Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/02/19

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Subject: [Leica] Re: PAW5 ...... YUCK!
From: bdcolen at earthlink.net (B. D. Colen)
Date: Sat Feb 19 09:31:04 2005

Excellent point/questions Phong....I have, in fact, shown it to my
students, who are required to produce a PAW that on some level tells, or
could tell, a story. I told them that I hardly hold that image up as an
example of photo excellence. But in terms of story---it's the constant
uphill struggle to make it up and over the top at MIT...;-)

-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Phong
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 10:05 AM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: PAW5 ...... YUCK!


B. D. Colen wrote:
> Interestingly enough, another former LUGGER and I have a mini-critique

> of sorts going - when we shoot something we like, but we're really not

> sure if it "is something" - in other words, whether it works, has that

> indefinable something special, or falls flat - we send an email with 
> the image attached and the subject line "is this something?" We are 
> both quite critical, and more often than not say, 'no, it doesn't 
> quite work because....It might have worked if...' Well, this was one 
> were he said, "Yup. I like them both" (5 and 5a)

I often find it pretty much impossible to decide whether something
works, without seeing  the context of the photographer's work,
preferably the context of a particular portfolio or project.

It's like trying to decide whether an individual  statement or 
verse makes sense.   Verses need to be strung together 
into a poem,  though of course many verses are very
quotable, and do stand on their own.  You can use
those images for the front and back covers, and the 
frontispiece.

The image in question is a clever tournure, but not
too.  The cleverer the image is, the more I need the
context to understand it.  Could it be used in the
frontispiece of a B.D's work ?  Possibly, though highly unlikely.  (no
cell phone :-) ); but that of course depends so much on what B.D. wants
to say.  To paraphrase: "It's pretty, but is it art ?"

Me ?  I am still stringing my letters into a word.
But I enjoy poetry, including my own.

Cheers,

- Phong


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In reply to: Message from phong at doan-ltd.com (Phong) ([Leica] Re: PAW5 ...... YUCK!)