The Rehabilitation of Black and White
The Day’s photo contests are inseparable from our newspaper, from our attempts to pave the way for our own view of the world. This road has not always been straight and easy to traverse; stereotypes have collapsed, the debris giving birth to a new society. One had to enter that new society, bringing with one all that we had cherished and would always need: a humane attitude, high standards of communication, and personal freedom while upholding the community. We all knew that spoken values often lose their worth during revolutions and transformations, that there is a mass of people disillusioned with the realities. Yet a picture taken by a talented photographer very often requires no additional argument. Moreover, there are a host of misconceptions circulating in our society with enviable stability. It was absolutely necessary to push them out. Among such misconceptions are that we are a poor country, we have no elite, that the Ukrainian world is marginal. If we keep hammering all this into our children’s heads on television, they might be inclined to repeat it. But we are in a position to present a different kind of evidence. Indeed, a considerable part of our society is passive. Nevertheless, we believe that Ukraine is rich and not only in charming environs, resources, and potential talent. It is very important that we have sensitive people able to create. While working in television, I would sometimes say, “The studio lighting is wrong.” A simple thought: everything depends on the system of values and on the angle at which you view all these things. This is precisely what makes you take a picture of something and what you consider the main thing. Ukraine has survived all its cataclysms, emerging in a damaged state that can be viewed with concern but also with love. Viewed from this perspective, our country is certain to flourish, as will its talent and elite; all things can change.
Of course, we could have simply staged staff photo exhibits every year, without trying to make every such occasion an event in our society. What for? Apart from everything else, we wanted Ukrainian photography to evolve despite all our problems. Sometimes we hear that we should not involve professionals and amateurs in the same exhibition, but we do not accept unprofessional works. Our photo contests display works submitted by amateur photographers with a sure professional touch that displays their individual creative world views and in this way establishes their eligibility.
Another important factor is recognition. There have been times when few works were contributed, for many remained unconvinced that such contests were actually needed. On such occasions I thought that this must be it, that this photo contest will be our last. I am exhausted. But then I would leaf through the Guest Book (our photo contests have visited Ukraine cities, towns, and even small neighborhoods) and read the comments left by people of varying ages and tastes, and I felt that, yes, we could bridge that gap. For this reason, we are very grateful to all those who have helped us with our photo exhibits over the years, contributing articles to our newspaper and sharing impressions, making entries in the Guest Book, and, of course, those contributing their photos.
They say that there is a black-and-white view of the surrounding world, by which they mean something simplistic. I think that both professional and amateur photographers understand that the rehabilitation of black and white actually means heightened requirements for accuracy, a deeper insight into realities, the need to reveal contexts heretofore unknown, build one’s own notion of the surrounding world, for a creative approach, which can become so professional that it literally makes dreams come true.
