depth charge

I was browsing through old issues of Communication Arts when I came across this wonderful article by Carol McCusker. Sadly, I can no longer find an online version of the entire length of writing, but I've provided excerpts below.


Carol McCusker - Depth Charge

"Like other art forms, photography can help us make sense of the world. I recently read a passage by author Rebecca Solnit that made me think of the power of photography. Addressing English majors at their graduation ceremony, Solnit asserted that studying English Literature (and here I substitute with photography) can "enable you to analyze, to see patterns, to acquire a personal philosophy rather than a jumble of unexamined hand-me-down notions, that enable you not to make a living but maybe to live. This least utilitarian of educations prepares you to make sense of the world and maybe make meaning... to become a producer of meanings rather than a consumer of them in an age when meaning as advertising and marketing is daily forced down our throats."'


"Instead of perpetuating today's climate where the main photo trends are choked with irony or superficial references to pop culture, photography should better the world, not hinder it. I want to affirm what is inherently valuable in life. I am sticking my neck out here asking that photography be "life affirming," opening myself to accusation of being old-fashioned or close minded. But for me, photography (as with all art making) has a moral dimension. It is not a trivial act, and comes with responsibility. It is nothing less than a privilege to make art, and responsibility goes with privilege."


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One can easily notice that the author questions the shifting roles of photography with a heavy hand. I too, can't help but to occasionally wonder about the direction of photography's evolution in the future. I will not be judgmental and question the other forms of photographic practices, but personally, I believe I have already found my own brand of "life-affirming" photography.