Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/02/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Vince, did he also suffer physical injuries from thugs beating him up (possibly because of Minamata)? Absolutely fascinating character. On Sun, Feb 21, 2010 at 9:59 AM, Vince Passaro <passaro.vince at gmail.com>wrote: > SD, > > First, do keep in mind that the Life editors, who were foisting off one > jolly middle-of-the-road everything's-going-great-in-America-and--the-West > story after another, largely disliked Smith or worse. He made nothing but > trouble. When he was sent to Britain to cover the elections in 1950 -- > because Henry Luce badly wanted Labour to lose to the Tories -- he came > back > with the famous pictures of the Welsh miners. You can imagine how pleased > the editors were. And on and on it went. > > Second, Smith was "isolated" in the 1970s largely in Minimata Japan where > he > became a lasting national hero to the Japanese by chronicling the effects > of > mercury poisoning on the citizens of that sea-side town, due to industrial > waste poured directly into local waters by a local corporation, which > eventually after much legal wrangling (also covered by Smith, over four or > five years living on no money in the village) was held liable for its > abuse, > the first time this ever occurred in Japan. He was physically ever more of > a > wreck -- much of the self-medicating and subsequent addiction had its > foundation in the injuries to his neck and back that he suffered in the > war, > the same neck and back he was hanging six Leicas off of in the 1940s and > 50s. > > So perhaps those who testify about his skill as a printer are hagiographers > and perhaps he was mediocre; no matter now. We are left with the prints > reproduced in books like "Dream Street" and "The Jazz Loft Project" -- > prints made over years when he was broke and had a smattering of > girlfriends > and acolytes assisting him on an irregular basis -- he used up people the > way he used up film -- and these are subtle and magnificent prints, judging > by the reproductions. So we'll enjoy them without being doctrinaire about > their production. > > VP > > On Sun, Feb 21, 2010 at 12:32 PM, slobodan Dimitrov > <s.dimitrov at charter.net>wrote: > > > Granted on the issues of the visual essay. It's an area that vexed him to > > no end. > > However, on the printing issue, he wasn't especially brilliant,or > anything > > approaching the level of a genius, as the current wave of celebratory and > > fawning 'scholarship' likes to intimate. > > In the mid 1970's, I interviewed one of his old editor at LIFE. I wish I > > had the presence of mind to have saved the notes. His name currently > escapes > > me. > > However, I will be in Santa Monica this afternoon. I'll try to swing by > the > > house, where the interview took place. Maybe the family still owns it, or > > the current tenant might know who lived had lived there. > > Anyway, he said he kept an eye on Smith while he stepped off the LIFE > > reservation. He made sure he was hired back in 1944. > > A number of comments stand out from that nearly 3 hour conversation. > > According to the editor, the key reason over the earlier disagreement > with > > LIFE, came up over Smith's refusal to use a larger format than the 35mm. > > Another interesting point was his dismissal of Smith's printing > > capabilities. He recounted, how one day Smith went to the LIFE lab to > have a > > print done. He had spent days on it, with little success. He showed the > head > > printer what he done so far, and asked if he could do something with it. > The > > printer came back 15 minutes later, and asked Smith if that''s what he > had > > in mind, as he showed him the print. Smith just looked at the print, > nodded, > > and walked away. Apparently not very happy at not being to able to have > > solved the negative's issues with that kind of ease, according to the > > editor. > > Lastly, he mentioned that it was in Smith's contract that he wasn't > allowed > > to use strobes. However, he did use a small strobe in the shot of > Schweitzer > > at the his desk with the oil lamp. Smith bounced the light off the floor, > to > > the left of Schweitzer, to separate him from the dark background. > Apparently > > all the contracts were tailored to each individual photographer. What > > applied to Smith might not necessarily apply to Capa, etc. > > That's all I can remember so far. > > During the 70's Smith wasn't especially known for his printing. It was > just > > general knowledge. > > In those years I made a point of trying to meet as many of the > > photographers whose work I admired. > > But, by then Smith was an isolated tragic figure, who was no longer > > accessible. > > The editor was the closest I could come. > > S.d. > > > > > > On Feb 21, 2010, at 7:38 AM, John Edwin Mason wrote: > > > > > Vince, ditto to everything you said, especially this about the > Pittsburgh > > project: > > > > > >> He went and spent most of two years in Pittsburgh taking pictures > that, > > >> given the original low-paying assignment, probably required less than > a > > >> week's work. They are some of the greatest American photographs of the > > >> post-war years, absolutely astonishing. They were finally gathered > > >> together in significant number only a few years ago and the book he'd > > >> long dreamed of came into being. It's called "Dream Street." > Definitely > > >> worth owning. > > > > > > "Absolutely astonishing" is right. > > > > > > The story of the project, which is well told in the introduction to > > "Dream Street," is equally astonishing. As you know, he was driven, > > obsessed, compulsive, and deeply addicted to meth and booze. He suffered > > tremendously, and so did many of those closest to him. The book is still > in > > print, btw. > > > > > > He was printing and editing the Pittsburgh project at the same time > that > > he was living in the NYC loft and creating the photos and sound > recordings > > that make up the Jazz Loft Project. The musicians who knew him remember > him > > as a very cool cat--generous, easy to be around, and always, always, > always > > working. > > > > > > --John > > > > > > ****************************** > > > John Edwin Mason, Photography: > > > http://www.JohnEdwinMason.com > > > Charlottesville and Cape Town > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Leica Users Group. > > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- // richard <http://www.imagecraft.com/> blog: < http://imagecraft.wordpress.com> // portfolio: <http://www.dragonsgate.net/pub/richard/PICS/AnotherCalifornia > // mailing lists: <http://www.imagecraft.com/contact.html> [ For technical support on ImageCraft products, please include all previous replies in your msgs. ]