No one considers the typical photos taken by the typical middle-aged white guy in the United States, in other words the typical photography gearhead, to be art-worthy. Art needs to be original or at least exotic.
These photos of Syrian refugees in Lebanon were spotted at a cultural institution in Staten Island (an area of New York City that’s really far off the beaten path). Don’t worry, there wasn’t any “cultural appropriation” taking place, the photographer (Omar Imam) is Syrian himself.
There is never any information at these types of art exhibits regarding what camera the photographer used. I didn’t see anything about this photographer’s photos that couldn’t have been done with a Canon Rebel and an 18-55 kit lens (however I have no idea what camera was actually used). Fine art isn’t about the gear. And real artist photographers don’t talk about their gear.
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The “Call and Response” exhibit can be seen at the Alice Austen House in Staten Island through September 3, 2017.
