At 09:03 AM 6/30/2002 -0400, Greg you wrote:
snip
That said, it appears straight photography does allow for the dodging,
burning, and manipulations in exposure and development intrinsic to Adams'
work. Among the first to call for and define "straight photography," art
critic Sadakichi Hartmann in 1904 wrote "I do not object to retouching,
dodging, or accentuation as long as they do not interfere with the natural
qualities of photographic technique." (see Newhall, pg 167).
Hope this helps,
Greg Logiodice
www.gplphotography.com
Hi Greg,
Good to hear from you.
This discussion is starting ring a few bells. One of the things the f/64
group was reacting to by the very choice of name is the shallow DOF,
stylized, salon-type of photography made early in the 20th
century. Perhaps it was photography as an imitation of Impressionism that
they didn't like.
The other historical conflict this discussion reminds me of is
regional. I believe the f64 group -- being primarily LF and
landscape/nature oriented -- simply had nothing to offer most New York
photographers, where the smaller formats and street photography
predominated. I vaguely recall a story about a photographer agonizing to
Gary Winogard about development times, films, etc., and Winogard simply
shrugging it off. He would shoot sometimes 500 frames in an
outing. Capture something and then deal with the "manipulation" problems
later. Classic street attitude.
I've tramped around in some of the vantage points St. Ansel found for his
photographs and there is often a realization that the photograph was really
"made" long before the shot was taken. The spot he found seems often the
only way to realize the image we have come to know. The vantage point and
its discovery almost makes the photograph inevitable. This is not a style
that does anything for most urban photographers I suspect.
I think the region and what it offers as subject-matter (in addition to
one's temperament) has a lot to do with whether you will find photography
more of a contemplative or a pragmatic activity. I suspect that accounts
for some of the differing positions presented in this discussion.
Joel W.
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|