questionable practices...

make your bed and then lie in it... © Raffaella Loro

Tonight, while I make half-hearted attempts to pack, I have been pausing to read the introduction to The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson. It's interesting to read what he has written about photography, not only because this man is considered one of the masters of photography but also because photography as an artform has changed. This is not unlike other artforms, as tastes in music, painting, fashion, dance have all changed or evolved over time. However, our change in tastes does not necessarily discount the classification of past works as art... nor does our awe and respect of past works discount the classifications of new work as art. But is there really such a clear distinction between old and new? Is our work ever really totally original? Is it wrong that sometimes our photos are contrived or manipulated?

All these questions can be answered in both simple and complex terms. I don't feel like bothering with either answer at the moment. I don't think either answer would suffice.