Alain's Philosophy

[jerrygrasso96]

Kudos to Alain for a frank and informative discussion about his philosophy and approach to his art. And although this is just one person's opinion regarding the creation of art, I find I am in complete agreement with many of his conclusions. Thanks, again, Alain, for, as always, more food for thought!

[mecrox]

I second that. Gear sites are ten a penny and sooo dull with it. Ideas and suggestions for developing one's passion into a thoroughly rewarding art and craft are far, far rarer. The same is true of the previous article by Olaf Willoughby, "Looking But Not Seeing".

[telyt]

"Interestingly enough, unlike photographers painters don’t sit around talking about the quality of their gear, be it paint, brushes, canvas, easels or other."

Hmmmm….   my wife goes on and on about her colored pencils and how some are suited to children's doodling and how she'd much rather use the good ones.

[Ray]

Tradesmen, craftsmen, artists, or anyone who creates something using tools, should be concerned about the quality, usefulness and durability of their tools. It would be foolish not to.

Since the camera is a much more complex tool than a paintbrush or crayon, there's much more to discuss. 

[Nelsonretreat]

"Interestingly enough, unlike photographers painters don’t sit around talking about the quality of their gear, be it paint, brushes, canvas, easels or other

Alain obviously been into a good quality artist's supply shop recently! The composition and formulation of paint has been a topic of perennial interest to painters from way before the Renaissance. Talk to any group of serious painters about pigments used in paint and you will get quite a discussion going. Take a second to look at the various makes of brushes and you will see that there is a quite astonishing variety in both materials and price! Alain falls into the old cliche that 'artists' are solely concerned with creation.
Just Google any topic on the subject of the quality of artist's paints etc and you will see Alain is just plain wrong in his sweeping assertion.

[daws]

"Interestingly enough, unlike photographers painters don’t sit around talking about the quality of their gear, be it paint, brushes, canvas, easels or other

Alain obviously been into a good quality artist's supply shop recently! The composition and formulation of paint has been a topic of perennial interest to painters from way before the Renaissance. Talk to any group of serious painters about pigments used in paint and you will get quite a discussion going. Take a second to look at the various makes of brushes and you will see that there is a quite astonishing variety in both materials and price! Alain falls into the old cliche that 'artists' are solely concerned with creation.
Just Google any topic on the subject of the quality of artist's paints etc and you will see Alain is just plain wrong in his sweeping assertion.

I remember well the discussions of pigments and brushes in art school in the 70s; I'm sure Alain heard much the same in his Beaux-Arts days. And of course they exist today. But such discussions were (and are) miniscule compared to the enormous amount of verbiage, passion and angst spent in discussions (online, printed and otherwise) on the technical aspects of camera gear since digital came to the fore. Alain's comparison is quite correct: the competitive yardsticking, emotional self-identification and brand awareness that are common in gear discussions among photographers are rare with painters.

[Ray]

I remember well the discussions of pigments and brushes in art school in the 70s; I'm sure Alain heard much the same in his Beaux-Arts days. And of course they exist today. But such discussions were (and are) miniscule compared to the enormous amount of verbiage, passion and angst spent in discussions (online, printed and otherwise) on the technical aspects of camera gear since digital came to the fore. Alain's comparison is quite correct: the competitive yardsticking, emotional self-identification and brand awareness that are common in gear discussions among photographers are rare with painters.

There are legitimate and understandable reasons why more verbiage, passion and angst, as you put it, are spent in discussing the technical aspects of camera gear.

First, there is probably a far greater number of people who use cameras than there are people who paint, so such discussions about camera gear will appear to be greater.

Secondly, a camera is the one essential tool required to take a photograph. One doesn't event need a paint brush to paint. One can throw paint at a wall.

Thirdly, a camera, on average, is a much more expensive item than any tool used for painting. When people are considering spending their hard-earned cash on expensive equipment, sometimes as much as $100,000 or more for MF equipment with lenses, it is perfectly natural and understandable they would want to thoroughly investigate and discuss the merits and advantages of such expensive gear.

Fourthly, the computer monitor, with appropriate software, allows the photographer to clearly see any defects and unwanted noise in his images. I'm quite sure if any painter were to apply dark shades of paint which, on drying, were to exhibit noticeable streaks and unintended patterns, he would exhibit a great deal of angst.