What do you call the earnest workers – those weekend, and retirement photographers – practicing diligently for years, but seemingly unable to provide an original motive. They are the faithful. Buying books; going to special exhibits; taking workshops, happy to hear tales of Ansel.

Zoners; Double- A? They think of themselves as keepers of a secret – the Books.

Amateur; dilettante; enthusiast; devotee- every sector has them, and these terms, in dictionary purity, don’t mark them as darkly as I do.  How about Three Leggers – they always fret over the perfect tripod. Or Camera Baggers — that too is a matter of infinite concern. There is no end to seeking perfection, or requesting group support in these matters of taste and style.

Why Classify

Because I need a way to think of them as a group- a single entity with common characteristics. Classification provides distinctions. They classify themselves — they call themselves a name, even joking that they look different, dress differently — or, sometimes that they should wear a distinctive flower to announce themselves to others – this in the case of public lectures. The public lectures probably only being attended by that particular sub-culture, even though the topic of photography, or art is interesting to broad range of people, the Doubles shun topics outside their special interest of photographic use.

Subject First

They cling to a subject version of photography. Grudgingly they have split into separate herds – with inbreeding discouraged, but permitted – There is the Digital, Luminous group and the Analog, Large Film group. They are the Photographic Gap – full of hyphenated processes, aka, workflow.

 

These Notices

The caution are notices to travelers — stear heads at a water hole. Notice that if you drink enough, or often, you will perish. Treat it before consuming.