«Small Manifesto»
or
Elements of Artistic Identity
of the members of the Photographic Circle
The Photographic Circle was not and is not a school, even if educational work is performed within it. It started from our desire to share what we believe in and perhaps, without specifically intending it, it gradually became a sort of "School". The unwritten moral and aesthetic rules that express its cohesion have been gradually shaped and continue to evolve.
The members of the Circle respect artistic photography so much that we do not ask more from it than it should give us. And these are: a) to fill us with joy through the process of practicing it, b) to let us hope for ever higher quality of artistic results, and c) to bring us closer to others who we find see the world through our eyes. Anything else it brings us (perhaps social identity, possibly fame, maybe even a little money) will be possibly welcome, perhaps inevitable, but nevertheless incidental and not pursued.
We know that artistic photography, even if it brings economic benefits, is not significantly profitable. Therefore, we respect the way each person earns their living, whether through photography or otherwise, and we do not judge them by their profession, nor do we classify them as professional or amateur photographers. We call and consider them simply photographers.
We are delighted by the remarkable photographic work produced, inside or outside the Circle, which becomes a source of inspiration for all of us, but not a matter of competition. We do not want artistic ambition (which seems reasonable to some, unreasonable to others) to turn into rivalry.
We have great admiration for photography and, in general, for the art that preceded it, as we refer to it to create. We study through books (and the internet) the photography that was and is being done around the world, drawing strength from the good and sincere and lessons from the bad and false. At the same time, we enjoy and study, if we can, all other arts, as they too constitute cultivation and the basis of our creation.
The photography we support and enjoy moves within broad frames, from realism to dream, aiming for spiritual emotion. However, reality, through even a minimal recording, is always objectively present, yet simultaneously subjectively transformed.
We do not reject photojournalism, which deals with the description of events, nor applied commercial photography, which promotes products, nor visual photography, which competes with painting in its visual game. We are pleased if we find honesty, discretion, and aesthetic quality in these categories. However, we do not consider them areas where the personality of the photographer and the nature of the artistic photographic medium can generally be best showcased.
We believe that because photography has a very easy technique, it necessarily asks us to set our own limits of moral and aesthetic rigor, which in other media are set simultaneously (if not usually) through technique.
We are interested in working on specific themes and presenting our work through them. However, we do not agree with the demanding requirement of many theorists for mandatory presentation of photographic work exclusively through specific themes. The photographer must always maintain free choice, but the unity of the theme is stronger when it arises on its own.
We do not have a preference for any particular subject in photography, nor in forming a specific national or cultural identity. What interests us is the presence and personality of each photographer. All other choices are his own.
Η Slogans, messages, symbols, and anything else that moves outside the pure photographic image leave us indifferent. We do not believe that philosophy, sociology, or anything expressed in words and placed before, after, and outside the image, can concern art, or that art can serve it with the same quality that these intellectual fields do on their own. The photographer must speak only through his photographs, always in an abstract and suggestive way and, at best, transcendent. We are interested in theoretical discourse on photography and try to cultivate it, as long as it is discourse about art.
We are interested in the concern referring to the way photography is presented, whether it relates to the type and sizes of the prints, or the way of exhibition or publication. However, we avoid reaching the point where photography ceases to function mainly as an image and exists more as an object, the value of which is primarily due to its external characteristics.
We avoid the temptation to create with our thoughts directed at the viewer. This would lead to works charmingly populist. We photograph first for ourselves, then for the people we love and respect, and finally for the public. In this order, we hope our work will be liked. And we hope this way it is easier to remain artistically sincere.
We do not reject the commission of specific photographic work for professional or other reasons, as long as the commissioner allows the photographer to be the absolute master of the criteria and choices in all phases of the photographic process. But the photographer himself must also know how to resist the tendency to submit to the approval of his "client".
We do not work for our resumes, which we believe have harmed more than helped art. That is why we deliberately keep them low-key and brief.
We exhibit our photos in places we like and that "warm" us, not necessarily prestigious. We exhibit, older and younger together, to highlight our spiritual kinship and the continuity of artistic creation. We exhibit on our own whenever we think we have new work to show to an audience that doesn't know it. We also exhibit to sell our works, if possible. However, we do not consider exhibitions the goal of our photographic activity or our lives.
We want to publish our photos in books and preferably in monographs. The reason is that this way the work is spread more and preserved over time. Also, because we believe that photography gains from brief and repeated communication with the viewer over time, something an exhibition does not allow.
We consider ourselves eternal students, capable of learning from the old, our colleagues, and ourselves. Artistic photography is also a tool of education for us. It is possible that the future will bring changes to our aesthetic views. However, we hope it will not affect our moral positions.
General Principles of Photocyclic Photographs
- Photography is a visual poetic discourse.
- We photograph to give substance to our imagination.
- Poetry in photography must transcend information; otherwise, the photograph is a simple, albeit useful, tool.
- Information must always be present, as the raw material of photography is always reality.
- Our goal is emotion, that is, spiritual enjoyment.
- The elements that contribute to emotion must all be contained within the frame of the photograph, because outside of it, they do not concern either photography or emotion.
- The process is more important than the result, as our motive is the desire to approach the mystery and handle our failure. If we solve the mystery and achieve success, we will lose the motive. Our good photos are just a better level of failure.
- We photograph primarily for ourselves, but also to communicate with those we know and respect, as well as with everyone else. In this order and significance.
- We would like our work to be promoted, to expand our audience and its acceptance of our work, or even to gain financial benefits from it. As long as we continue to photograph with ourselves as the main recipient.
- Our work should not be judged and evaluated from a single photograph, just as a poet is not judged from a single verse. Our artistic proposal is built from a smaller or larger set of photographs that support the photographer's vision as a theme.
- The subject of the photographs is their creator, not the depicted. The content of each exhibition is the photographer, not the curator. The value of the photographer is judged by his place in the history of art and photography and not by the political and social significance of his work at a given historical moment.
- We always agree with the evolution of technology. It has benefits and risks. We try to exploit the former and avoid the latter. Technology makes our lives easier and simpler but requires much stricter criteria in all phases of selection.
- We believe that talent exists but should not concern us, just as we believe that cultivation is our primary duty and personal responsibility. If the first is lacking, good photos are often made, but if the second is missing, almost never.
- Color or black-and-white is not a dilemma that concerns us. Both are simply tools of form and not of substance.
- Photography happens on four levels, sequentially, indivisibly, and equally important for the final result. The first is cultivation and thought. The second is life and experiences. The third is the process of photographing. And the last is the study of the photographs, their processing, and selection.
- We all need teaching, guidance, and support. However, we are always responsible for choosing those who offer them to us, whether they are teachers and friends or other artists.