List of Photographers

Ah, Wikipedia. How sensitive you make us to our cultural failings. Everyone should probably check out the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photographers

That's right. A list of photographers. Here's something to think about. It's easy enough to explain away like this:

It's a list of NOTABLE photographers, see? If it were a list of every photographer, then nearly ever human would be on it. Certainly everyone with a camera phone or disposable camera at the beach. And then, depending upon our definition, it would include anyone who ever set a deck chair in the sun and bleached lines into the wood of their house. So it's not official, but it's an attempt to list notable photographers for reference.

But where it gets interesting is the thought of notoriety as it compares to accomplishment or even skill. Many famous photographers are famous simply because they took so many pictures and worked so hard to get them seen. Some of those same people are terrible photographers.

A good photographic exercise: drive out to some place real far that looks beautiful. Bring a 35mm camera and take only ONE picture. Don't bracket, don't shoot two, don't try one from different angles. Make one exposure.

Step two: Add yourself to this Wikipedia list of photographers.