Will Photography Become a Core Competency? Episode #48

Summary: Competency in Photography Courtesy of long-time listener and huge fan of ours (yeah, I am taking liberties but so what?), Ivan, we have tonight's topic: Might good photography one day become a core competency? Will photography become more mainstream? Will those of us who see photography as a craft be able to step up and excel? Or does photographic quality continue to slide toward mediocrity? Or both? Competency in photography will always be associated with artistic ability rather than the technical capabilities of the camera. Better technical photos will continue to happen as the cameras themselves get better and better. But does that equate to competency? Of course not. Learning visual literacy and pursuing photography as a craft is what will allow the good photographers to float to the top of the industry. Oh, and while the Like button on Facebook is not an indicator of good photography, we can't dismiss why people like crappy photos. And, introducing The Wet Plate. Please, tell us what you think here in the comments or on Twitter @PolarizingImage. Today's Artists: We revisit our last photographer, Jill Enfield. She is both an accomplished photographer and a highly skilled printmaker. With episode #47 having been the weird episode that it was, we glossed over Jill's abilities and she really deserves a proper evaluation. In the digital age when making a realistic print from a technically advanced camera is just a button-click away, it's refreshing (and inspiring) to see someone take the time to make such complex prints. Today's artist is the one and only Jim Hensen, creator of the Muppets. Talking about visual literacy and artistry, the Muppets were a huge advancements in the realism of puppetry. Oh, and here's the Muppets doing Friggin' in the Riggin' by The Sex Pistols.