Paradise – © John Neel
The ignorance of visual language is the ignorance of the highest form of photographic practice. Part of being a photographer is in understanding what others are attempting to say in their photography. The best images are those that inform or provoke.
Considering the vital topics that could be addressed by photographers, a number of photographic practices seem to me to be a bit out of place and somewhat superficial at this moment in time.
Many of them seem to cater to the 1% mentality or at least to the subset of the monetary and materialistically greedy. It is that mentality which is the cause of major issues in the USA and other parts of the world. When truth and scientific fact are misrepresented, distorted, denied by ignorance and greed, we are hurtling out of control towards human annihilation. Unfortunately, money seems to be the driving force for many kinds of images being produced.
The selling of products may pay handsomely, but the consequences of materialistic production is being perpetuated rather than curtailed. Over production and the continuous depletion of our resources’ cannot be an endless endeavor. Our Earth is a finite resource that until recently was working in a harmonious way to facilitate all life. It was a cycle that perpetuated the existence of life.
The biggest myth is that the world is OK.
The deniers of truth seem to think that scientific facts mean nothing. They believe that the world is just fine as it is and that we can keep acting as we have been doing. Yet, we face enormous problems with an ever-growing population, which is now at over 7 billion people worldwide. That population has been doubling in size every thirty some years. This huge proliferation of humans means ever growing strains on water supply, food supply, health, housing, land use, air quality, environments, security, weather, peace and so on. Sustainability is part of the issue, peace and human suffering is another. These are issues we will all have to deal with in the very near future if we simply ignore the world.
The distractions from reality include anything, which takes us away from making sure the planet survives, that war is stopped, that we the people get justice, healthy food, clean water and air to breath.
Now is not a time for frivolous activities, wasteful resources, pretentious living. In order to make this world a better place for all life, everyone needs to start by seriously thinking in terms of how we can instigate change together.
Man cannot continue at our present rate of consumption. The natural balance has been thrust into chaos. The world has become sick and we are the aggressive cancer. We are also solely and undeniably the only possibility for a cure! We can be a part of the antidote. If only we are not too late!
So what is so important?
- Climate Change is probably the biggest challenge that we face!
- But there is plenty more to deal with…
- Human suffering Difficult subject Ethics
- Pollution
- Population
- Nukes and Nuclear power
- WATER
- Air
- FOOD
- WAR
- Ignorance
- …Health, Disease, Greed…and so on!
There are many more things that need to be changed in our world. We as photographers have the opportunity to make a huge difference. The trick is to seek the truth! And that truth needs to be understandable and shared with all!
This has everything to do with photographic practice. It has everything to do with everything we know and care about in this world.
PHOTOGRAPHY is a social conscience. USE it to make the world better.
Please have a look at some of my other posts here.
NOTICE of Copyright: THIS POSTING AS WELL AS ALL PHOTOGRAPHS, GALLERY IMAGES, AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE COPYRIGHT © JOHN NEEL AND ARE NOT TO BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE WITHOUT WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE WRITER, THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND/OR lensgarden.com. THE IDEAS EXPRESSED ARE THE PROPERTY OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND THE AUTHOR.
