July’s topic: Nature photography and eco-porn
So the first meeting will be held on July 25 at 8:30. We can meet at the Barley works and hopefully find a table with enough space.
Originally I thought we would spend the first meeting of the club kind of getting to know each other, sorting out who would pick topics for what month, and . . . I dunno . . . drinking.
However, I guess it’s probably a good idea to have something to talk about and get the ideas flowing.
One topic that has been on my mind for a long time is a debate about nature photography, in particular the creation of images that feel, at least to some, overly manipulated in some way.
Photographers today can create stunning images of nature that seem almost surreal. Various technologies allow the creation of highly saturated images that feel almost dream-like in their hyper realism.
Critics of this style refer to this “eco-porn”, suggesting that these photographers are creating overly idealized visions of nature. Images that are too perfect and which set the actual natural environment up for failure as it can never live up to the fantasy of the photo.
The defenders of such images point out that the aim of photography isn’t always documentary, but in fact to create art. The images in question may not document the scene exactly as it appeared, but rather capture the feeling of what it was like to experience that moment. It’s an artistic interpretation – like an impressionist painting.
Here are a few photographers whose work I think might facilitate discussion:
Marc Adamus (click on a Gallery to view larger versions of images)
Kah Kit Yoon (site scrolls left to right instead of up and down)
I am curious to hear what people’s thoughts are on this idea and on these images.
Mike
Things that go "Pop!" 
Intimating that these photographs are like an impressionistic painting is akin to Thomas Kinkade crapping on Monet’s grave. Oooohhh…it’s on porn lovers.
Best comment ever! Though I prefer to imagine Bob Ross serenely crapping on Monet’s grave. Bring it on porn hater! 🙂
Talking of crapping on graves is ironic—these images are born of and induce constipation. thery’re imbued with much mazy motion but don’t go anywhere. generic, placeless, angstily overwrought: it’s as if the artist knows there’s nothing happening inside them as they click the mouse in photoshop . . . in my opinion anyway
I was really interested this idea of placelessness leading to a kind of “this-is-anywhere and thus kind of nowhere” feeling in the images. I tried to keep that in mind when I was out shooting on the weekend and create images that were a little more specific to the space I was in.
http://shinkatan.com/2007-8/