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O. Winston Link..... link


elansprint72

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Steam fans will be pleased to know that two (at least) of O. Winston Link's photo books have been re-issued, the production quality is superb and they are quite cheap. I picked up "Steam, Steel and Stars" and "The Last Steam Railroad in America" from Amazon UK.

 

Here is a rather more humble effort from my archive :o

 

Cheers,

Pete.

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thanks for the Link link. one of my favorite photographers. i especially love his new orleans and south louisiana farm/industrial work. he was in louisiana working with some government agency early in his carreer. i like your photo as well. a case of "converging lines that works quite well....b

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Pete, thank your for the info, they're very good value! Nice picture by the way; where did you take it?

 

Bradley, was Winston Link a member of the FSA photography group? Or was his work in Louisiana part of another project?

 

Norbert

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Thanks guys, the picture is from the Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire UK, some time around 1974. Lovely shot Norbert, thanks for adding it.

Both of the Link books have lots of words in them, not just pictures, from this you can read about what he did apart from railway images. The "Last Railroad" book has several colour photos, which is something I have not seen before.

Really Link's photos are not just for rail fans, there are so many which are studies of people in their everyday surroundings; the quality is far, far, superior to anything which can be achieved with puny 35mm cine-film negatives. I'm actually inspired to see if I can find that old Speed Graphic in the loft! :eek:

 

Cheers,

Pete.

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Hi Bradley,

 

FSA means Farm Security Administration. The organisation supported a long-time documentary project in the 1930s and 1940s, originally intended to photograph poverty in rural areas of post-Depression America. The Library of Congress should be able to give more information: Documenting America. I assume, however, O . Winston Link might have been on another project because I do not see his name on the list of contributers to the FSA.

 

Pete, Link is indeed more than 'just' a railway photographer - though I think his photographs of vanishing steam are a social document on its own. Dieselization in the US must have been a pretty radical change in a lot of aspects. Btw, good luck when searching the Speed Graphic; but don't forget to get yourself a decent lorry for the lighting equipment ;-)

 

Best,

Norbert

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  • 9 months later...

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Norbert;

I found the Speed Graphic and remembered why I put it away 20+ years ago :( it's beyond hope. I bought a "mini" Speed Graphic outfit about a year ago from an estate sale in the US and I'm still looking for a roll-film back which is compatible, unfortunately this near mint camera is pre-spring-lock back, which makes it a bit more difficult, although I might be able to modify a Mamiya back to fit.:rolleyes:

 

Let's see some more steam photos, folks. :D

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