Art and Craftmanship

Yesterday my good friend Kate from the House of Design in Red Bluff stopped by bearing gifts. She brought me a beautifully produced photography book that is now a wonderful addition to my library of rare images and art books.  We had a few minutes to talk and the conversation turned to the modern day digital world.

In man's quest for speed it seems that digital has taken over and often degraded many of the art forms that in the past required talent, skills, passion, education and years of practice. Now with the flip of a switch or click of a mouse "art" can be made instantly from a computer.

But is there value in such instant art?  Or is it just another thing to toss in our throw away society..  Is that photo from a cell phone any better or worse than a photo captured in the studio with all the attention paid to proper lighting, posing and emotion?   Does the average person care how an image is made and if it moves them emotionally?

Think of the musician who spends a lifetime of practice, often alone,  repeating the same notes again and again to get the right sound and phrasing. When finally ready to perform the recording studio and post production folks can capture every bar of music to delight listeners for years.  Now days with a simple laptop and off the shelf software you too are an instant recording studio or film maker.  But is it good or just good enough? 

There are lots of questions we ask this time of year.  Always trying to improve and offer more for our clients.  But enough of that for now...