[Leica] Re: A more interesting question

["Dave Fisher" <tekapo@golden.net>]

When I mentioned some people criticizing HCB's portrait work, I hope that I
didn't infer that I feel the same way. As you said, the Capote is brilliant,
and so too from memory I can think of his portraits of Henri Matisse and
William Faulkner as classics. Formal portraiture obviously wasn't his
oeuvre, but then that's not my bag either. HCB captured them as I would have
wanted.
- ------------------------------------------------
DGF PHOTOGRAPHY
http://home.golden.net/~tekapo


> From: John Collier <jbcollier@home.com>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] A more interesting question
>
> I personally think in answering this question we reveal more about
ourselves
> than anything else. Being a shy bashful recluse I will not offer an answer
> but would life to comment on the idea that HCB's portraits are "weak." I
> find his portraits to be breathtakingly illuminating, emotionally rich and
> among the best portrait work ever done. His portrait of a young Truman
> Capote tells the viewer Capote's future life story in just a glance. Why
> even the obvious flare is illustrative of Capote's life. A "zone"
> photographer must wince when he sees HCB's work; but to judge the whole
work
> by its technical flaws is a small way of looking at emotionally rich
> pictures. One would be equally crass if one called AA's work "pretty." I
> could go on but would like to add one comment on the question of the best
> photographer of the last (and this upcoming century): it is not me!
>
> John Collier