“_________ is a really good photographer.” One really wants to hear that, especially if your name is used to fill in the blank. How do you make that judgement? There are a couple of ways to make that judgement about your fellow artists. One way is to decide that the measure of artistic quality is in the quantity of letters following your name, a measure of academic achievement. Another way is to measure the number of accolades awarded by professional associations. Yet another measure is the length and depth of your Curriculum Vitae.
I might be alone in this consideration, but I regard academic achievement as education, and Professional association honors as a measure of loyalty to a particular organization. The Curriculum Vitae is a device to help you remember what you’ve done with your life. I am not a fan of these measures of artistic merit.
To me, the measure of merit is determined by the quantity and (especially) the quality of the artwork created. Credentials do not impress me. Great images do impress me. If you can create great photographs that’s the measure of Artistic Merit. Way back in the olden days, when view cameras ruled the photographic world, Fred Picker opined that if a photographer could “hang ‘em on the wall” they were a good photographer. If your images are good enough to have been “hung on the wall” you are a really good photographer.
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