“You don't take a photograph, you make it.” ~Ansel Adams
To a certain extent, I feel like this is always true in every photo. Photographs cannot take themselves- every aspect of the picture is influenced by the photographer. Even in candid, landscape or un-posed photos, the angle, what is in the frame, what is excluded and the shutter speed/aperture is controlled by the photographer. However, similar to the Avedon quote, I feel like there are also two different views on this subject.
Some photographs really are “made” rather than “taken.” Highly posed and especially highly edited photos fall into this category in my mind. They change and bend reality to fit the idea of the photographer. When a photo consists of elements and techniques that would not be possible or were not present without the involvement of the photographer, I consider it to be “made,” almost like a painting.
On the other hand, some photography focuses more on capturing split moments in time, high detail and action that is present in the real world and immortalizing it in the form of a photo. This photography is more “taken” than “made” in my mind because it relies on preexisting subjects, moments that independently happen and is not constructed or edited later.
The line between “taken” and “made” can be very thin at times and completely nonexistent in others, but I still think there should be some distinction made between different methods of photography.
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