Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/30
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>As I'm writing this, I have on my coffee table (silly name for a low table) >a copy of a book of Ansel Adam's photos and another by Eugene Smith which >strikes this same juxtaposition. Actually, of all the photojournalists (The Trash Can School of Photography as Ansel Adams like to tease them) W. Eugene Smith is probably not the one to contrast against Adams. Adams often mentioned Smith as the best example of the good side of photojournalism. Smith often used beauty to draw attention to his subject. Sebastiao Salgado does the same. Adams had a war going with Steichen, because, partly, Steichen drove Adams' friend, photo historian Beumont Newhall, out of the Museum of Modern Art and took over. Steichen was a believer in the story-telling angle to photography. What the photo communicated is more important than how it does it. Rather than seeing the value of both. Cariter-Bresson criticized Adams and Weston for "photographing rocks and trees when the world is falling apart" or something like that. People who are passionate about what they do, and believe in its value very strongly, are likely to fall into this exclusionistic trap. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't care all that much about what they do. No? You have to go with what you see as your desire to tell a story. I'm sure what you've become interested in is not high on most people's lists. But who cares? Go with it. People often change their approaches as they mature. Not that it can't go the other way as one matures. I sometimes think I'm tired of the photojournalistic genre and want to get into the broader world of editorial/commercial shooting. The kind of work that Ernst Haas did, or Pete Turner or Jay Meisel. That looks like fun. (There's sure a lot more money there!) - -- Eric Welch St. Joseph, MO http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch How do I set my laser printer on stun?