Say that you are interested in photography and people immediately assume that you have a deep technical interest in the camera. They ask you about the equipment you use, the settings you prefer, the software you are indebted to and the printing style you employ. As a photography enthusiast I am deeply bored by such discussions - my general lack of interest in gadgets most certainly translates to cameras too. I simply see something I like and I photograph it. I hope for the best. My technical skill may be negligible but my aesthetic sense and curiosity often get me there. Seeing the current Miroslav Tichy exhibition at the International Center of Photography revealed for me the difference between photography as an artform rather than as a technology. For every bunch of photographers I see drooling over a new line of SLRs or comparing lens sizes, I am reminded of Tichy's makeshift cardboard cameras and their absurdly primitive technology. For every photographer I see painstakingly photoshopping the dust particles off their image, I see Tichy embracing the dirt, grime, bugs and visible signs of damage that characterize most of his photos. For every photographer that I hear bemoaning the focus mistakes in their shots, I see Tichy's fuzzy, blotchy and depthless images. For every crisp, perfectly framed and smiling portrait I see Tichy's cropped, voyeuristic shots of women's bodies. I love Tichy's work for the same reasons I love photography - the framing, the accidental effects, the element of chaos, and the capture of everyday life as a slice of utmost significance.
