[Leica] Pickles & Seasoned Professionals

[Carl Socolow <csocolow@microserve.net>]

Damn, you guys talking about peanut butter and pickles are about making
me sick. I thought my tastes were eclectic but this is pushing the
envelope. OTOH, if some of Mr. Hughes photos were embellished with
peanut butter (the subjects, not the prints) I sense the making of a new
advertising campaign.

BTW, Mr. Hughes, I like the direction you're heading with your imagery
and I admire your use of large formats and your diligence to your craft.
I do think that Jock Sturges' work bridges the psychological gap between
camera and subject more intuitively than yours. I have a pet peeve about
titling work to convey a message; seems too pedantic. I also have an
aversion to massive displays of ego or philosophy as it reeks of hubris
and falls into Lao Tzu's realm of "Those who speak do not know. Those
who know do not speak." To have to explain a photographic philosophy
implies a failure of the photography to convey its own content and
meaning.

Finally, your approach to the LUG was somewhat rankling. You should not
assume that we're a bunch of dilettantes or photo wannabes just because
we might use a camera with a meter or some such nonsense. You missed a
long thread started by Mike Johnson ealier this year, for example, about
judging exposure without use of a meter. I commend you for generating
some excitement but there are better ways to make a point than lobbing
hand grenades. That being said... Welcome aboard.


Carl S.