I have just read a very thought provoking article by Julia Anna Gospodaru.
In the article she comments upon the significant number of photographers and training companies offering reduced prices on presets that can be used in Lightroom or Photoshop to speed up the process of post processing images. Use these presets, they claim and you can, at the click of a button, create high quality images and some even claim you can create Fine Art Photographs.
Julia argues that there are no shortcuts to the craft of producing creative images and that the process cannot and should not be rushed. The only benefit of presets is to show the user what is possible but using them will unavoidably produce images that look similar to those created by the preset creator not the users original work.
Being truly creative means finding a way of expressing your own unique ideas by producing a piece artwork. If you are successful this activity this will deliver a level of personal satisfaction that makes it worthwhile even though other people may not fully appreciate the merit of what you have produced.
Although I understand Julia's arguments I feel as if my own motivations in becoming visually literate and using that knowledge to produce creative images are not yet based upon the deep felt need that artistic people have to demonstrate their unique view of the World to others. This realisation leaves me with the feeling that I still have a long way to go and that I should not see visual literacy as my final destination but merely a staging post on the route that ends in a place called Creativity.
If you are interested in reading the full article follow this link.
http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/about-shortcuts-versus-real-craftsmanship-in-art-and-photography/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=About+Shortcuts+Versus+Real+Craftsmanship+in+Art+and+Photography
