Limited creativity?

Helmsley Castle, North Yorkshire

An education in an art form limits your creativity! A somewhat big statement and one i came across in a craft fair in Helmsley of all places. A photographer from Leeds was selling her work and her artist profile leaflet stated that very fact.

After reading that and some of the other 'words of wisdom', i actually came away liking her work less than when i 'd initially seen it. She had some terrific work but her attitude to photography and her fellow photographers stank! Maybe it touched a nerve with me - after all, i did six years in the very photography education system that, she said, limits your creativity.

No, i think that what really irritated the hell out of me were the massive presumptions she was jumping to. Photography is for us all to enjoy and each photographer has their own way of seeing and creating images. Its what fundamentally makes photography such a diverse and popular art form - you can show people the world as YOU see it. There is no right or wrong way to do it and there are many ways of learning image making - it all depends on the individual.

Photographers, whether professional or amateur, photography educated or self taught, can all make huge contributions to the art of photography. The IMAGE and only the image matters -if the photograph is a great one, the educated/ self taught bit just becomes an irrelevant detail.