One of my great learning experiences came about in the 1980’s after I’d been shooting more than a decade. I was at Fotocare in NYC in 1980. I was there to pick up a couple of 8x10’s for me and a fellow photographer in Copenhagen. In the used lens case was a 210 S-. While I was drooling on it, Dick sidled up beside me and said “Want to thumb wrestle for it?" So we struck up a conversation and before long he was letting me have it doe to where I lived, as lightly used Super-Angulons never show up in a store in Copenhagen. I picked it up for what I recall was cheap, packed it up with the rest of my cameras and stuff and went over to Dick’s studio and watched him shoot a portrait. It was like a workshop for one in an afternoon. Although I already knew how to shoot and light a portrait, I got a crash course in Avedon lighting and the next morning went back to Fotocre to buy the biggest soff-box they had in stock. Getting it though DK customs nearly had to involve sex, lies, and videotape. Any of you folks out there who want to shoot portraits, get the biggest soff-box you can carry and if you can find one, an Octo to go with it. Jan
On Mar 22, 2013, at 5:56 PM, Herschel Mair wrote:
Sadly missed. His book
of portraits from the American West is such an
important document.... Straight portraits... unadorned and
un-constructed (To a large extent) People so readily associate
the West with either California/LA/Hollywood or cowboys and
rodeos. So his pictures of people molded by their immersion in
heavy industry really brings a hard reality check. I can't stop
staring at the images.
On 3/22/2013 3:40 PM, Jan Faul wrote:
The only two
photographers I can think of who don’t shoot smiling brown faces
even though they are on location, are Phil Borges and Mark
Tucker. Even people who should know better can’t do a portrait
without a grinning subject.
I’d put Dick Avedon on
my ‘few smiles’ list, but he is no longer shooting portraits.
Jan
On Mar 22, 2013, at 1:10 PM, karl shah-jenner wrote:
From: "Jan Faul" < jan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "List for Photo/Imaging Educators - Professionals -
Students" < photoforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 9:46 PM
Subject: Re: Brutal Review of PF members exhibit on March
16, 2013
One of my objections to photographers shooting the locals
while traveling is that there is a preponderance of smiling
faces aimed at the camera while we as viewers do not know if
they are smiling because the photographer has just given
them $50, promised them a trip to Disneyland, or other
inducement to smile. I dislike portfolios of brown-skinned
foreigners smiling at the cameras it reeks of everything
bad about Yuppies.
http://www.grumpyoldsod.com/hypocrisy.asp
touches on the subject somewhat..
well, a bit.
I thought it interesting
k
Art Faul
The Artist Formerly Known as Prints
------
Camera Works - The Washington Post
art for cars: panowraps.com
.
Art Faul
The Artist Formerly Known as Prints ------ Camera Works - The Washington Post .
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