the interference or the restrictions imposed by technical qualifiers.

Both the viewer and the photographer need to meet head-to-head about the subject of the image.

For photography to work as a communication tool, it takes at least two open minds, creative freedom and a real attempt to convey and understand the message. I believe that great photography needs to have something to say.

Images and text © John Neel

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