Perpetually Churning It Up

Why is it that a photograph made from a view camera can be matted and framed and hung on a wall for a lifetime as a work of art? I would have to argue, however, that the people who would do this are becoming extinct. That modern photography, with its love of quantity and contextualization, has taken over. A new kind of viewer appreciation is occurring, has been occurring. One photograph doesn’t have to have such a profound and dramatic lasting impression on you, as it did in the past-that past where you would want to frame it and have it forever on your wall. Photographs now have a shorter lifespan- and we can’t condemn them for this, we can’t take away their relevance or significance- all negative connotations to the short-lived must be thrown out the window. A photograph can satisfy you like a meal or a magazine- you can devour it and get much satisfaction from it. And soon, you’ll be hungry for more.