Photography has become big business. From pricey ad campaigns by the leading camera manufacturers to get consumers to buy their wares, to the latest Vanity Fair/ Miley Cyrus debacle (does anyone actually believe that moralistic Graydon Carter’s motive was to exhibit Annie Leibovitz’s “artistic vision” – it wouldn’t have anything to do with luring consumers to the endcaps, would it?), manufacturers, media, and even photographers themselves can use (and sometimes abuse) photography to line their wallets.

Of course, that’s what business is all about, and no one faults anyone for trying to make a living. But for those toiling behind the lens, the effect of an artfully composed image often means so much more than a few thousand greenbacks, whether it’s an historic photograph of a natural artifact, or a photographic exhibit in a region of the world that is known more for suppressing the arts than promoting them.

Just ask the unknown photographer who captured what may be the world’s oldest photograph, as recently publicized in the U.K.’s Evening Post and the New York Times, among other newspapers of note. No sultry tween celebrities caught in compromising positions, or even a compelling photojournalistic shot in war-torn Fallujah – the possibly-200-year-old photo (once attributed to Henry Fox Talbot, but now cited as the possible creation of Thomas Wedgwood, 30 years earlier than Talbot’s photographic experiments) portrays a simple leaf, placed on light-sensitive paper and exposed in the sunlight.

Of course, even the discovery of such a momentous piece of photographic history can’t escape the money issue. A section of the Evening Post article is devoted to interviewing a Sotheby’s expert to determine how much the leaf photo went for in 1984, and how much it’s worth today if it is indeed the oldest photo (sky’s the limit, according to the auction guru). However, as historian Dr. Larry Schaaf explains, “”In the end, what is certain is perhaps the only factor that really matters in a work of art. This image of a leaf is extraordinary. It arrests our attention as much today as it has done for at least a century and a half, and just possibly for more than two centuries.”

In other news, the First International Photography Biennial of the Islamic World opened yesterday at Tehran’s Saba Art and Cultural Institute. The theme of the 150-photo Iranian exhibit (featuring photographers from 40 countries) is “The Muslim Family,” designed to showcase experiences and spiritual and cultural identity in the Muslim world. In our increasingly ethnocentric world, if photography ever had the opportunity to break down regional barriers and show the innards of a culture that may often be misunderstood, this is a start. Perhaps progress is indeed being made….

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Jennifer Gidman. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.