I often stop to wonder what the point is. Why do I take photographs? What benefit is there to me or others from my practice.
I think this is probably a common question for artists of every stripe. When you spend so much time and effort making something, for little reward, that almost no one will ever see or care about the way you care about it, it’s natural to wonder… why?
In the midst of a long-running global public health catastrophe, with armed conflict escalating and authoritarianism on the rise, I wonder whether what I do can actually make a difference to anyone.
Jörg Colberg recently encouraged a discussion on how photography engages with the world outside “Photoland”, prompted by comments on this post by Brad Feuerhelm. Some folks argue that photographs are neither good nor bad, and that the act of photography cannot “take” anything from the world. Others align with the view that the act of photography is an interaction with the world, and thus carries responsibility to it.
Feuerhelm himself poses the question of whether photography is inherently unethical. I am not sure that I have an opinion on that, yet, but I certainly can see why he might feel that way. Ethics are a complicated field that I have not studied, so any opinion I venture would be uninformed at best. What I can say is that, in response to Feuerhelm’s statement that photography is unethical, I can say that for the socially conscious photographer such a position serves as a call to action to make our interactions with the world serve some greater good.
I am not a photojournalist. I am not someone with an audience. In fact, I doubt anyone will ever read this brief essay! Nonetheless, I want to state my “Why” if for no other reason than to hold myself accountable:
- I am an artist, and I believe that art can have a concrete impact on the world.
- By creating art, regardless of how good or bad it may be (and it’s so damn subjective), we give back some of the energy we take from the world, which in turn occurs just by existing.
- By creating art, I interact with the world around me, and I am responsible for the consequences of my actions.
I hope with time I will clarify these further.