EXERCISE 2

(page 124)

In his 1966 book, The Photographer’s Eye, the curator of the Museum of Modern Art
in New York, John Szarkowski (quoted in Edwards, 2006, p.59), suggested slightly
different properties that make photographs unique: the thing itself, the detail, the frame, time,and vantage point. The first of these refers to the photograph as an object in its own rightrather than a mere representation, an idea we’ll return to below.
• What, in your view, makes photographs unique as an art form?

I think, in order to compliment John SZarkowski, what really makes a photograph unique is technique (the more advanced the photographer the better the photos) but also (and that is in my point of view the most important element) is the object of focus, the element to be photographed. Therefore the object of camera’s capture is what makes a great artistic photo.

It is down to the camera user to spot an interesting and engaging object, though. What the photographer does is capturing a real-life moment under a certain point of view to find that particular frame, shot, moment to capture and create what we call photographic art.