Amateur Photographer – 20 July 2019

(Brent) #1

14 20 July 201920 July 2019 II http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukII subscribe 0330 333 1113subscribe 0330 333 1113


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I HAVE recently been catching up on
Master of Photography, on Sky Arts.
It’s inspiring and thought-provoking
to watch the contestants’ differing
approaches to the tasks set, and
enjoyable to see the results. It’s been
great to see top photographers such
as Martin Parr, Steve McCurry and
Bruce Gilden, who have come in
to advise the contestants. I was
particularly impressed by Sebastião
Salgado, who was so inspirational
and a real gentleman.
This is in stark contrast to the
rather disdainful criticism at times
offered by some on the show – and in
particular, one of the judges. If you’ve
watched it, you’ll know who I mean!
Having been through music college
some years ago, I am very familiar
with this style of criticism. The idea
that it’s helpful to tear your students to
pieces is outdated. Subjective opinions
are delivered with unrestrained
passion, and contestants can
appear visibly upset.
I also wonder about their concept
of ‘good photography’. One favourite
complaint is that ‘the picture has no

story.’ We like a story, and some
genres such as reportage absolutely
demand it, but must we be always
enslaved by narrative? Not all great art
is programmatic. A Brahms symphony
doesn’t tell a story, but speaks to our
emotions in ways that you simply can’t
achieve with words.
Photography has always been a fairly
commercial art form, success often
established through the opinions of
editors. To be fair, the judging on the
show is often spot on, but it does
seem to be how I imagine an editorial
meeting might be at a magazine. I
have felt that some wonderful images
have been rather dismissed, and
some visually bland work praised
for adherence to a concept.
When we look at a picture, it can
connect with us in many ways if we
remain open minded. I can’t help
but wonder whether insistence on
narratives can sometimes infect
style and substance, giving rise to
pretentious trends. Great art cuts
through the nonsense and goes
straight to the heart.
Richard Waldock

Inbox

Great art goes to the heart


Pentax issues
The letter in Inbox (AP
6 July) questioning the
reliability of certain Pentax
products refl ects my
experience with a DA*
50-135 f/2.8 lens. The
optical quality is superb
but I experienced a focus
lock-up which cost in
excess of £100 to repair
through an authorised
agent. Within 12 months,
I experienced the same

David Jones is not
happy about issues
with his Pentax lens

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problem and a bill for
£150+. I was astounded to
read in a US review that it
was a known fault! One
would expect it to be more
widely reported in the
press. As a result, I
abandoned my life-long
allegiance to Pentax and I
will treat camera reviews
with caution. David Jones

To be fair, David,
long-term problems such

as this one are unlikely
to show up in a camera
review – Nigel
Atherton, editor

Consumer rights
After reading Mike
Gosling’s letter (titled
‘Pentax Reliability’) in
AP 6 July and the advice
given I am somewhat
concerned about the
lack of knowledge about
consumer laws in the UK.
Under these laws Mike can
insist that the camera is
repaired or replaced (if it
cannot be repaired) within
six years of the date of
purchase. There is a great
deal of information on this
topic on the internet on
websites such as Which?
and Citizens Advice.
Indeed, a good indicator of
these rights can be found
on the Apple website
at http://www.apple.com/uk /
legal/statutory-
warranty/ and I can assure
you from personal
experience that Apple
honour a six-year warranty
under the Consumer
Rights Act 2015.
Howard G Tate,
President -
Photographic Alliance
of Great Britain

Resistance is futile
I write in response to the
Inbox letters in the 29
June edition, some of
which were critical of what
was regarded as excess
coverage of mirrorless
cameras. While admitting
to being a mirrorless
camera devotee I do not
wish to add to this debate.
I would, however, like to
make two observations.
I fully agree with the
editorial comments that
were made. The reason
that I have read AP over
many years, and continue
to do so, is that I appreciate
the quality of journalism

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YOUR LETTERS


Richard Waldock

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