Interesting observation. You're not alone. After coming to the same
realization just a couple years ago, the exception being Brett Weston's
landscapes; I lean toward Eugene Atget's photography. Important
archetecture, only when the light is unusual, and 'sign of the times' people
on the [significant] streets.
He'd set up his [4X5] pointed and focused, stand on the street [corner] and
wait for whatever crossed into the frame before firing the shutter. He'd
stand and while friends would come up and chat, he kept his eye on the
chosen scene, frame in his mind -- I guess you could say pre-expoosure, heh,
heh pre-visualized -- and make the exposure when something happened. Then,
pick up the camera and move to another spot.
I tried that in Carmel. Tourists and especially, tourists with their
doggies make for fun pictures. Even then, it seemed like all I got were
frame fillers. You know, those cutsie pictures you see in a frame in the
frame shops.
Many of the great photographers see Ansel's pictures -- 40,000 proofed
negatives -- as calander/postcard pics; but the spectacular ones, while
fewer that greater, are truely icons of photography. Not withstanding his
advancements on the techniques of photography.
All too often, after some time, we all get the 'ho-hum' about our art.
Still making pictures,
Steve Shapiro
----- Original Message -----
From: "Herschel Mair" <herschelmair@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals - Students"
<photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 11:40 AM
Subject: going back to 4x5
There's something romantic about hauling out the old Sinar 4x5 P-Expert
kit and
the 50lb tripod, loading another 20 lbs of film-holders and piling it all
into
the jeep in search of the lost landscape....
Ansel's images filled me with awe over 25 years ago. I thought he was too
good
to be from this planet. I lived, slept and dreamed the zone system for
years. I
taught it with such enthusism too. I'd spend whole weekends in the
darkroom
without sleep and love it
Now I look at those same images and find that I've grown out of them. I've
moved on. I don't know when it happened... But I now look at half of
Ansel's
and 70% of my work from the 70's and 80's and ... YAWN.
They're still a part of me and I apprreciate all they gave me, but I don't
know
if I want to go back there.
Herschel Mair
Head of the Department of Photography,
Higher College of Technology
Muscat
Sultanate of Oman
Adobe Certified instructor
+ (986) 99899 673
www.herschelmair.com
____________________________________________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
http://new.mail.yahoo.com
