Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/03/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Mar 18, 2010, at 11:16 PM, Vince Passaro wrote: > Thank you Steve. I'm at my best when avoiding my work. perfect... that's what this list is all about, Steve > V > > On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 11:55 PM, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at > gmail.com>wrote: > >> >> On Mar 18, 2010, at 8:10 PM, Vince Passaro wrote: >> >>> I don't who "you" is here Jeffery but my point was that the least safe >> and >>> comforting the artist, the better the artist. The great artists who've >> been >>> in practice and at home obnoxious and worse are legion, and I do believe >>> there is a correlation between their vision and the barbed wire they seem >> to >>> be wearing as jock straps. Being nice doesn't get the job done, most of >> the >>> time. There are of course exceptions. Many. Still, if you want to use >>> "obnoxious" as the measuring term, you've lost most of us; it's a school >>> marm's word, an accountant's word, a ticket collector's word, and efforts >>> not to be obnoxious while likely good for the smooth operation of polite >>> society (and all its hidden crimes) are not interesting or important to >> us. >>> Sometimes the best technique is 'silence, exile and cunning' which I >> think >>> is what you really mean, outside the ninth grade geography teacher vocab >> of >>> 'obnoxious'; and sometimes it's not and the artist has to become >> something >>> of a terrorist. Sometimes we have to INTERRUPT. There is no way really >> to >>> be discreet taking people's photos on the street and indeed one of the >>> complaints was not that he was up in people's faces but that he was >> trying >>> to be discreet: far away with telephoto lenses -- ie, "creepy." >>> >>> As far as his work goes (I'm about to go look at it), we should all keep >> in >>> mind that art of the second order makes art of the first order possible. >> And >>> on down the line. So Rabs is quite right: he is us, period. >> >> >> hi Vince, >> >> you may be at least provocative at times, and I don't always agree wth >> you, >> >> God forbid, >> >> but you are brilliant as a writer, a thinker, and a provocateur, >> >> >> Steve >> >> >> >> >> Steve >> >> >>> >>> Vince >>> >>> On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 9:34 PM, Jeffery Smith <jsmith342 at gmail.com> >> wrote: >>> >>>> You agree that the more obnoxious the photographer, the better the >>>> photographer, as long as he's doing whatever he wants? Cool. >>>> >>>> On Mar 18, 2010, at 8:04 PM, Vince Passaro wrote: >>>> >>>>> I agree with Rabs. Of course. And a further thought: I remember one day >>>> not >>>>> long ago -- within the last decade that means, to us oldies -- seeing a >>>>> photographer with a Leica 35mm camera on Fifth Ave near the corner of >>>> 57th >>>>> or 58th St I think (possibley a few blocks osouth of there) standing in >>>> the >>>>> flow of the crowd just whirling right and left and all the way around >>>> taking >>>>> pictures of people only .7 meters from their faces in many cases, or >>>>> sometimes a bit further. He was like a dervish: to watch him was to see >> a >>>>> man who was completely lost in what he was doing, the faces in the >> crowd, >>>>> images momentarily clarified within a blur, him catching them probably >>>> not >>>>> in full focus most of hte time, taking pictures (and manually advancing >>>> the >>>>> film) as fast as I've ever seen anyone with that kind of equipment >> work. >>>> I >>>>> deeply admired him. He looked insane. He was frightening people. Some >>>>> people, that is. It was New York after all and many just made their way >>>>> around him and kept on without a backward glance. >>>>> >>>>> Here's a very short, famous, Eastern-ish poem for street photographer's >>>>> everywhere. The title is "In a Station of the Metro" - it's only two >>>> lines >>>>> long: >>>>> >>>>> The apparition of these faces in a crowd; >>>>> Petals on a wet black bough. >>>>> >>>>> it's like a Capa picture double exposed onto an Ansel Adams.... >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 8:37 PM, Mark Rabiner <mark at >>>>> rabinergroup.com> >>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>>> I think the size of his cannon...er....Canon..is what is making him >> so >>>>>>> conspicuous and is what is unnerving his subjects. My reference to >> the >>>>>> Leica >>>>>>> RF is not so he can be like HCB, but so he might be less conspicuous. >>>>>> Robert >>>>>>> Capa's Contax would be fine too. Using a big SLR with a telephoto to >>>> get >>>>>>> pictures of young ladies is paparazzi-ish, not streetphotography-ish. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Jeffery >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> I think he can set up an 8x10 view camera if he feels like it if he's >>>> not >>>>>> blocking the sidewalk too much. >>>>>> >>>>>> [Rabs] >>>>>> Mark William Rabiner >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> 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 >>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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