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摄影师的七层境界
The Seven Levels of Photographers

作者：Ken Rockwell
译者：可爱的狗狗

一份抽像的、讽刺性的摄影指引，作者在某一天早上写下了这段文字本来是当成笑话用的，但现在全世界都将之当成好象是摄影的十戒。
A Spiritual and Satirical Guide. I wrote this as a joke one morning and now the whole world thinks it is some sort of Ten Commandments. Lighten up folks!

艺术家：最高境界第七层（好比基督教中的”天堂”）
Artist: Top Level 7 (equivalent to "Heaven" in Christian mythology)

这是最高的境界。
This is the highest level.

一名艺术家将他脑海中所创造出的影像经由所谓的照片转变成具体实象。在照片中，他捕捉特定场所或人物的神韵，不论是实际或想象的，并让观众产生共鸣。
An artist fixes his imagination in a tangible form called a photograph. He captures the spirit of place or person, real or imagined, in this photograph and the viewer responds to this.

一名艺术家精通他的器材，而且在创作时，艺术家与作品之间灵犀相通而深入一般的表相之内。即使在平时，他可能也要练习并学习驾驭他的器材。是故在创作时，相机就能随心所欲的表现出他的想法，而不须刻意花费心思在技术问题上，人至此境界方为摄影大师。
An artist is a complete master of his tools. When creating art an artist transcends common existence as his spirit flies up to meet that which he is capturing. He may practice and learn his tools while he is not creating, however when creating the camera becomes an extension of his mind. No conscious thought is expended on the technical issues with which he is a virtuoso while creating photographs.

以音乐来作模拟，一名音乐家平时会勤练基本音阶，是故演奏时他随着情感奔驰而全心投入，即使受到干扰也不会手足无措。
To make a musical analogy, a musician may woodshed his scales, but when he's jamming he's not even thinking about fingerings. He's lost in the passion of the moment.

好比专业的冲浪玩家会准备几十张冲浪板，职业的吉他手会保有二、三十把吉他，一名艺术家也会拥有许多部相机，每一部都有不同的功用。
Just like professional surfers who have a dozen boards or pro guitarists who have 23 axes, an artist may have a slew of cameras, each for a different purpose.

同样的，其它类的艺术家也许只有一部相机或一部也没有，不过这都无所谓
Likewise, other artists may only have one camera, or none at all. It just doesn't matter.

尽管艺术家有时穿著可笑并常熬夜，他们喜欢拍摄俏姑娘并引以为傲。
Artists sometimes dress funny and tend to stay up late. They usually prefer to photograph attractive young women and are proud of it.

从没人真正看过他们的作品，因为他们不擅于自我行销，更不幸的是，他们倾向完美主义，以至忘了自己的作品已是佳作。遗憾又矛盾的是，这些人真的会堕落到第六级的”江湖走唱”地步，以致世人常无缘见到绝世的佳作，除非你刚好与某个艺术家私下熟识。作品对于好的艺术家来说等于是他们的灵魂，而且通常因为害羞而不好意思对人展示他们的作品，除非你和他们是至交。
No one ever sees their work since they have crummy ability to promote themselves, and sadly, usually don't even appreciate their own excellent work. Those that do drop down to Whore, which sadly and paradoxically means you will never see the work of a true artist unless you know one personally. Good artists are usually too embarrassed to show their work to anyone unless you are intimate with them, since their work is their soul.

不管是针孔像机或是随手拍甚至是8X10的大家伙，信手捻来皆能为艺术家所用，他们随手取材以创作他们心之所想。
Artists use any sort of camera, including pinholes and disposables, or 8 x 10s. They use whatever instrument they need to create what they want.

(这段文字基本上是想表达一种物我合一，信手捻来皆是佳作的境界。相机只是工具，大匠者，无所取材，但亦无所不可用，任何东西到了他的手上皆能神而明之，幻化为完美的诠释利器，而创作出神韵重现，动人心弦的完美作品。颇有武侠小说中，手中无剑，心中无招，然却无物不可为剑，万变不离其宗的味道。类似的理念可在很多书中看到，例如：国家地理摄影精技－风景篇，秋雨文化出版(不过，这些专家在作者的眼中，可能只排在第三层境界吧？)。套句作者的话，”遗憾又矛盾的是”，文中似乎充满对艺术工作者的成见与不屑，仿佛世上并不存在真正的艺术家，也没有真正的绝世佳作，作者的心里－酸的很。)

江湖走唱(原文”娼妓”：指学不了新把戏，昧着良心以老套度日的人)：第六层
Whore: Level 6

所谓江湖走唱是指一名艺术家出卖他的灵魂而以作品来交换金钱或毒品。
A whore is an artist who sells his soul by accepting money or drugs for his art.

等而下之堕落的结果，造成他在创作上做出妥协。
By lowering himself to this level his vision is compromised.

为什幺呢？因为当人依靠出卖灵魂来换取食物与住所，而不把计划搞砸(译注：难道意味着艺术家都会搞砸有时限性的计划？那达文西怎幺说？难道作者是在暗讽猫王？)，也就表示他不再尝试新的创作方式。
Why? Because when one depends on selling one's soul to pay for one's food and pad one does not screw with the program, which means that one does not try new styles.

如果经年以缺乏创意的走唱工作来度日，只要他还要赚钱，任何一个卖唱的似乎都不会再敞开心胸去学习新的东西。
If a whore's work pays his bills after years of trying, it's unlikely any whore will be open to trying new styles while he still needs the dough.

艺术家一旦有了经纪人(就是有一家艺廊或一位代理人，好象由皮条客来媒介桃色交易)，很可能会被经纪人牵着走而失去艺术家原有的特色。
Artists with representation (meaning they are represented by a gallery or an artists' representatives just as pimps do in the sex trade) may loose their representation they change their style.

此后，他们所卖出的作品大同小异，少有变化，也就是他们所出售的只是代理人或艺廊所要的风格。
Therefore, art for sale from one person rarely gets better or different.

请参阅Barnbaum所着有关艺术的书，一旦沦入走唱的地步且打开市场后，想再转变风格将是极为困难的事。
The style that sells is all a whore's johns and pimps (representatives) want to see. See Barnbaum's book on artistry. It is extraordinarily difficult for a successful whore to change styles once one has been accepted.

(这段文字要表达真正的艺术家精神是不为五斗米折腰，坚持独立自主的创作空间，且不断创新的执着。作者以”娼妓”来羞辱那些没有天份，却又打着艺术名义谋生的人。译者认为较好的译法应是：”匠气十足的工匠“，或是：”江湖走唱“，而不宜直译为”娼妓”。文中充满知识分子的傲慢与狂妄，还有点跩文，仿佛真正的艺术家该像个不食人间烟火的神主牌，绝不能受到金钱的污染。老实说，这样的文章－匠的很。套句作者的话，「一旦沦入”嬉笑怒骂、讥讽文章”的地步，且打出名声后，想再转变风格将是极为困难的事」。)

票友级：第五层
Amateur: Level 5

票友是指摄影所得占总收入不到一半的那群人，摄影收入与他们的功力无关。
People who earn less than half of their income from photography are amateurs. This has nothing to do with the quality of their photography.

他们热爱创作！纯为创作的优秀票友，常能直接升华到艺术家的最高境界。
This person loves to create photographs. Good amateurs of pure spirit can transcend the other levels directly to being an artist.

那些只利用假日专拍婚礼等活动的玩家仍算是票友，即使他们要收费而且索价甚高。
People who shoot weddings and etc. on weekends as a side line from their day jobs are still amateurs; they just charge for their photos.

票友们常有的观念，认为好的相机将会提升他们的照片水准，是危险且会使他们堕落到最低等的评比狂境界。太多票友受到相机制造商的误导：为了好相片他们需要好的相机，而这正是艺术创作的大忌。
Amateurs who think that better cameras will improve their photos are at risk of descending to the lowest level of equipment measurbator. Too many amateurs have been misled by camera makers into thinking that they need good cameras for good images. This thought is poison to creating art.

对那些纵情于创作好照片的票友来说，这才是启蒙的道路，
Amateurs who loose themselves in creating great images are set for a path of enlightenment.

做为票友是件好事，这层境界的朋友很容易可以升华到艺术家的最高境界。
Being an amateur is a good thing; from this level one can rise to the level of artist rather easily.

票友们总是以Canon单反相机来拍摄。
Amateurs almost always shoot Canon SLRs.

(这段文字表达艺术创作的普遍性，不一定要戴上艺术家的帽子，穿上艺术家的衣服，才能进行创作。任何人，只要心中有热情，积极的去磨练技巧以展现才华，就有可能升华到艺术家的境界。这是一段非常有深度的文字。不过，作者还是要损一下相机制造商，套句作者的话，”太多票友受到相机制造商的误导”，因此文中最后一句话似乎在暗批大多数的票友中Canon的毒太深，或者他认为Canon名过于实。)

即景随拍：第四层
Snapshooter: Level 4

这是说我妈以及大多数的人。这些人只是想保留些回忆，而对摄影技巧或相机设备没兴趣。
This is my mom and most people. These people want memories, as opposed to photographs or cameras.

那些具有绘画或文学背景的人常常在随手拍中创作出惊人的佳作。这些创作者在不自觉中成为艺术家，而且他们通常穿的比那些自以为是艺术家的人象样多了。
Snapshooters who are graphic artists or otherwise visually literate people often make fantastic images that impress everyone. These snapshooters are artists and don't even realize it. They usually dress better than the artists who think they really are artists.

别怀疑：终究是由人而不是由相机来创作出一张好照片。
Believe it: it's the photographer who makes an image, not a camera.

本级的用家以对准就可拍的拋弃式相机，却一样能得到极佳相片，不输其它人用Leica、Nikon、Canon和Contax所照的。
Snapshooters use point-and-shoot and disposable cameras, which give the same excellent results as the Leicas, Nikons, Canons and Contaxes used by everyone else.

(这段文字表达艺术创作的原创性，只要能捉住感觉，即使是生活照，也可以触动观众的心弦，成为足以传世的钜作。套句作者的话，”这些创作者在不自觉中成为艺术家”，这有点像禅宗的论点，佛性无所不在，在生活中修练也可以成佛。文中作者再次贬抑器材或所谓”艺术家身份”，对好照片的重要性。只是为什幺译者用随手拍时，总是有曝光上的问题呢？而且穿什幺这幺重要吗？，何况，”这些人只是想保留些回忆”，Ken，饶了他们吧，别拿出来说嘴了！)

职业摄影师：第三层
Professional: Level 3

职业摄影师是指那些百分之百依赖摄影所得为生的人。
A professional photographer is a person who earns his entire living (100%) from the sale of photographs.

职业摄影师并不以创作艺术品为生。他们以制造商业品为生。他们通常相当熟悉器材并用以得到象样的照片，不过他们不一定有能力去捕捉创意。
Professionals do not create art for a living; they create images for commerce. They usually have some familiarity with the tools and can get out decent images, however they may or may not be able to capture imagination.

当然职业摄影师在闲暇时可以去得到好照片。
Of course professionals may create great images, but that's on their own time.

职业摄影师除了需要维修时之外，很少花心思在器材上，大多数的时间，他们都花在找案子及抱怨城里其它的摄影师如何杀价上。
Professionals spend very little time worrying about cameras, except when they need to get them repaired. They spend most of their time looking for work and pissing about how all the other photographers in town are dropping their prices.

他们每个月砸在底片和后制作上的钱比他们一整年花在器材上的钱还多。
Professionals spend more on film and lab fees each month than they spend on camera gear in a year.

所以没有职业的自然摄影师，除了那些另有正职工作或靠老婆养的(译注：这句话似乎打翻一船人，有很多职业摄影师真的只拍自然景物的！)。
There are no professional nature photographers. They all either have day jobs or make their wives support them.

职业摄影师爱用Nikon单反相机、Mamiya medium format和Calument 4x5"。他们负担不起像大多数热衷的票友玩的好家伙。
Professionals shoot Nikon SLRs, Mamiya medium format and Calumet 4x5" cameras. They cannot afford gear as good as most serious amateurs.

除非你正好需要购买商业摄影照片，或刚好熟识一位职业摄影师，不然你可能从没听过他们的名字。而你在相机广告上看到的那些说三道四的人，充其量只是代言的模特儿而已。
Unless you are a commercial photography buyer or know one as a friend you have not heard of professional photographers. The ones you may have seen in camera ads proclaiming that they use this or that camera are just spokesmodels.

职业摄影师没有个人的网页，也不出版技术新闻。通常是票友级的才会去做这些事。
Professionals don't have websites and don't put out technical newsletters. Those people are usually amateurs.

(这段文字试着去捕捉一群汲汲营营，勉强糊口的人，他们没犯什么错，只是刚好以摄影谋生而已。因为收入有限，自然无法砸大钱在器材上，因为每一张底片都代表着儿子的奶粉钱，所以要把握每一次的机会，承受不起失败，只好花钱在底片和后制作上。他们的所做所为无关艺术，只是为了养家活口。不过，套句作者的话，作者也承认，就算在这么因难的情况下，他们仍有可能创作出佳作，即使是要靠老婆供养。

有钱的菜鸟：第二层
Rich Amateur: Level 2


他们是太有钱的菜鸟，买了许多器材，然而他们的表现力却反而因此被束縳住了。他们大多数是男性，而且许多是年长或退休人仕。
These are amateurs who, by having too much money, buy lots of equipment which can fetter their freedom of expression. They are mostly men, and many are old or retired.

有钱的菜鸟用高价的Leicas, Contaxes, Alpas, Hasselblads and Linhof 4x5s来拍照，但他们的作品，却和平价的Zenits, Pentaxes, Bronicas and Tachiharas相等。
Rich amateurs shoot Leicas, Contaxes, Alpas, Hasselblads and Linhof 4x5s. These are great cameras, but the results are the same as the Zenits, Pentaxes, Bronicas and Tachiharas.

稍逊的菜鸟用Nikon甚至是Canon的单反相机拍照。
The poorer rich amateurs shoot Nikon or even Canon SLRs.

近来这些白痴迷上了为报社抢新闻所设计的数字单反相机，如：EOS-1D or Nikon D1X 等，这些相机所能得到的相片从技术上来说甚至比用底片的随手拍还差。这些笨的可以的家伙还在等着售价超过7000美金的Contax N Digital，那其实是比Nikon或Canon的数字单反相机还没用的东西。而且就技术上而言其影像品质也比任一部廉价的底片单反相机还差。
Lately these idiots are getting digital SLRs designed for newspapers like the Canon EOS-1D or Nikon D1X, which give technically poorer results than the film cameras used by snapshooters. The really stupid people have waited for the $7,000 Contax N Digital, which is a less useful camera than the Nikon or Canon digital SLRs, and still makes technically poorer images than a cheap film SLR.

拙劣的有钱菜鸟以为拍些关于弱势群众模糊不清的黑白照片就是艺术。
Bad rich amateurs think fuzzy B/W images of poor people are art.
部份有钱的菜鸟因为太在意器材，所以很容易就堕落到最低等的境界，其它的则因为自负他的器材已一次到位，而开始大拍特拍的创作自以为是的大作。奇怪的是，他们少有正常水准的作品，不是默守成规，拾人牙慧，就是烂弊了！
Some rich amateurs fall into the bottom spiritual level easily because they worry too much about equipment, others go straight on to create great art since they don't have any worries about equipment since they think they own the best. Oddly, few rich amateurs produce ordinary work. It either rules or sucks.

(There you go again, Ken! 作者毫不留情的抨击数字摄影器材和那些以器材为导向，特别是想一次到位的人。只是，again，Leica犯了什幺错？数字摄影器材果真如此不堪？老先生们买点好的器材，也不过图个生活上的消遣和寄托，平常就算把相机拿出来擦擦也会很高兴的，拍拍些黑白的怀旧照，想想小时候的种种，遗情养性，既可活络经济，还可以做为传家之宝留给子孙，若子孙贤孝，自会继承衣钵，发扬光大，说不准那天还出个大师呢，Ken，学着点吧！)

评比狂：最底下的一层（好比基督教中的”地狱”）
Equipment Measurbator: Bottom Level 1 (equivalent to "Hell" in Christian mythology)


这些人(都是男人)对艺术或摄影没有兴趣，因为他们对这两者根本没有热情。缺少才华令他们无法表现出想象力或情感，这也就是为什幺他们的照片，如果他们曾经认真创作任何作品，都烂弊了！
These men (and they are all men) have no interest in art or photography because they have no souls. Lacking souls they cannot express imagination or feeling, which is why their images, if they ever bother to make any, suck

他们只对器材本身有兴趣，如果你愿意的话，他们会对你唠叨好几个小时，但当你想要看他们的大作专辑时，他们就马上就夹着尾巴逃开了。由此你可以暸解为何相机就是不重要。
They are interested solely in equipment for its own sake. They will talk your ear off for hours if you let them, but as soon as you ask to see their portfolio their bravado scurries away, or they think you want to see their cameras or stocks.

他们大多数似乎都有技术背景，像是工程、计算机和科学等。这些人焦急着以数字去评比事物，以致搞不懂相机或测试图与创作的精神完全无关。
Most seem to come from technical avocations, like engineering, computers and sciences. These people worry so much about trying to put numerical ratings on things that they are completely oblivious to the fact that cameras or test charts have nothing to do with the spirit of an image.

因为他们太急于计较相机的菜单现，我们将他们封为评比狂。
Because they worry so much about measuring camera performance we have dubbed them "Measurbators."

不幸的是，他们多数晃到作者的网页只为了寻找相机的性能资料。
Unfortunately, many of them wander into KenRockwell.com looking for information on camera performance.

他们多数也玩音响器材、计算机或是汔车，他们把相机只当成自己的玩具，却很少做象样的用途。
Many of them also play with audio equipment, computers or automobiles. They enjoy these toys just like their cameras for their own sake, but rarely if ever actually use them for the intended purposes.

年轻些的玩电动游戏或登入聊天室在网络上闲逛。年长些的参加”相机”俱乐部，(你该加入”摄影社”而不是”相机社”，从没有任何社团试着去为艺术本身评分，因为那是全然主观且无法以数字来评分的)，相同的，这些人从未以他们口中的那些神兵利器来创作出任何值得重视的东西，但他们却总是兴致勃勃的去持有或与人谈论这些东西。
Younger ones play video games or engage in chat rooms and web surfing. Older ones join "camera" clubs. (You should join photography clubs, but never camera clubs or any clubs that try to score art, since art is entirely subjective and cannot be scored numerically.) Likewise, these people never create anything notable with any of this other gear either, but they sure get excited by just having, getting or talking to you about it.

这些人所忽视的那些东西，却是真正重要的元素：光线。
The one type of gear these people ignore is the only type of gear that actually helps: lighting.

能拿出象样的作品专辑就算是脱离了评比狂的境界，而只拿的出许多相机的人就难说了，但那些在网页上挤满技术专论却少有引人入胜的作品的所谓专家，就八九不离十了。
Someone with a decent portfolio is not an equipment measurbator. Someone with more cameras than decent photos just may be. People with websites teeming with technical articles but few interesting photographs probably are.

在任何情况下，都别去和这些人打交道、或是谈话、阅读他们的网页、特别是别询问他们有关摄影器材。对单纯无知又纯真的新手来说，他们好象是知识的权威，然而他们那病态又无生气的心灵，只想要把你拖进他们评比狂的地狱，让你的灵魂永陷于穷担心你的镜头解像力是否够鋭利。一旦你开始瞎操心这些问题，除了砖墙(译注：白平衡？CCD进尘？)和测试图以外，你不会再想创作任何照片。
Do not under any circumstances deal with these people, talk to them, read their websites or especially ask them for photography advice. To the innocent they seem like fonts of knowledge, however their sick, lifeless souls would love to drag you into their own personal Hells and have your spirit forever mired in worrying about how sharp your lens is. If you start worrying about this and you'll never photograph anything again except brick walls and test charts.

这些人是很容易认的，当你读到本文，表示你大概已经看过他们的网页了，他们总是有许多器材的信息，但却很少有真正的好照片。要当心由那些没有作品足以令你景仰的网站所得来的任何信息。
These people are easy to identify. If you've read this far you've probably seen their websites. They always have lots of info about equipment, but very few real photographs. Beware of any information from any website not loaded with photography you admire.

我被迫要把大部份有关器材的照片从我的网站上拉下来，因为这些家伙花在关心我用那些器材的精神比看我的创作还多。我购建的频宽都被这些白痴要看我到底用那种镜头而吃掉了，而不是看我的艺廊中的照片，那才是我设立这个网站的宗旨。这也是为什幺我那些蠢弊了的网页，好比这一个，都是用黄色的，这样才能重伤那些花太多时间在技术细节的白痴们的眼晴。
I had to pull most of the photos of equipment off my site because these people were spending more time looking at my equipment than my art! The bandwidth for which I pay was being eaten up by these idiots looking at my lenses, instead of looking at the photos in my gallery which is the whole point of this site. That's why all the stupid pages like this one are in yellow, so that their eyes hurt too much to waste too much time on the nuts and bolts.

很多经由这个网页以电子邮件询问我有关技术和器材的问题，以致浪费我许多时间的人，很不幸的，就是落入这个最不见光明的底层境界中，相似的，那些穷担心自已功力到底在那一层的人也是落入这个最低下的境界(译注：参见第四层境界－”这些创作者在不自觉中成为艺术家”)。大部份的这些人在网络上猖狂，花费许多小时奉献在技术网站和摄影聊天室中，像是：Photo.netwww.dpreview.com、photocritique.net、和德国的Forum fur Nikon-Fotografen und Sammler，而不去创作好照片。
Most people who waste my time e-mailing me with technical and equipment questions through this site unfortunately belong to this unenlightened bottom group. Almost anyone who actually worries about the level they occupy belong to the bottom. Many of these folks stalk the Internet, and spend hours getting off "contributing" to technical websites and photography chat rooms like Photo.net, [url]www.dpreview.com,[/url] photocritique.net and the German Forum fur Nikon-Fotografen und Sammler instead of making photos. The guys here aren't too bad, and most of the Leica people here are just equipment collectors.


(既然称为”地狱”级，Ken，拜托，地狱不空誓不成佛，何况这些人常会去你的网页晃晃，那你就犠牲点吧！套句作者在网站上的话，La Jolla is a great place. It is the place most close to heaven on earth. So, Ken, may you live peace in “Heaven”.)

译后注：译后深觉作者只是在谈一个鸡蛋相生的诡论而已，固然创作的原动力是一定是发自内心，然而器材的重要性却不能忽视，作者也同意精通器材的重要性，所以绕了一大圈，作者只是以冗长的揶揄嘲讽，来抨击那些他不喜欢的人罢了，所谓的七层境界，除了艺术的原创性、普遍性、独立性、创作的热情与不断创新的精神之外，并没有任何理由要强分为这七种，这不是十诫，只是作者要捉弄一下那些惹他讨厌的人而已。

不同的语文间要做到准确的翻译，本就不是件容易的事，何况当作者以大量的世井俗俚来揶揄嘲讽别人，译者不揣浅陋，试着在准确的前题下，融入其文字间的弦外之音并与之灵犀相通，深入一般的表相之内去捕捉其神神韵，并让读者产生共鸣。
中文是丰富而优美的语文，简洁与精确中藴涵了无限的可能，愿子子孙孙共享之