I am a big fan of "Black Star Rising". I read most of their articles and follow them on Twitter. I "retweet" them and recommend the website to many fellow photographers. They almost always have something written that makes me stop and think about how I'm pursuing a project, my career or even my life. Because of this I was not surprised when I found myself having a strong reaction to the following article: Never Underestimate the Power of Your Camera By Paul Melcher.
Mr. Melcher challenges us to find the power of photography. To return, as I read it, to taking photographs that "matter". Photographs that make people think, make people uncomfortable, make everyone see the world around them and not ignore the many things they tend to on a daily basis.
I applaud Mr. Melcher's statement and agree that this is indeed one of the many purposes of photography.
But it is not the ONLY purpose nor the only way photography has power.
My comment on Mr. Melcher's article was as follows:
While I agree in concept with the purpose of this article I disagree with the fact that only using photography to illuminate the negative in our world is what makes it powerful.
Using your camera to expose the true and raw beauty of the world around us can be just has powerful. Why should we fight for change and struggle to make a difference if we feel there is nothing to fight "for"?
A powerful image does not only come in the form of defiance, an act of war or a question of reality. The photographer who only focuses on these things has become a cynic. There is still beauty and love and tolerance within our world and it is up to artists and photographers alike to remind everyone that these are indeed the things we must preserve, protect and fight for.
So yes - never underestimate the power of your camera. But remember power comes in many forms and the strongest form of that is the power of love. Without it nobody would care about the photographs of the suffering, the inhumane, the injustice ... we can not leave beauty or love out of the picture.
As with anything - power has a balance. And that balance must be both that we fight the injustices in the world and appreciate the beauty. A "powerful" image does not have to be a negative image - as often as not, a beautiful photograph can bring a tear to my eye and a flutter to my heart just as quickly as a horrific photograph. Does that make the tear or the flutter less meaningful or contain less emotion?
I believe there is power in beauty. There is power in love. There is power in the act of reminding others what it is they should continually fight for and appreciate. Life is a constant struggle as it is - don't force feed more of the struggle to the masses without giving them something to value in their lives already.
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