Philosophical: Photography "too easy" ?

[Dikkie]

The popular form of photography is always "good enough" for most.

Indeed... When I make an average snapshot of my kids, my wife comes up with: "what a beautiful shot is this".
It's not about the composition, nor the light, bokeh or whatever... it's just because the kids are pretty smiling. And any other person could have taken this picture. What made the picture great is the subject in this case, not how the photographer captured the subject.
It's something emotional too... if it were other kids on the picture instead of ours, would my wife give the same comment or not?

 

[greybeard]

Digital makes capturing an image easy, creating a great picture is another thing all together.

 

[Solarflare]

Not to not pick, but I was disagreeing with your statement "Doesnt mean you can get into a museum and view them on display".

Yes you ignored the context of that statement.

I was talking about letters specifically as an artpiece, and to my best knowledge there arent any.

 

[limr]

Just two results from the first page of a quick Google search.

The Smithsonian:
The Art of Cards and Letters
"The Art of Cards and Letters spotlights the important, personal, role mail has held as a medium for personal communications. As Samuel Johnson once said, "in a man's letters his soul lies naked." The emotional outpouring of love letters, the topical debates between friends and family, the simple "I miss you" are letters we recognize, as sender or recepient.

Although this exhibit is no longer on display in the Museum, selected portions of the exhibit are still available online. Click on the topic titles below to learn more about them."

Van Gogh Museum
Vincent van Gogh's letters on display in Amsterdam
"A new exhibition in Amsterdam presents a spellbinding selection of letters sent by and to Vincent van Gogh. The correspondence, which includes sketches of his own work, details the private life of the artist and reveals his thoughts on fellow painters. The letters have been published both in a six-volume book by Thames & Hudson and online. They are currently on display at theVan Gogh museum in Amsterdam and can be seen at theRoyal Academy of Arts in London from 23 January 2010"

 

[Tim Tucker 2]

I've read the Op and not much else, but have the distinct feeling that we've missed the point by a mile.

Trivial? A hand written note?

What is it, can't we see past the words and their literal meaning as though they were transcribed and printed on a lifeless and soulless laser printer?

When I receive a hand written note from my mum I see how the shake in her hand and a little arthritis has modified her script. I see how her turn of phrase modified from one of a son and a touch of hope to an adult with a sprinkling of respect. I hear her voice in the hand written word far more than in a text, shorthand because the sender hasn't the time to type a full word, comical and worthy of note because the sender can't even be bothered to check the predictive text...

Does something that has become *everyday* become devalued because of it? I don't think so, it becomes devalued because when something is everyday/yesterday we fail to look, we glance and don't see beyond.