Sunday, November 20, 2016

Dear PetaPixel Readers

If you get this far, please note that the previous essay is just introducing a word. I am not claiming to have invented the idea that a photo has meaning. Also, I have not read Camera Lucida, but only because it is a turgid, unreadable, mess, which is why you almost certainly haven't read it either, hero. And no, we don't already have a word for this thing, if you think you've got a candidate, feel free to contact me, and I will cheerfully explain to you why your word is too broad, too narrow, or simply not on target at all.

But you know, I don't really need to. Several of the wanna-bee philosopher types on PP have exclaimed "Pfft! We already have a word for this!" and they have offered, as of this writing, five different words, all with different meanings which I think illustrates the problem better than I ever could.

That is all.

ETA: we're up to 11 proposed words with 11 different definitions.

3 comments:

  1. I have read Camera Lucida and I thought there was nothing in there that corresponded to trame. He does talk at length about punctus, but I understood that as a rather different kettle of fish.
    (I don't read Petapixel).

    ReplyDelete
  2. PP does tend to bring out the more opinionated of the general audience . . . Usually for the sake of self aggrandizement . . .

    One element of PP that occurs frequently is in their haste to garner clicks the peeps responsible for inputting manual info gets f$&ked up (i.e. Review the reference to about you at the end of the copy/pasted article).


    Those who appreciate are gonna appreciate and haters are gonna hate.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I want to go see The Eleven Words.

    hmmmm… maybe I will google Peta-thing and Camera lucida - it's nice that they are excited - if googling does not work I will come back and ask for navigational assistance. Tomorrow, maybe.
    (yes, Thanks-giving is over. uuurggh.)

    ReplyDelete