IN THEORY: Uniqueness and the Photographers Dilemma

Photography would probably be deemed the most democratic of visual art forms because of the relatively accessable nature of the craft and its tools. The subject does not originate in the imagination and the essential materials needed are few, unlike the typical nature of painting, sculpting, or videography.

Proof of this can be seen everywhere, from the many hip, young teenagers with heavy digital SLRs hanging about their necks to their 70 year old grandparents with point-and-shoots of their own. However, what sets apart the photographic work of amateurs from that of professionals and distinguishes "good" images from "bad" images? How important is the photographers message in comparison with how it is recieved and interpreted by their audience?

In the mind of photographic theorist and critic John Berger, the value of a photograph or any form of visual medium resides in its CONTEXT and UNIQUENESS. The last is an important concept, one that has troubled many artists (as well as many angsty teenagers.)

So, how exactly do you project your individuality and ideas through a medium that has so many participants, so many viewers, and so many experts' legacies? And how exactly is this uniqueness identified or obscured in photographs?

The concept of uniqueness derives from how certain photographs offer new ideas, a new perspective on a familiar subject, or open our mind's eye to new realities. This uniqueness relied partly on how it is packaged and shown to the audience. Limited printings, exhibits, and books all frame photographs in a context and create a world into which they are born, giving weight to an image's uniqueness and ultimately setting the photograph(s) apart from other bodies of work. These contexts can add or detract from the value of an image by helping the viewer realize the photographer's vision or taking the spotlight. In example:
-A famous photographer's name might bias a viewer's opinion on their work
-Inversely, an obsure name might detract possible praise by the majority or shy people away from recognizing their work
-Charging high prices for prints or making only exclusive physical prints might make certain works prestigious for no reason or obscure the purpose of the image for monetary gain

All these situations include a compromise of value for some other abstract or petty matter such as respect and money, which I think should not be the object of photography; pride in your work and capturing a truly moving, revealing, or captivating image should be.