I wonder if the Grove encyclopedia of music would agree. Ah, but precise
terminology can be so difficult.
Does one make "photographs," "pictures," or "snapshots?" Each term
is more or less accurate, but perhaps not the one that best describes what
we do.
I am bytimes uncomfortable using the word "photography," since I
don't use a camera and my interest in "alternative" processes is more as a
kind of printmaking.
To describe these processes as "classical" is simply to misue the
term; they were not practised by the ancient Greeks and have nothing to do
with music written in the pre-Romantic era. A more accurate term might be
"classic," but in this case a convincing argument can be made that
silver-based processes are the enduring standard by which others are
measured.
How about guerilla photography? We now have guerilla gardening in
Canada. Guerilla photography seems as unlikely a term as any. Besides, it
has that nice aura of being practised by a small fierce band of
independents working against larger, better-established forces...
Kevin Crombie
Professional Editor
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Kevin Crombie e-mail: kcrombie@montreal.com
387 rue Villeneuve est voice: nop51076@mail.telepac.pt (514) 849-7601
Montreal, P.Q. H2T 1M1
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