imants and personal photography

[Bob Ross]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi Imants,

History, subject and strange style.... We can now look back into the 19th century and see that Hockney is probably right....I can look into my pbase galleries and see that it has some validity in the short term, too. Most everything I have done with digital to date has been in the learning curve, whether it is scanning, fooling with an awkward digicam or post processing and as a result is expendable. I also have a tendency to value arty photo work in the now and old stuff is just old to me. That may go to Astrid's comment about the soul coming through in art. The message that my soul may have given me in some personal photo art in 1994, may have been long ago integrated and no longer pertinant in my present framework. Now, the non-photo artwork that I have done over the years has an entirely different sort of value to me.

Bob

[Guest stnami]

.......too many of us live in the suburbs of western countries, devoid of real human social contact, not knowing our neighbours a cultural mortgage desert of regurgitated television banality, craving for human contact.

Images of societies with the warmth of humanity, whether it be in war, famine or joy will always gain out attention.

Though I could be wrong this was the most popular image on my web site(murder gallery)

[smokysun]

hi imants,

 

i agree on the historical content aspect. over the weekend i looked at three books of photos: 'the jewish family album: the life of a people in photographs,' 'black: a celebration of culture,' and 'anonymous.' it's amazing what has been recorded in the past 150 years. and if you're seeking a tribal identity, you can find it.

 

in terms of the suburbs and mass culture, we're each, probably, seeking a personal identity. many this days use tatoos and piercings to individualize themselves. photo takers use photography. and one reason things don't get thrown out is it's throwing away part of yourself, a memory or a jog to memory.

 

the 'anonymous' book very interesting (thames & hudson, i think) cause the collector found all kinds of mysterious stuff in thrift stores, etc. much of it will remind you of ralph meatyard. the u.s. is a naturally surrealistic place, also americans have often had an off-beat sense of humor. (another great book is one of american postcards).

 

the irony, on the transitory nature of things (which has haunted me) is lenny bruce's quote, "after a man dies his precious possessions become junk." how quickly everything gets tossed after a person is gone. (seen it too much already not to believe it.)

 

hi bob,

 

you've suggested one solution to obsolescence: make your present day pics look like part of the past by using historical processes. in other words, accept that history makes a photo.

 

i too am interested in the present day, but coming out of literature i always go back to the masterpieces that have survived once all the dross has died.

 

watched a wonderful dvd last nite: 'helmut newton: frames from the edge' he felt you couldn't capture a person's soul on film, just the externals, so he went for fantasy and the dramatic, but his personal portraits of people full of feeling. again, you feel the best people driven, whether happy like newton or unhappy like arbus. they've got something they have to say.

 

the comments really interesting. thanks to you both.

 

wayne

 

ps. atget the perfect example of an historical recorder who's come to fascinate us.

[Guest stnami]

....... Wayne it may be time for a new thread this one is running out of steam

[smokysun]

good idea, imants,

 

i think because the last two comments by you and bob really summed up at least what i've been feeling. a certain sense of frustration after trying a lot of things, getting up to speed, the transitory nature of it all. you have a well-defined sense of what you're doing. i tend to work by projects, and once one is finished, then i thrash about looking for a new one.

 

i do appreciate all the thoughts that have come up. it will be interesting to see what comes next.

 

thanks again,

wayne

[Bob Ross]

Hi Wayne,

This thread has been fascinating and a refreshing deperture from the usual equipment mutterings. Topics like this do remind me of a picture of a long spine cactus...lots of points and directions....

Bob

[smokysun]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

hi bob,

 

thanks. i'll see if i can think of a new one! more cactus points and directions (nice image).

 

i understand the quest for the right equipment, but oddly enough, after three years of spending thousands of dollars, i've been more than happy with the d2 and d-lux 2. the old lust for equipment suddenly left me. the oddest thing. i might get the d-lux 3, but otherwise i doubt if i'll go for anything else. the camera i loved the most upon first sight years and years ago was a hasselblad, but they keep themselves economically out of sight. i am curious about the m8, but mirror slap eliminates its usefulness for me.

 

so it's been onto the quest for: what makes a great photograph and photographer? in the end i like a strong personal feeling: the comedy of doiseneau (and helmut newton's more private stuff), the tragedy of nan goldin and luc delahaye.

 

for my own, i've realized i really like taking portraits cause of the personal relation with the subject. here are a few new ones: charlie & the glass elevator dir. lisa schmidt Photo Gallery by wayne pease at pbase.com

 

so i guess this where this one ends! thanks for your participation. you have wonderful insights and thoughts.

 

wayne

[Guest stnami]

Thanks Wayne, Bob and all who read and shook their heads for all your commitment to things photographic as oppossed to things camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

... we are never remote from the concerns of everyday life........

[Bob Ross]

Hi Wayne,

That is an interesting gallery you have. You said that mirror slap would put the M8 off limits, but rangefinders don't have any flapping mirrors. All the mirrors are in the reangefinder mechanism and locked down tight. Very quiet and small because the lenses are small. My E-1 is also very quiet, but bigger. Your Hassy lust is a natural. I have a classic Bronica ECTL and yes it was love in the film days. The D-Lux/LX cameras are interesting, but for me, I'm not sure about the LCD only finder and my aging eyesight makes it a bit awkward.

For a new subject line we could go down the "Craftsman-Craft tools impact on expressing the self" line. Kind of a self awareness/tool awareness balance idea.

Bob

[smokysun]

hi bob,

 

that's an interesting topic. i'll see how i can phrase it. oddly, i actually like the lcd vs viewfinder. in the old days i'm sure i would have liked seeing the image whole on a glass plate. looking down into the rolleiflex/hasselblad always seemed natural to me. (and johnny stilleto says, 'shoot from the hip if you want interesting pictures.')

 

i do think equipment can inspire us. digital has done it for a lot of former film professionals who burned out. i think a tool we love to handle makes a difference, despite those who say 'it's just a tool'. for any artist i know, a tool is not just a tool, including a woodworker friend who has the best.

 

the reason for getting the m8 - and thanks for that info - would be if it fires up the desire and the imagination. (i could swing it if i sold all my canon stuff.) at the same time taking a trip or falling in love might have a greater impact! somehow it all depends on our desire being stirred up in such a way it makes us more sensitive to sight and life exciting to record.

 

thanks for looking at the gallery and the suggestion.

 

wayne