I was reading an interview with some trendy, successful young photographer. I don't remember who or where. But he made a comment about how passe and cliched it had become to shoot old abandoned houses, etc. At first it stung a little because I like shooting that sort of thing as well and yes, it had become a fad. But reflecting on this later two things occurred to me, first, what an ass he was and second, why would this sort of subject matter be any more passe than any other? I don't think anyone ever says that about portraits. Yes, something can be overdone and something can be done poorly, but to disparage the subject matter, I think, was unnecessary. I think that images of things that people have made, used, lived in, made their livings in and then discarded can say so much about people in the same way a portrait can say something about a person.
