I recently came across a quote stating that as we advance with technology our craftsmanship declines. Let’s think about this in terms of digital photography. It continually gets easier and easier to get the photograph. With the rise and quality of phone cameras advancing almost daily we can now capture a great photograph just by pointing our phone and pressing the shutter.

So the general quality of the snapshot has definitely improved hasn’t it? It is far easier, and way more common today than yesterday.

I do notice that there is a huge emphasis on post processing with finalists in photography competitions. How often does that straight photograph get acknowledged?

I also notice an obsession with perfection in these competitions too. As a judge when you are separating the charff from the wheat, there is an overwhelming easiness to turn to perfection as the final arbiter.

Yet, so many copycat artworks end up winning. Personally I avoid anything I have seen before or recognise as a honey pot shot. Perhaps this is wrong of me. But, I value uniqueness over perfection. Something that is perhaps way to subjective while perfection is more objective. We can count the errors. Where as a recognition of a location or someone else’s work is so much harder to quantify.

Yet again we see the left brain logic and desire for measurement overtaking emotional opinions.

Do judges not see that they are curating the future directions of the medium?

Undoubtedly not.

I think we are loosing craftsmanship in our beloved medium with the rise of technology. But I think it is more a sign of our continued advancement into dogmatic left brained logical and measurable thinking than simply blaming the technology.

Our society advances in, dumping humanities and arts from our kids futures. Making art is being put in the back burner.

I wonder why I don’t get invited to judge larger photography competitions? Well, Len you don’t tow the line do you! You wander your own path don’t you.

It is a shame that craftsmanship is decreasing. While as a gross overgeneralisation it seems true, there are so many examples of where it isn’t.

Walk your own path. It’s the most rewarding. Trust me.

What do you think? Will make a gorgeous glass faced print on metallic paper. I am trying to decide which of these purple haze ones I shall get printed for my November show at Broadway.

South West Rocks. Photograph and text copyright © Len Metcalf 2020