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Response to the theory of accidental excellence: a discussion, not an image.

from Susan Daly (SLascaux@aol.com)
Good question Wayne. There is an expression, " Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while ", or something to that effect. The point is that anyone is capable of at least occasionally taking a very good, maybe great, photograph when luck arrives on the scene. For that reason i tend to consider the body of work of any artist before i make a judgement as to their abilities.

You said, " a substantial number of the best photographs taken either by amateurs or professionals is simply the result of accident; that is, being in the right place at the right time, or being in a position to gain access to an unusual, beautiful, or otherwise outstanding human subject matter."

being in the right place at the right time is NOT always an accident, but is often planned, or at least happens because the artist is aware of the possible opportunity awaiting. In other words "being prepared".

As for "gaining access".... same thing..... i think many of these great photographs happen because the photographer recognizes fertile ground that others might not, and does what it takes to place him/herself in that position. Sometime that planning could take months but we don't know that when we view the image do we? We think " Wow i wish I had that kind of luck! "

I totally agree that preparedness, and technical knowledge to the point that it becomes second nature is a big component of success, and i believe that when you view the body of work of any artist and see repeatedly good works, the serendipity factor tends to seem less plausible as an explanation.

So.... that blind hog may find an acorn...... but it's because he knows what they smell like! He's not so "blind" after all is he?

(posted 8500 days ago)

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