Thierry Maindrault’s Monthly Chronicle
Respect, the word we hear at every corner, is now a phrase that has lost all meaning. Respect dies out with the loss of values and scale. More landmarks, more positioning, more respect, even minima.
The same results are produced by the observation that we see now in society’s behavior.
No one is spared in our Photography. You may not have realized that you were the primary culprits. We are all responsible for this leveling of the ground. Our rush for instant recognition, our need to be accomodated, our inability to see unavoidable actions, and our disregard of sustainability contribute to it. All of us are aware and conscious actors in this constant degradation.
The cult of the ego as a fast goal, overdrive since the establishment of so-called social networks, leads all shooters – self-proclaimed photographers – to rush any image. It is important to upload it into these data centers that are a permanent and indelible collection of horrors. Digital memories grow to an excess, while the human memory is meticulously destroyed. Don’t smile, photographers who avoid social networks. You have been carried away many times by this infernal self. This system creates avatars (without knowing who they are for!) of people. Every opportunity to exhibit (frequently at your expense) or to produce a book (always with your wallet) is seized – greedily – without even knowing what? Why and How are also treated as secondary questions. The organization is so poor that our visitors are forced to look at images that have been produced in such a way that they find them brilliant. It is possible that this justifies the permanent display of long litanies in all exhibitions, if possible before the access to the works of art. They explain the author’s life and the realisation of the photographs in extraordinary conditions. We disrespect our images in a race to temporally gain recognition. So let’s not be surprised at the mediocrities hanging from the picture rails.
It is true that the term haste describes the current state of affairs, with the speed of time increasing under the pressure of the digital age. It is said that binary sequences will help you save time (and nobody disputes this nonsense). It’s typically what our ancestors called, with full of common sense, putting your finger into the eye. Even if the photographer is asked to do so urgently, it’s not recommended. The reality is that computers do not save time and are a waste of money. With all of your modern devices you can literally devour the quality of what you create. Understanding the problem is simple, the machines – even very complex ones – made available to you (against a few substantial currencies) operate on binary paths. While still working normally your brain interacted simultaneously with several multidimensional space. This is freedom. But it is hardly compatible with all the choices you are forced to make by your wonderful new acquisition. Even if you end up with a replica of the original design, it is still easy to make a default choice in a design that is full of restrictions. True artwork is not possible in a push button sphere. It requires our entire imagination, work and concentration.
In addition, we have completely forgotten about the importance of stages and their chronology in the creation of any photographic work, whether it is real or imaginary. We are so focused on the image we want to portray, that we forget about patience, which is necessary for learning and mastering our craft. For example, I was again challenged during all the exhibitions of this year by the mediocrity of very many prints, and not all inside famous “vintages”. Auto-all-inclusive digital printers (calibers, contrasts, cleaning, formatting, etc.) Print alone. Training for six months or fewer makes an “elite” photographic printer. It is not necessary to travel, the lab will take care of all your needs. The prints, the shaping are guaranteed by … the most efficient equipment (more, I would not even mention the staff …). A colleague with a good reputation told us that in order to qualify as a “work of art”, the photographer had to control the entire process, which included making prints themselves or maintaining a constant check. He thought that two years in analog lab and two years in digital laboratory would be a good foundation to start claiming some acceptable works. The same is true of the laboratory shots, lighting, and equipment. A great photograph does not mean that it was taken in a chamber. It can be perfect by using the correct technology to capture and the appropriate optics. For genius, it’s another matter! We must not rush through the stages, but rather treat each one with the respect they deserve.
Finally, our photos are not disposable tissue! It is enough that these images are anonymousized by the next image, often a very bad one. This happens even before they are presented to the public. The race after I don’t know what is so important that you have to be in the fashion streams, the same fashion, a day later, finds itself relegated to oblivion. It is understandable that press photographs are ephemeral, although history is an eternal beginning, isn’t it? We understand that photographs with psycho-narcissistic symptoms fade when their creator recovers or ages, so his undressed portraits are less attractive. It is more important, however, to organize the preservation of completed, constructed, or moving works. It seems better to classify a book or an exhibition with a protective and judicious classification than to place a long, incomprehensible text at the entrance. If you are devoted to your work, the 80% perspiration that goes into creating a masterpiece is never wasted.
We enjoy our photographic world as much as anyone else. I apologize if you find me forcing you into work during your vacation. For photographers, our work (even professional) was a hobby, let’s hope it stays that way.
Thierry Maindrault. July 14, 2023
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