Does context matter in photography?...

[viewfromthenorth]

Interesting thread so far, a pleasant change from the usual ''what is the best camera / fliter / lens / photobook' threads that proliferate. However, it's topics like this that are the most challenging to discuss as it is such a nebulous concept.

 

[specialman]

@Garryknight - I can see your point about event photography - it's shot for a purpose and probably is more relevant to those involved with the event, hence no need for overly deep and detailed context.

I suppose the reason I give a fair bit of context and description to the majority of my work is A) that's how I was taught and trained at university, to give my insight into the piece, and B) much of what I shoot is fairly niche (angling) and for the uninitiated, it's just a bloke fishing - the description and contextual info enlightens the viewer and hopefully, gives them a new understanding of what I'm trying to convey