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by Sam Pratt
Keep your eyes open, and you'll notice an astonishing number of photographs
discarded in public places:
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Unwanted free duplicates. Unflattering photos. Lost photos. Bad photos. |
these security guards, or police officers? At first glance, they seem to be the same person. Do you need to have brown, brushed-back hair and a cheesy moustache to work in that precinct? And what kind of raw meat are they feeding that guy in the middle?
Indeed, the death knell of Yours Truly's career in painting sounded when he started finding photos in the street. Unlike the fussy, self-indulgent business of slathering pigment on canvas, scanning the sidewalks for Found Fotos fulfills the tenets of late 20th century art-making. Namely, the artist's "hand" and intent are invisible; the "producer" remains coolly removed; the element of randomness provides a sense of truth lost in more subjective productions, affording an unpredictable slice of contemporary life. Or something like that. </end>
Go on and see all the Found Fotos. If you see one of yours, e-mail us and we'll send it to you.
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Some pictures get discarded for mere technical reasons, such as blur. Some get weeded out for unfortunate cropping, or an unflattering likeness. Some just beg the question: Why?
Still others suggest a new kind of photography competition: who can find the
World's Least Interesting Photograph? A photograph so dull, you don't even
notice that it's there. Until you, dear browsers, suggest something worse,
STIM nominates this stunning example of pure lack of appeal.