Photography: product or process?

[Rajkumar]

What do you think ? Easy to say both. What dominates ? Why ? Holding back my views for now ...will post as follow up.

[Ganesh H Shankar]

Raj,

I am not sure if it is one of them (product or process). If we think of end object as a print or a digital file then we are talking about a "photograph" not a photography. I think it has enough "art" in it to brand it as a "process".

Just thinking, can it be just an "opinion"? Just my 2c..

[Rajkumar]

Agreed Photography is both Product and Process.  I feel one dominates in certain type of Photography.
When making a photography  there are many, many choices we make. Right from Camera, lenses, setting  where to point the camera, how far /near, what to include or exclude  etc etc.
I feel there are two types of picture taking situation's
1. Let me call it a "Journalistic" situation. There are choices we make but most of the picture is about a instant reaction and to be able to effectively show  what you saw and what happened to engage and inform a viewer.  Here some the choices are limited by the situation and the ability to react . Here the final evidence or the Product dominates.
2.  I will call it "Deliberate Design". Here every choice is very conscious.  You may even study the subject in different lights like morning/ evening. Visit the subject multiple times and  think about it.  You think about why you like this subject ? What memories it evokes etc.  This is a very conscious , slow , deliberate picture taking . Definitely here the process dominates and shines through to the final output

I feel the reasons, the way of engagement with the viewers and the audience, way of showcasing final output are completely different for these two.  I will just stop short of calling one of them  "Art" . Having said that, in Art the process is very much more important than the final outcome .
Of course nothing can be Black and White in this world.
Here is an exception.
Raghu Rai pictures are very much "Journalistic" but the output is more like "Deliberate Design"  He gave a online talk recently and here was his picture taking process
"  Your heartbeat must be beating in sync with the situation. When you miss a heartbeat you take a picture. That missing heartbeat is in that picture"
A poetic way of putting it. I feel he has imbibed "Deliberate Design"  so much it is second nature to him and can apply in a instant reaction

Lastly let me not sound as if I have figured it all out. Just thinking aloud right to wrong to get views and correction. I am guessing everybody does have some time on hand now