In case anyone wonders what I'm up to, I am harvesting the treasures and trying to provide others with inspiration for new work, by pointing out, based on my considerable gallery experience, what in my opinion is done well an would likely be recognized as such by those who buy photographs.
Asher
Just like playing and mastering a musical instrument, the directions the artist can take their craft/sound/style are endless. As a guitarist, it has always amazed me that with the same 6 strings and relatively few notes that are available - and essentially the same design and construction of the instrument - - - hundreds of thousands if not millions of unique sounds and songs can be created. Anything from creamy smooth and soft to hard hitting and clean to grunged up and colourful, to downright appealingly sloppy technically. Not only that but virtually every experienced and practised guitar player could be identified by the unique use in the way he/she goes about playing, the specific gear instruments effects and modifications they choose, the genre, and MOST IMPORTANT HIS/HER VISION, EMOTION, INTENSITY, ARTISTRY, STORY-TELLING ABILITY at the time of presenting their skill/craft/abilities to the public.
Isn't it almost identical to those who wish to take their art of photography to a level where either they have produced what pleases them, or they have produced images that at least some will view as art and maybe even invest in, or they have a unique enough look in one of the common disciplines of commercial photography that people and corporations are willing to hire them and pay well based on that unique look - and maybe they are totally stoked by taking snapshots that keep track of everything going on in their life or in their mind. And there are definitely those whose only motivation is purchasing and smelling the gear itself and/or technical perfection based on charts and graphs (I do believe they consider themselves photographers and many time authorities).
The cool thing too is, that even though I may never choose to process my images in the soft mid-gray toned way that Michael Nagel has on these images - - - it totally appeals to me on his work and I would have no problem displaying such a print as the "Lampe und Schatten" in my home or office. It's not my work or vision and so my thoughts don't matter on how it is processed. It would just be a matter of whether it appeals to me. Fahim's image with the horse is a wonderful documentary shot taken in the streets. I would never expect a formally posed horse in this type of image and so again such an image would work wonderfully in a space, book or magazine where I desired to present this style of photography. I don't have to produce it, Fahim already has.
I won't even bother much to going into my shot that you have posted - because I don't fall into the genre of disciplined or caring whether everyone likes what I do. During a fun get together and camp over at a friends house, a bunch of us were sitting around the kitchen one morning just chillin out, eating, talking and telling jokes. I was just snapping a pic here and there for the fun of it - probably trying out a new camera or lens or style that I had in my head and more than likely it was just because I didn't want to have to converse - - - who knows.
Got a question though? Does that mug of liquid with the residue line, the watch, the ring, the length and style of the hair on the arm, way of sitting, belly left in the frame above the arms - - - put a picture in your mind, of what this man looks like, how he is feeling, his age, how many cups of coffee he had, and the general environment of that morning? I'll bet it does! If, so the photo has done it's job because that is how it affected me when I looked at it and chose it as a usable image to spend time enhancing further and displaying to the public.
Doesn't matter much if grain has been added or not, areas are blown out or not, it had movement from slow shutter or not - or any other number of technical presumptions. My strength is spontaneous, seeing what others don't see, finding and trying different angles or compositions, and then if there is an image with potential I process it however I feel when I get the film or file into the darkroom/lightroom. But hey Asher - thanks for considering my photo in the context of this thread theme.
Your level of expertise from the standpoint of exhibiting, is way beyond anything I have knowledge about or even interest in - - - but it's fun to see how that area of photography works, by following posts like this.