Does the Government choose whom to govern, or do the people choose who their Government is?
Does a singer decide who listens to his/her songs, or do the fans decide who their favorite singer is, and what songs they love?
Can a Chef claim his own food to be delicious, if the people tasting his food have dissimilar opinions?
Now, tell me which one is more valid: do photographers get to choose who to view their photographs, or do the viewers get to choose what photographs they want to view?
Fishing village at Pangkor Island, near the Main Jetty.
Taken with Olympus PEN E-PL1 with 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens.
Art is an OPEN form, and it should not be held down by restrictions. The restrictions include who you choose to shoot with, who you choose to exchange opinions with, and who you choose to hang out with. May it be gearheads, may it be measurebators, may it be people chasing commercial success, or just a plain simple hobbyist who just want some good old shutter therapy sessions. Everyone picked up the camera for all sorts of reasons. Even if it is not the same reason for you, does it really matter?
I read this somewhere over the internet, and I cannot agree more with the statement.
"If you separate the photo from the artist, and the average 'uneducated' reaction is that the photo sucks... Well, they're right.
It'd be nice to get away from the cult of fame in art, and judge works on their own merits, rather than the artists."
It is a strong reminder to myself, that I must not close myself off from the society, live in my own little world, and be selfish about art.