Truths and Lies

In the 1840’s as photography and cameras began to develop, following the making of the first fixed images from Daguerre and Fox -Talbot a year earlier, it was initially believed that the camera was an instrument of truth.

Of course as we all know, as the technology has progressed, camera imagery becomes ever less objective and is almost universally a little liar. Or to state it in a more benevolent, truthful way, a tool for the artist to express another more creative reality.

Much has been made of the various methods and technologies used to build cameras, and artists both amateur and professional use these tools in hundreds of different ways to tell their truth.

In recent years, I have been on a maddening journey of discovery. I have always had a camera, right back in to the mid-1960’s with an Instamatic 126 cartridge film camera, through Yashica 35GTN my first serious camera, up to a series of Leica machines.

In recent years it has become an obsession, I have learned to develop film, I have learned about the benefits and drawbacks of different formats, I have learned about printing and scanning, I have used everything from Pinholes to Summilux lenses, to make images.

I have learned some interesting stuff, mainly that I am not very artistic, but also that the camera is not the most important part of the process. Rather it is the mind, followed by all of the steps that end with the image. The tools used are not that important.

As a result of all this, I have realised that some of my most enjoyable moments to me, are seeing the image, before it is created, capturing it with whatever tool is to hand, and then working it until one is satisfied with the resulting lie.

Which is why this blog is called “LE BOEF OU LE CANARD”… truths and lies from a grumpy old man.

Here is a picture that I am especially pleased with:

Superficially, I called it “Light Opera”.

All that money spent on expensive cameras and lenses, and it is made with an iPhone, but I saw it first.

Merry Christmas