LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process Brooks Jensen

Call me a cynic, call me a disbeliever, call me an irascible conspiracy theorist, but I simply don't believe the numbers reported by websites like YouTube. When I see that some new and unknown YouTube influencer is reported to have a half a million views of their video, I simply don't believe it. We have no idea how Google tallies those numbers, but knowing the statistics for our websites here at LensWork, I find it hard to believe when I read the download statistics from social media websites. Something funny is going on here.

I guess I've always been a bit snootish in my attitude towards snapshots versus fine art photography. But the more I think about it, the more I've begun to question my assumptions. Snapshots are form of memory, but don't we experience that with our fine art photography? What is the difference between a snapshot and a fine art photograph?

When asked, I think most fine art photographers would have to confess that they would love to see their work become "collectible." I understand the motivations for validation that come with collectability and museum exhibition. It's curious, however, how different are the motivations of collectors compared to consumers.

I had dinner this week at a friend's whom I'd recently met. The minute I walked in his modest house, I felt a vibe that I would characterize as "an art house." His house was filled with art, his tables with pottery and art books, and every wall had a display of beautiful framed work in every possible medium. After dinner, I had a chance to go from room to room to see what artwork he collected. Only later, the next morning, did I realize that every piece of artwork on his walls was smaller than 11x14.

I suspect many of you are a member of a book group of one kind or another. Have you ever heard of a photography book group? I never have. In fact, I think this could be a wonderful idea. I'm often grateful to hear how others think about a photograph or a group of photographs. Seems to me like it would be easy enough to put something together on Zoom. Hmmm. . .

I suppose it's no surprise that as the publisher of Image Suites, Seeing in SIXES and Trilogies that I'm a advocate for small projects — projects from just a few to perhaps a dozen or so images. I was therefore startled when I received an email from a LensWork reader pointing out that I've never specifically addressed why I'm such a fan of small projects. I looked back and she was right; I've never specifically addresses the concept of small photography projects. Here are some of my thoughts about this.