Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/08/13

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Subject: RE: [Leica] PAW 33-abstract photography
From: Aquiles Almansi <aalmansi@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 20:50:51 -0700 (PDT)

Love the quote! It seems to be the source of Strunk
and White, the 40-pages Bible of "correct" English.

But I'm not sure that it's really the same point. If
you take out the adjectives, you minimize the
probability of adding "noise", i.e., of leading people
to assume that you see things in ways you don't
necessarily do. That is, the probability of leading
our audience to put things in the wrong context.

What "abstractists" have in mind is a different thing:
eliminating all possible context, so that all meaning
is lost and only "pure form" remains. Sounds a little
crazy, but it's logically possible.

It is, of course, the exact opposite of what
"documentary" photographers have in mind.

Since I think that Chris is nicely documenting an
interesting (for me) fact in his neighborghood, I
suggested he takes the "abstract" thing off the title.
It just gives the wrong context to his photograph,
i.e., it adds "noise" in the sense I defined above.

Achilles


- --- Randy Jensen <randy@jamzcheer.com> wrote:
> That reminds me of how Ernest Hemingway said to
> write:
> 
> First you write, then you take out all the
> adjectives.
> 
> 
> www.randyjensenphoto.com
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On
> Behalf Of Aquiles
> Almansi
> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 3:36 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: RE: [Leica] PAW 33-abstract photography
> 
> 
> I recently had the opportunity of hearing from a
> photographer who has made a good reputation out of
> his
> "abstractions". According to this guy, to produce
> abstract photography is very simple: one picks any
> subject and starts taking out context until all
> meaning has been lost...[:-)]and what is left stands
> just on the basis of "pure" (i.e., context free,
> meaningless) design.[:-), :-)....]
> 
> 
> --- "Saganich, Christopher/Medical Physics"
> <saganicc@MSKCC.ORG> wrote:
> > Thanks, I'm not always sure about the differences
> > between the abstract and the concrete.  I would
> > agree with you about these shots, they do fall
> more
> > on the concrete side of things.
> > 
> > Chris Saganich
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: aalmansi@yahoo.com
> [mailto:aalmansi@yahoo.com]
> > 
> > Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 4:54 PM
> > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> > Subject: Re: [Leica] PAW 33
> > 
> > very powerful composition Chris, and very nice
> tonal
> > range.
> > 
> > I do not know if it really matters (and I think
> that
> > it shouldn't), but I would not call it
> > "abstractions".
> > I see it as a very concret fact, interesting to
> > document.
> > 
> > best regards,
> > 
> > achilles
> > --- "Saganich, Christopher/Medical Physics"
> > <saganicc@MSKCC.ORG> wrote:
> > > Abstractions from my neighborhood.  MP,
> Summicron
> > > 50, Beutler/Efke kb25.
> > > 
> > > http://www.saganich.com/paw_pages/paw33.htm
> > > 
> > > Chris Saganich
> > > http://www.saganich.com
> > > 
> > > 
> > >  
> > >     
> > >
> >
>
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Replies: Reply from Mark Rabiner <mark@rabinergroup.com> (Re: [Leica] PAW 33-abstract photography)