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What Photography Isn't
It Ain't A Painting
A photograph is not a painting. An obvious statement but also one that can be helpful in understanding what photographyis, as opposed to what it isnot.
A painter starts with a blank canvas and adds what he thinks should be seen. This can be either from a scene in front of him, or from something that springs from the painter's mind's eye. If the painting is taken from reality, such as a landscape, items are included or excluded based on the artist's preference and vision. No one ever says to a painter, "Why didn't you include that telephone pole"?
The photographer, on the other hand, starts with whatever nature has placed in front of him. His task as an artist is toremovethat which doesn't compliment his vision. (This is even the case when so-calleddocumentaryphotography is being done. Taking a photograph is inherently an exercise in editorial decision making.)
"The painter constructs, the photographer discloses."
— S...

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Michael Reichmann
Michael Reichmann
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Michael Reichmann is the founder of the Luminous Landscape. Michael passed away in May 2016. Since its inception in 1999 LuLa has become the world's largest site devoted to the art, craft, and technology of photography. Each month more than one million people from every country on the globe visit LuLa.
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