Cliché and Class Distinctions

We have long enjoyed living in the modern classless society, or so we are told.

Yet I still marvel at the way language, particularly the use of verbs, nouns, jargon, clichés, and certain expressions in the vernacular, still delineates, and in some cases alienates well defined, self imposed groupings, (complete with sub-groupings, cliques and gangs) where it seems that the purposeful use of a class distinct language has become so ingrained that once a willing participant has imposed upon himself his chosen idiom, he totally relegates himself to that particular echelon only.

The ramifications of membership of any of these factions, include the creation of invisible but distinct boundaries, that it is never permissible to cross.

Nowhere is this supposedly non existent class system more apparent than in the world of what is loosely, and somewhat erroneously termed “The Photography Industry”.

Since the birth of photography: 

“Photographers” have simply “made photographs”!

Now however, in the seemingly endless sea of artificially created and self perpetuating lower classes: “creatives” who use camera equipment in their “work”, carefully define themselves, by the regurgitation of hackneyed phrases which are as stale as yesterday's bread:

“artists”: “image” their “works of unique vision and creative imagination”, which unsurprisingly are pretty much identical to so many thousands of other unique visions floating around.

“togs”: (an unholy, loathsome word in itself, for a large and evidently undisciplined social order riddled with subgroups, cliques and gangs) “do shoots”, which are seemingly always “great for your folio”, and increasingly for “potential publication”, but which unswervingly reveal a complete lack of knowledge of both what makes a great portfolio, and the necessary qualities suitable for publication.

“fauxpros”: invariably use their “passion” to “grab awesome captures”

“casual shooters”: “snap” “shots”, and a distinct subgroup “snap pretty pics”...this group always seems to have a following which emphatically suggests “you should turn professional”, which immediately scores a quick come back: “I only do it for fun, but...”, merely hours before creating a facebook “photography business” page.

But by far the most perplexing and disturbing is the:

“amateur”: whose favourite platitude not only completely contradicts the meaning of the very word amateur itself, while with inherent nastiness tries to demean and belittle all those who make money by the use of the camera.

The irony being of course, that it inevitably turns itself back on the person uttering it, subverting the industry as a whole, destroying any value in any, and all photography, and no doubt destroying society as whole.

“I am only an amateur, so I don’t charge anywhere near as much as the exorbitant fees professionals charge.”

The “supreme irony” though, “the great leveler” if you will, the “elephant in the room”; which never fails to bring a smile to the dial of old cynics such as myself, is that:

Photographers continue to make photographs!

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